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• 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.

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Tamale ² American  

[tuh-mah-lee] / təˈmɑ li /

noun

1. a city in N Ghana.

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tamale British  

/ təˈmɑːlɪ /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tamales
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of tamale

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

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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

Another tamale street vendor not far from Maria's cart said she had heard of her detention and quickly teared up over what happened.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2025

Business cards sit on top of the tamale cart.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2025

It happened in 2003, involving a police captain, a civil rights attorney, a councilman, a deli owner and a tamale maker, among others.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 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

After the U.S. exhibitions, Florenz plans to send the traveling group of approximately 40 coffins to Red Clay Studio in Tamale, Ghana.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

The family said they had decided to bury Awuche in Tamale instead of Gambaga as the village would have been overwhelmed with mourners.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

The Brown Derby restaurant didn’t sell derbies, but The Tamale, on Whittier Blvd. in East L.A., sold tamales, and the trade of Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood is unmistakably doughnuts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025

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

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2024

Bob turned and glanced the way Tamale was looking; saw nothing, and settled down again on the small of his back.

From The Lure of the Dim Trails by B. M. Bower

But as it turns out, Americans just want those tamales to be a little more affordable.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

She has witnessed immigration agents detaining street vendors selling tamales, chicharrónes and empanadas.

From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026

“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

Matt helped himself to sushi, tamales, pakoras, blintzes—whatever the people in the Big House were eating.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

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