XLNT Foods celebrates National Tamale Day 2023

Since 2015, National Tamale Day has been celebrated on March 23. The tasty and versatile entrée holds an important place in Mexican culture and has since become popular throughout the United States and beyond. Here is some valuable information about tamales to celebrate them on their special day.

Why and How To Celebrate National Tamale Day

While some people save tamales for special occasions, others enjoy them as an everyday meal. Tamales are delicious and easy to eat on the go, which is part of what makes them so popular and worthy of celebration.

What Are the Origins of Tamales?

Tamales likely originated during the ancient Aztec empire, dating back to around 8,000 BCE. In ancient Mesoamerica, corn was the most important food source, and tamales became a staple throughout Central America. The Mayans considered tamales sacred, incorporating this food into their religious festivals and rituals.

While English explorer John Smith describes Indigenous people in Virginia making a tamale-like dish in his account of his 17th-century voyages, historians believe that Mexican tamales did not cross the U.S. border until the 19th century. There are differing accounts to explain how this happened; some say that migrant workers brought tamales along to eat in the fields, while others say that American soldiers brought this food home after the Mexican-American War. In either case, by the early 20th century, tamales and other Mexican dishes were popular in the southern United States. Over the course of the century, their popularity slowly spread upward.

How Did National Tamale Day Come To Be?

XLNT Foods National Tamale Day Chairman and creator of National Tamale Day Richard Lambert — Richard Lambert the creator of National Tamale Day

The official day of celebration for tamales is the brainchild of Richard Lambert, a restaurateur in Santa Barbara, California. Lambert has been enthusiastic about tamales since he was 12 years old. While helping out in his father's olive grove, he swapped a tuna fish sandwich for a hired hand's tamale and instantly had a new favorite.

Knowing that many foods have their own official day, Lambert looked to see if there was one for the tamale. A 2014 internet search told him that there was none. He then began the application process to include a tamale day in Chase's Calendar of Events, the official book of special days. He chose March 23 because there was little competition with other national food days at that time. The process took about a year, but the U.S. celebrated its first official National Tamale Day in 2015, delighting fans of Mexican food ever since.

What Are Tamales Made Of?

The first step in making tamales is to soak corn in an alkaline solution to remove the husk. The nixtamalized grain is then ground into corn flour called masa. Most people who make tamales today buy pre-nixtamalized masa flour rather than make it themselves.

The masa is then made into a dough and spread with a filling on top. Tamale fillings can be either savory or sweet. XLNT offers tamales made of beef or chicken. The masa dough is then folded to hold the stuffing inside. The word tamale literally means "wrapped." The preferred means of cooking tamales is by steaming them.

In the days before there was cookware, tamales were made by spreading the masa and the fillings over corn husks, wrapping up the husk, and cooking the tamales over the coals of a fire. Though corn husks are now optional, people who make tamales in the traditional way still use these husks.

How Can You Celebrate National Tamale Day?

The simplest way to celebrate tamales is probably by eating them. Better yet, you can throw a party for family and friends in which you serve tamales so that you can all enjoy this treat together. For this purpose, you can either make the tamales yourself or purchase them from an outlet such as XLNT.

Another fun way to celebrate is by attending a tamale festival or by planning to do so. These events feature tamales and other Mexican dishes for sale, as well as arts and crafts vendors, live music and entertainment, kids' activities, and more. In California alone, there are at least eight tamale festivals. Around the country, there are 40 annual tamale festivals, including in the following states:

• Nevada

• Arizona

• Texas

• Louisiana

• Illinois

Most of these tamale festivals take place in fall or winter. March would be a good time to start planning to attend one of these festivals, or there is a tamale festival held annually on March 23rd in Oslo, Norway.

If you don't already know how to make tamales, now would be a great time to learn. You can search the internet for recipes and tutorials. If you have made tamales before and have a favorite recipe, you can share it with others or post it on social media using the hashtag "National Tamale Day" so that more people will see it and join in the online celebrations.

Why Should You Celebrate National Tamale Day With XLNT?

At XLNT, we have put a new spin on a traditional favorite. For example, we don't use corn husks, which means you can cook our beef or chicken tamales in the microwave oven and eat them anywhere with a minimum of effort on your part. You can purchase our products from one of our locations in California and select areas in Washington state, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. However, even if you cannot make it to one of our stores, we ship our products all over the country. Order from XLNT today and celebrate National Tamale Day wherever you are.