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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

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

De Perez said that agents presented paperwork when they picked up her daughter from her tamale stand on Friday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2025

In the wake of the audio leak scandal, the incumbent wrapped himself in latinidad like a tamale snug inside a corn husk — and he still lost.

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

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

So the 37-year-old turned to local experts in northern Ghana near his studio in Tamale, who weaved and sewed this project on a colossal scale.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2024

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

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2024

But, like Tamale Jose, they had raided once too often.

From Hopalong Cassidy's Rustler Round-Up by Clarence Edward Mulford

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

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

The Schodorfs said ICE agents recently grabbed a neighborhood fixture — a guy who sells tamales.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026

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

Had Celia prepared tamales and bowls of menudo?

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

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