Meaux Hot Tamales/ Manuels Memories — Porch,Wine & Gravy | Louisiana Food Recipes by Jolie Meaux (2024)

FAQs

What is the story of hot tamales? ›

How tamales landed in the Delta is unclear, but local culinary historians agree it's most likely that they originated with Mexican migrant workers, who swapped recipes with Black Americans more than a century ago. And ever since, Black Southerners have been the keepers of the hot tamale tradition.

Fillings would consist of meat (turkey, fish, frog, axolotl, gopher), fruit, bean, squash seed, turkey egg and even no filling. They would be seasoned with chilis or seeds if they were savory and honey if they were sweet. Tamales also held great religious and spiritual importance within Aztec culture.

Some believe that tamales appeared in the region during the Mexican American War in the late 1840s. Others—and likely the majority—think that hot tamales were adopted and reinterpreted around a hundred years later by Black laborers from their Mexican peers who brought tamales to the fields for lunch.

A hot tamale is a traditional dish native to the Mississippi Delta made of meat stuffed in cornmeal, wrapped in a corn husk, and simmered or boiled in a spiced brine. Hot tamales are smaller than the tamales found in Hispanic America and their recipes vary significantly from chef to chef.

The sugar in Hot Tamales and other candy may be beneficial for people with low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), but not for the rest of the population who do not need or want their blood sugar increased. These sweet treats are packed full of sugar and some varieties are even coated or dusted with more sugar.

hot tamale (plural hot tamales) (US, informal) A physically attractive person. (US, informal) A comical person or thing. He' so funny; what a hot tamale he is!

While the Aztecs ruled, they farmed large areas of land. Staples of their diet were maize, beans and squash. To these, they added chilies and tomatoes. They also harvested Acocils, an abundant crayfish-like creature found in Lake Texcoco, as well as Spirulina algae which they made into cakes.

Be sure to remove the wrapper entirely from tamales steamed in corn husks. While plantain leaves are edible (though they're not usually consumed with the tamales), corn husks aren't, and could cause choking or an upset stomach if swallowed.

The term originated from the Aztec word “tamal.” Although “tamale” was attributed to the Aztecs, its beginnings date from 8000 B.C. to 5000 BC based on the Olmec and Toltec hieroglyphs that anthropologists discovered.

The Mississippi Delta is known for delicious hot tamales, which can be found and enjoyed on Southern Foodways Alliance's Hot Tamale Trail.

What is a delta tamale? ›

Tamales from the Mississippi Delta are smaller than Latin-style tamales, are simmered instead of steamed, have a gritty texture from the use of corn meal instead of corn flour, have considerably more spice, and are usually served with juice that is the byproduct of simmering.

Then Greenville Mayor Chuck Jordan proclaims Greenville, Mississippi to be the Hot Tamale Capital of the World.

Tamales continue to have great significance as a form of sustenance and as a symbolic element in Mexican and Mexican American cultures. Tamales are strongly associated with themes of unity, celebration, family, kinship, and community.

Hot Tamales is an American brand of cinnamon-flavored candies introduced in 1950 manufactured and marketed by the Just Born company. They were developed by Bob Born, son of Sam Born, the company's founder. The name derives from the sometimes spicy flavor of tamales.

As we head into the next century, we continue to make your favorite treats – PEEPS®, MIKE AND IKE®, HOT TAMALES® and GOLDENBERG'S® PEANUT CHEWS® and we proudly continue to be a 3rd generation family-owned company.

Tamales were often carried by warriors on long journeys and hunters on hunting trips. The women made them for festivals and rituals, and their preparation hasn't changed much since. It's safe to say that tamales have been the food 'of the people' in Mexico and Central America for millennia.

Tamales are a complete meal in a portable form. In most versions, tamales are made from a mixture of corn dough (masa) and filling, wrapped in a banana leaf or corn husk, and then steamed. The corn masa becomes firmer when steamed, and the tamale can be unwrapped and eaten on the go.

Despite how they are made or what they are filled with, tamales symbolize more than just a meal to Latin families. Tamales are about tradition - bringing multiple generations together in a labor of love often accompanied by warm memories and laughter.

This is the story of a treasure thought to be lost in a batch of tamales; of a desperate and funny attempt by Maria and her cousins to eat their way out of trouble; and the warm way a family pulls together to make it a perfect Christmas after all.