Tamale season means the resurgence of a raging debate in Texas and beyond: is it a “tamal” or a “tamale”?
While nothing might be more satisfying than digging into a hot, ooey-gooey tamale as the temperatures begin to drop, the fiery debate surrounding this comfort dish will surely heat things up at more than a few Texas dinner tables.
The longstanding resonance of the question of whether one of these corn-based treats is called a “tamal” or a “tamale” is demonstrated through its traction on social media each winter. Posts usually tend to either bemoan the allegedly incorrect way others are saying it or try to educate others to bring them onto the side of the right.
When people write “tamale” instead of “tamal” pic.twitter.com/2XpD15eJsX
— Laura Martínez ™️ (@miblogestublog) November 12, 2021
@randomspanish Did you know it is tamal not tamale 🫔? #greenscreen #spanishtutor #spanish101 #learnontiktok #spanishlesson #quieressaber #learnspanish #spanishvocabulary #teachersoftiktok #frasedeldia #speakspanish #spanishphraseoftheday #hablaespañol #spanish #spanishlessons #spanishtutorial #yosabo #k18results #sabiasque
The good news is that neither “tamal” nor “tamale” is incorrect, at least culturally speaking.
Linguistically, the Spanish “tamal” has roots in the pre-conquest Aztec language called Nahuatl. As such, 500 years ago a dish of cornmeal steamed inside a cornhusk was referred to both in the singular and the plural as “tamalli.”
Later, the term “tamal” in the singular and “tamales” in the plural spread among speakers of Mexican Spanish, including those residing in what would become Texas in 1836. Yet linguistic shifts toward English — growing in predominance after the annexation of Texas into the United States — led to the birth of “tamale.”
This “Spanglish” word can be correctly used in the context of Tex-Mex cuisine, although it may cause some Spanish speakers to cringe.
“Words that come from another country or another language adapt to the phonetics of the country where they migrate to, without destroying their original meaning,” explained Connie Martinez, who teaches Spanish as a principal lecturer at the University of North Texas, according to The Dallas Morning News. “We can’t laugh at someone saying tamale, but we can mention how it’s said in other places.”
Indeed, regional variations of the Mexican tamal can be found throughout Latin America. From the “nacatamales” in Honduras to the “humitas” of the Andes, their names, their fillings, and their preparation techniques for the cornmeal differ to varying extents.
For instance, the Andean “humitas” are made using untreated ground corn. Meanwhile, the first step to making Guatemalan “nacatamales” is to treat the dried corn by simmering it in alkali water. This treatment — known as nixtamalization — would make the dough softer and increase the digestibility of corn and its nutritional components.
“The regional differences in preparing tamales come down to the nixtamalization process. All of Latin America had pre-Hispanic corn cultures, but not all used nixtamalization,” suggested Pilar Zazueta, who teaches food history as an associate professor at UT Austin, according to DMN.
Whichever way you pronounce it this winter, take comfort in knowing that it will still probably taste very good regardless.
