tamale

¹

[ tuh-mah-lee ]

noun

1. a Mexican dish made of minced and seasoned meat packed in cornmeal dough, wrapped in corn husks, and steamed.

Tamale

²

[ tuh-mah-lee ]

noun

1. a city in N Ghana.

tamale

/ təˈmɑːlɪ /

noun

1. a Mexican dish made of minced meat mixed with crushed maize and seasonings, wrapped in maize husks and steamed

Word History and Origins

Origin of tamale¹

1605–15, Americanism; construed as singular of Mexican Spanish tamales, plural of tamal < Nahuatl tamalli

Word History and Origins

Origin of tamale¹

C19: erroneously for tamal, from Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl tamalli

Example Sentences

I love backroads motorcycle rides with my husband, Hill Country wineries, tamales on Christmas morning.

From Time

Street vendors selling tamales, trinkets or ice cream pops have used San Diego’s sidewalks to sell their goods for years, creating a sort of informal economy in the process.

From Voice of San Diego

Stay tuned for vegan tamales stuffed with olives, red peppers and carrots, steamed in banana leaves.

From Washington Post

For instance, tamales, which I defined earlier, are not always cooked in corn husks—sometimes banana leaves are used instead.

From Nautilus

Consider how traditional food recipes, say tamales, have maintained a stable core definition over generations—corn-based dough cooked in corn husks.

From Nautilus

Beltrán Leyva, a gourmand, was savoring his tamale with its filling of roasted corn.

From The Daily Beast

But the narrow streets of the Mexican quarter with their chili and tamale stands interested them.

From Project Gutenberg

He made Henrietta Vance shout with laughter by pretending that the olive in his tamale was a green hen's egg.

From Project Gutenberg

Pem musingly nursed her chin,–and with it a wildfire interest in the “hot tamale.”

From Project Gutenberg

But I always felt that I'd rather be provincial hot-tamale than soup without seasoning.

From Project Gutenberg

This tamale mixture is fine for stuffing green mango peppers.

From Project Gutenberg