Jump To:

• tamale
  tamale

  noun

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

  noun

  a city in N Ghana.

tamale

¹ American  

[tuh-mah-lee] / təˈmɑ li /

noun

• tamales
  plural

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

---

Tamale ² American  

[tuh-mah-lee] / təˈmɑ li /

noun

1. a city in N Ghana.

---

tamale British  

/ təˈmɑːlɪ /

noun

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tamales
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of tamale

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

---

Explanation

The tamale is a popular food in Mexican cuisine, made of cornmeal dough that's filled with meat or cheese and wrapped in a cornhusk before being steamed. If you have the chance, you should definitely try some tamales. Traditionally, the cornhusk (or banana leaf) wrapper was used as a plate for eating the warm tamale, and these delicious savory treats are often still eaten this way today. The starchy masa (or cornmeal) that's used in tamales becomes firm after being steamed, and this makes it a perfect portable meal. The word tamale comes from the Mexican Spanish tamal, which has a Nahuatl root, tamalli, meaning "wrapped."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tamale Tamale tamales

Anguish colored the faces of Maria's son and another daughter, age 16, as they stepped in to continue running the tamale cart in the very spot where their mother was taken into custody.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2025

Business cards sit on top of the tamale cart.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2025

There, a narrator and singer welcomes and regales guests with tales of how different Latin countries present stories of Santa Claus, or, say, the joy of unwrapping a tamale.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2024

Dig into tamale waffles, topped with shredded beef and two eggs or rich, cheesy shrimp and grits.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 1, 2024

He lives with his mother, a tamale maker, in a tiny wooden shack.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

Some standouts include The Original Tamale, Sending Noods and plant-based street food innovators MANEATINGPLANT.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025

Superman used to go after Nazis, Klansmen and intergalactic monsters; now, Superman — er, Cain — wants to go after Tamale Lady.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2025

Tamale Safalu trains in front of his home in Kampala, Uganda.

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2025

For catering, she hired Tamale My Life, which she chose for its solid vegetarian options.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2024

She remembered the Friday night, after a City Hall band concert, when he had taken her and two other girls to Tony's Tamale Grotto on Thirteenth street.

From The Valley of the Moon by Jack London

Tucked away in a Sun Valley strip mall, El Compadre market and restaurant was a neighborhood staple, selling handmade tamales, carne asada tacos, fresh pan dulce and an array of products imported from Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

The protester, Seth Todd, responded with a joke, saying he had tasted "spicier tamales".

From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2025

“They were ready for Christmas, to make tamales, to make pozole, to make something and celebrate with the family. And now, nothing.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2025

Never mind all the newborns rolled out and swaddled like Christmas tamales, or the forceps deliveries that resemble tooth extractions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025

Neither of them could have made tamales if they’d had an instructional YouTube video and a sous chef at their side.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---