The Strangest and Most Delicious Tamales in Mexico

A Universe of Tamales

Most British people, if they have encountered tamales at all, know them as parcels of corn dough filled with shredded pork or chicken, wrapped in corn husks and steamed. This is like knowing pizza only as margherita - technically accurate but missing approximately 99% of the picture.

Mexico has an estimated 500 distinct varieties of tamales, varying by region, filling, wrapping, occasion and technique. Some are tiny - bite-sized ceremonial tamales no bigger than a thumb. Others are enormous - the zacahuil of the Huasteca region can be two metres long and feeds an entire village. Some are sweet, some are savoury, some are wrapped in corn husks, others in banana leaves, avocado leaves, or even the leaves of the holy hand tree. Some contain familiar fillings like cheese or beans; others contain mole negro, iguana, grasshoppers, or the brains of various animals.

This is a tour through some of Mexico's most unusual, surprising and delicious tamales - and a reminder that the tamal, far from being a simple snack, is one of the most ancient and diverse food traditions in the Americas.

Zacahuil: The Giant of the Huasteca

The zacahuil is the most spectacular tamal in Mexico. Made in the Huasteca region (spanning parts of Veracruz, San Luis Potosi, Hidalgo and Tamaulipas), the zacahuil is a communal tamal that can measure up to two metres long and weigh 50-70 kilograms. It is wrapped in banana leaves, filled with an entire pig's worth of pork in a rich chilli sauce, encased in a rough, textured masa, and baked overnight in a wood-fired oven (horno) built specifically for the purpose.

Zacahuil is celebration food - it appears at weddings, fiestas, Day of the Dead celebrations and community events. Making one is a communal effort, typically involving multiple families, and the overnight baking means that the preparation begins the day before the celebration. When the zacahuil is unwrapped the next morning, the banana leaves peeled back to reveal the enormous, steaming mass of corn and meat, the moment has a ceremonial quality that transcends mere cooking.

Tamales de Rajas con Queso (Chilli Strips and Cheese)

One of the most popular tamales across central Mexico, these contain strips of roasted poblano chilli and melted cheese (typically Oaxaca cheese or Chihuahua cheese). The combination of smoky, mild chilli and stretchy, melted cheese inside tender, slightly sweet masa is extraordinary - and naturally vegetarian. In Britain, you could make an excellent version using roasted romano peppers and mozzarella.

Tamales Oaxaquenos: The Banana Leaf Tradition

In Oaxaca, tamales are wrapped in banana leaves rather than corn husks, giving them a distinctive dark green exterior and a subtly different flavour - the banana leaf imparts a faint, elegant vegetal note to the masa. Oaxacan tamales are typically larger and flatter than central Mexican tamales, and the most famous filling is mole negro - the extraordinarily complex black sauce made from charred chillies, chocolate, spices and dozens of other ingredients. A tamal de mole negro is considered by many to be the finest single bite in Mexican cuisine.

Tamales de Dulce (Sweet Tamales)

Sweet tamales are common across Mexico and are often tinted pink with food colouring (for no particular reason beyond tradition and visual appeal). Common sweet fillings include:

• Strawberry: Fresh or dried strawberries mixed into sweetened masa
• Pineapple and raisin: A tropical combination with cinnamon
• Chocolate: Cocoa and sugar blended into the masa, sometimes with almonds
• Cajeta (goat's milk caramel): Swirled through sweetened masa

Sweet tamales are breakfast food in Mexico City - eaten inside a bread roll (the guajolota) with a cup of thick, warm atole. This carbohydrate-on-carbohydrate combination sounds excessive but is, in practice, one of the most comforting breakfasts in existence.

Corundas: Michoacan's Triangular Tamal

In Michoacan, the corunda is a distinctive triangular tamal wrapped in the long, green leaves of the corn plant (not the husk). The masa is typically unfilled - the flavour comes from the corn itself, enriched with cream or lard and seasoned with baking powder for a lighter texture. Corundas are served bathed in salsa verde or salsa roja and topped with cream and crumbled cheese. Their elegant triangular shape makes them one of the most visually distinctive tamales in Mexico.

Tamales de Ceniza (Ash Tamales)

In parts of Guerrero, Oaxaca and Michoacan, tamales de ceniza are made with masa that has been mixed with wood ash, giving the dough a distinctive grey-blue colour and a subtle, alkaline flavour reminiscent of the nixtamalisation process itself. These are ancient - the technique predates the Spanish conquest - and are typically filled with beans or served unfilled with salsa. They are increasingly rare, preserved mainly by indigenous communities maintaining pre-Hispanic food traditions.

