Rajas and cheese tamales: the chilango classic with green salsa

What is it?

Rajas with cheese tamales are one of the most popular versions in Mexico City and central Mexico. They feature maize masa whipped with lard until fluffy, filled with strips of roasted chile poblano and pieces of queso panela or fresco, all bathed in green tomato salsa. They are wrapped in maize husk and steamed in large tamale pots. Together with the chicken-and-mole tamale and the strawberry-sweet tamale, they dominate the white carts of the centre and outskirts of Mexico City year-round. They are synonymous with the chilango breakfast: tamale in a torta with coffee or atole, an inseparable pairing on the Day of Candelaria.

Origin and history

The rajas tamale has a mestizo origin: rajas of chile poblano are a colonial preparation born in Puebla when convents integrated European cheeses with the indigenous chilli. Larousse Cocina describes Pueblan rajas tamales as a traditional recipe documented from the nineteenth century in central Mexico. The formula took hold in Mexico City in the twentieth century thanks to market tamaleras and street vendors. Yuri de Gortari, a populariser of traditional Mexican cooking, considers them one of the most representative tamales of the popular Mexico City table. Directo al Paladar notes that the rajas tamale is the favourite vegetarian option of the chilango repertoire, particularly strong around the Day of Candelaria (2 February), when whoever pulled the figurine from the Rosca de Reyes must treat the family to tamales.

Characteristic ingredients

The masa is made with finely ground nixtamalised maize, lard or vegetable oil whisked until fluffy, salt and chicken or vegetable broth. Some recipes add baking powder to ensure a light texture. The filling features chile poblano roasted, peeled and cut into thin strips (rajas), green salsa made from cooked tomatillo with chile serrano, coriander, onion and garlic, and panela, fresco or Oaxaca cheese. Dried maize husks are soaked in hot water for about 30 minutes to make them flexible, filled with a layer of masa, covered with green salsa, rajas and cheese, closed forming a rectangle and steamed for approximately one hour. A variant includes epazote or squash blossom alongside the rajas.

Cultural significance

The rajas with cheese tamale is a symbol of the popular chilango table and of the Day of Candelaria tradition, when Mexicans treat relatives to tamales to fulfil the commitment acquired after finding the figurine in the Rosca de Reyes. Yuri de Gortari, cited by Directo al Paladar, considers it one of the few truly vegetarian tamales in the Mexican repertoire and that is why it has won over diners who avoid meat. In 2010 UNESCO inscribed traditional Mexican cuisine as Intangible Heritage of Humanity and tamales are a central part of that recognition. In Mexico City, tamale carts are a micro-economy: many migrant families (especially Oaxacan ones) sustain their economy with street sales of rajas, mole, sweet and green tamales on cold mornings.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between rajas tamales and green tamales?

They are almost the same, but green tamales usually contain shredded chicken and green salsa without rajas, while rajas with cheese tamales are vegetarian: only chile poblano rajas, cheese and green salsa. Larousse even offers a recipe for rajas and green tamales combining both. In chilango tamale shops, green with chicken and rajas with cheese are two distinct options on the same cart.

What cheese is used for rajas tamales?

Traditionally it contains queso panela or queso fresco, cut into cubes or sticks of one centimetre. Some tamaleras use shredded Oaxaca cheese so that it melts more. The cheese should be of the white Mexican type, neither aged nor cured, because it must remain soft after steaming. In the homemade version, requesón can also be used with very rich, creamy results.

Where do rajas tamales originate?

Rajas of chile poblano are a preparation originating from Puebla, emerging in the colonial convents of the seventeenth century. The rajas tamale as such became popular in central Mexico (Mexico City, Puebla, Tlaxcala, the State of Mexico, Morelos) during the nineteenth century and consolidated as a chilango street icon in the twentieth century. Today it is considered an emblematic dish of central Mexico.

How are rajas tamales served?

They are served hot, on a plate or inside a bolillo or telera (the famous tamale torta or chilango guajolota), accompanied by café de olla, white atole or chocolate atole. Some add crema and cheese on top, but the classic cart-style is eaten as it is, opening the maize husk. It is a typical breakfast in winter and on the Day of Candelaria.