History of Tamales in Mexico

Corn, or maize, has always been central to the Mexican diet and Mexican cuisine. Not just Mexico, but throughout Mesoamerica, corn was vital and valued in their cuisine. Stories about the creation of the human race in ancient Maya depicted how the gods decided what the human race should be made of; they decided that the best material would be corn. The legend goes on to say that “[t]he race of corn was agile and strong…the race of corn would equal their wisdom and understanding and become as the gods themselves” (Knepp 195). Therefore, early history throughout Mesoamerica held corn to a godlike standard and praised that their land was designed to produce corn. In addition, tamales, a dough made from maize with some type of filling inside, were often prepared as offerings to the gods as well as at feasts and royal banquets (Knepp 196).

Moving forward in history, once the wheat-loving Europeans arrived, a cultural and dietary division resulted when the Europeans tried to force Mexicans to substitute wheat bread for their corn tortillas. While many Mexicans resisted, the societal pressures pushed some of the wealthier Mexicans away from their traditional Mexican cuisine and closer to European cuisine. During this time, eating or serving tamales, enchiladas, and other Mexican foods was a sign of poverty and diminished their significance in Mexican cuisine.

In the 19th century, cookbooks started coming out in attempts to unify and characterize cuisine in Mexico. However, European, especially French, dishes and techniques dominated these cookbooks, and some cookbooks “contained not a single recipe for tamales, enchiladas, or quesadillas” (Pilcher 204). However, for many Mexicans, tamales, enchiladas, and quesadillas were a significant part of their diet. Pressure to adapt Mexican cuisine to fit European taste buds was primarily observed in the elites and wealthy people of Mexico. On the streets, women would carry baskets of tamales and enchiladas to sell to locals as well as foreign travelers, so most people who lived in or visited Mexico experienced Mexican dishes, rather than Mexicanized European dishes.

All that to say that tamales and corn-based foods have been vital to Mexican cuisine and withstood European pressures to abolish popular Mexican dishes with European-styled dishes. Mexican dishes, like tamales, remained central to most Mexicans’ diets and played a significant role in Mexican traditions and celebrations, including Día de Los Muertos and Christmas, or La Navidad.

In my next post, I will discuss the importance of tamales in celebrations and how tamaladas bring families together.

Works Cited:

Knepp, M. Dustin. “Spreading Tradition: A History of Tamal-making and its Representation in Latino Children’s Literature.” Cincinnati Romance Review, vol. 33, 2012, pp. 194-205.

Pilcher, Jeffrey M. “Tamales or Timbales: Cuisine and the Formation of Mexican National Identity, 1821–1911.” The Americas, vol. 53, no. 2, 1996, pp. 193–216., https://doi.org/10.2307/1007616.