Uchepos: Sweet Corn Tamales

Uchepos, from Michoacan, are made from fresh corn rather than dried masa - the corn kernels are blended with cream, sugar and cinnamon to create a batter that is wrapped in fresh corn husks and steamed. The result is a sweet, tender, intensely corny tamal that tastes like concentrated essence of summer. Uchepos are seasonal - available only when fresh corn is at its peak - and are one of Mexico's great seasonal delicacies.

Tamales de Chipil (Herb Tamales)

In Puebla and Tlaxcala, tamales de chipil are flavoured with the leaves of the chipilin plant (Crotalaria longirostrata), an herb with a distinctive, slightly earthy flavour. The leaves are folded into the masa itself, creating green-flecked tamales that taste of herbs and corn. In Britain, you could approximate the effect using fresh herbs like epazote (if available), or even a mixture of flat-leaf parsley and basil.

Tamales de Elote (Fresh Corn Tamales)

Similar to uchepos, tamales de elote are made from fresh corn kernels blended to a coarse paste, sweetened with sugar, enriched with butter and wrapped in corn husks. They are lighter and moister than tamales made from dried masa, with a bright, sweet corn flavour. These are popular across Mexico during corn season and are one of the easiest tamales to make at home - frozen sweetcorn works surprisingly well as a base.

Making Tamales in Britain

Tamales are absolutely makeable in a British kitchen. You need:

• Masa harina: Available from Mexican shops, Amazon and some supermarkets
• Corn husks: Dried corn husks are available from Mexican shops and online
• Lard or vegetable shortening: Essential for the texture of the masa
• Fillings of your choice
• A large steamer or pot with a steaming rack

The technique is straightforward: mix masa harina with stock and whipped lard until the dough is light and fluffy (it should float in water). Spread masa on a soaked corn husk, add filling, fold and steam for 1-1.5 hours. For detailed recipes, explore our recipe collection.

Tamale-making is traditionally a communal activity in Mexico - families gather for a tamalada, a tamale-making party where the work is shared and the socialising is as important as the cooking. Consider hosting your own tamalada - it is one of the most enjoyable ways to introduce friends to Mexican food culture.

The Cultural Significance of Tamales

Tamales are more than food in Mexican culture - they are a social institution. The tamalada (tamale-making gathering) is one of Mexico's most important communal food traditions. Families and neighbours gather, often before major celebrations like Christmas, Day of the Dead or a wedding, and spend an entire day making hundreds of tamales together. The work is divided: someone prepares the masa, someone makes the fillings, someone soaks and sorts the corn husks, and everyone helps with the assembly.

The tamalada is as much about conversation, storytelling and community bonding as it is about food production. Recipes and techniques are passed from grandmothers to mothers to daughters (and increasingly to sons and grandsons) through the physical act of making tamales side by side. The texture of properly prepared masa - how it should feel between your fingers, how it should spread on the husk, how much filling is enough - is taught through demonstration and practice, not through written recipes.

This oral and physical transmission of knowledge explains why tamale recipes vary not just by region but by family. Every Mexican family has its own tamale recipe, its own preferred fillings, its own techniques and traditions, and asking a Mexican which tamales are "best" is roughly equivalent to asking a British person which grandmother makes the best roast - the only correct answer is "mine."

Tamales and Celebration

Different occasions call for different tamales. Christmas Eve tamales in central Mexico are typically filled with mole or rajas (roasted chilli strips). Day of the Dead tamales might include special flavours associated with the deceased - a grandmother's favourite filling, for instance. Wedding tamales in Oaxaca are large, elaborate affairs wrapped in banana leaves. Birthday tamales might be sweet, filled with strawberry or pineapple.

This connection between tamales and celebration means that for many Mexicans living in Britain, making tamales is an essential act of cultural preservation - a way of maintaining connection to family, tradition and homeland through food. If you are invited to a tamalada by Mexican friends, accept without hesitation. It will be one of the most memorable food experiences of your life.

For tamale recipes and other traditional Mexican dishes, explore our recipe collection. For masa harina, corn husks, banana leaves and other tamale supplies, visit Mexican shops across the UK.