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Category: Hispanic American History

Print showing a family preparing tamales in a large kitchen

Tamales and the Tamalada: a Christmas Tradition

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

During the holiday season there are many diverse traditions.  One food that is traditional in many Latine households is tamales, prepared at a tamalada, or tamale making party.  Tamales are a Mesoamerican dish made with nixtimalized cornmeal dough—masa—steamed in a cornmeal husk, or banana leaf, and seasoned with cheese, beans, meats, and other flavors.