Tamales begin with a dough made from nixtamalized corn, called masa, and are generally wrapped in corn husks or plantain leaves before cooking, depending on the region from which they come from. They usually have a sweet or savory filling and are typically steamed until firm. Tamales are a favorite comfort food in mexico, eaten as both breakfast and dinner, and often accompanied by hot Atole or Champurrado, maize-based beverages of indigenous origin. Street vendors can be seen in every corner serving them from huge, steaming, covered pots (tamaleras). The most common fillings are pork and chicken, in either red or green salsa or mole. Another very traditional variation is to add pink colored sugar to the corn mix and fill it with raisins or other dried fruit and make a sweet tamal (tamal de dulce). There are commonly a few “deaf”, or filling-less, tamales (tamal sordo), which might be served with refried beans and coffee.
Tamales is one of the representatives of mexican culinary tradition in Europe, being one of the first samples of the culture that the Spanish conquistadors took back to Spain as proof of civilization.