Why were tamales invented

The most common tamales are made with beef, chicken or pork in a red or green chile sauce or sweet tamales made with raisins and cinnamon. Most are wrapped with corn masa in a corn husk and steamed. Tamales are typically not made every day anymore due to the labor involved.

They are made for special occasions like the Day of the Dead, Christmas, New Year's or just about any other family or holiday celebration. It's usually a family affair. Many family members gather together to make the fillings and masa the day before. The following day, an assembly line of family of all ages form to spread the masa on corn husks, fill and fold the tamales. Once all the tamales are assembled, they are steamed and finally eaten. Tamales typically are not made every day, as they once were, as they are very labor intensive.

Tamale making is usually a family affair! Traditionally family members gather together and make fillings and masa the day before. Day 2 creates an assembly line where family of all ages spread the masa on corn husks, fill, and fold the tamales. Once the tamales are assembled, they are steamed and finally eaten. Usually hundreds of tamales are made at once so everyone can take some home and share with friends and family. Due to the limited resources, they created fish and pork tamales.

Most modern tamales are beef based. However, ancient Mexico had limited beef. Tamales were greatly used by the ancient Mayans and Aztec as the two cultures interacted with each other, most often during war. During times of peace, the Mayans and Aztecs would trade with each other. When tamales were made back then, they could be eaten cold or warm. There were different methods of warming the tamale.

Tamales could be cooked by roasting, steaming, and boiled. In modern times, many tamales are still cooked this way. We will now fry and oven roast tamales as well. In modern Mexican cuisine we most often see just a corn-based tamale wrap inside a corn husk. However, grain and corn species varied in ancient Mexico and there were red tamales and green tamales that use a different grain based.

Essentially, tamales were cooked in any non-toxic leaf which also helped preserve the tamales longer.