Types of tamales: a guide from Mexico to Colombia

There are more types of tamales than most people realize. Almost every country between Mexico and Argentina makes its own, and the differences go far beyond the filling: the dough, the wrapper, the size and the occasion all change from one kitchen to the next.

The short answer: the main types of tamales are Mexican (corn masa in a corn husk, filled with pork, chicken, cheese or something sweet), Oaxacan and Central American tamales wrapped in banana leaves (Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran nacatamales), South American ones such as Colombian tamales tolimenses and Venezuelan hallacas, and Cuban tamales, where the pork is mixed into a fresh-corn dough. In my kitchen we make only two, both Mexican-style: chicken in green salsa and pork in red salsa.

This guide walks through the types of tamales you are most likely to see in Dallas, how to tell them apart, and what each one is like to eat. If you are new to tamales altogether, start with what tamales are made of and come back.

What all types of tamales have in common

Every tamal is a dough made from corn, wrapped in a leaf and cooked with steam (or, in a few places, boiled). That is the whole family resemblance. Everything else varies:

• The dough. Most Mexican tamales use masa made from nixtamalized corn, which is corn cooked with lime so the hull comes off and the dough holds together. Cuban tamales and some Central American ones use fresh ground corn instead, which gives a softer, sweeter, more pudding-like texture.
• The wrapper. Dried corn husks in most of Mexico and in Cuba; banana or plantain leaves in Oaxaca, Central America and much of South America. The leaf changes the flavor and the texture. I wrote a whole piece on corn husk vs. banana leaf tamales.
• The filling. From a spoonful of salsa and meat in the middle of the masa, to a whole stew with olives and raisins, to no filling at all.
• The size. Mexican tamales fit in your hand. Some Colombian and Venezuelan ones are a meal for one person on a plate.

The tamal itself is far older than any of these countries; the history of tamales goes back thousands of years in Mesoamerica. The regional types grew from that common root.

Mexican tamales: the type most of DFW grew up with

Mexico alone has dozens of regional types of tamales. The ones you find in Texas kitchens are mostly northern and central Mexican: corn masa beaten with fat until it is light, spread thin on a soaked corn husk, filled, folded and steamed.

Tamales rojos (red, usually pork)

Pork cooked slowly and finished in a salsa of dried red chiles. This is the classic Christmas tamal in Texas and the one most people mean when they say "tamales." Ours are pork tamales in red salsa, with a small kick.

Tamales verdes (green, usually chicken)

Chicken in a salsa verde made from tomatillos and green chiles. Brighter and tangier than the red ones, usually milder. Ours are chicken tamales in green salsa, made with chicken breast.

Tamales de rajas con queso

Strips of roasted poblano or green chile with cheese. The classic vegetarian tamal in Mexico, and the one people search for when they want something without meat. We do not make them; my kitchen makes only pork and chicken.

Tamales de dulce (sweet tamales)

Sweet masa, often tinted pink, with raisins, pineapple or cinnamon. They are a holiday and breakfast tradition in many families, served with hot chocolate or atole. We do not make sweet tamales, but they are worth knowing about if you see "tamales dulces" on a menu.

Tamales de elote (fresh corn tamales)

Made from fresh sweet corn rather than dried-corn masa, so they are soft, a little sweet and moist. In Michoacán the fresh-corn version is called an uchepo and is often served with cream and salsa.

Oaxacan tamales

In Oaxaca the tamal moves into a banana leaf, and the filling is often mole negro, the dark sauce made with chiles, spices and chocolate. The leaf keeps the masa silky and adds a faint herbal note. We do not make Oaxacan tamales; my kitchen wraps in corn husks.

Regional giants and oddities

Mexico also has the zacahuil from the Huasteca region, a tamal big enough to feed a party, cooked in a wood oven, and the corunda from Michoacán, a triangular tamal wrapped in the long leaves of the corn plant. You will rarely find them in Dallas, but they show how wide the Mexican tamal family really is.

Central American types of tamales

Central American tamales are usually wrapped in banana leaves, and the masa is often softer and smoother than the Mexican kind. Many families make them for Christmas and New Year.

Salvadoran tamales

The best-known Salvadoran tamal is the tamal de gallina: chicken, often with potato, chickpeas or olives, in a smooth masa wrapped in banana leaf. El Salvador also has tamales pisques, with beans folded into the dough, and sweet-corn tamales de elote. People searching for "Salvadoran tamales near me" are usually looking for that soft, banana-leaf style.

Guatemalan tamales

Guatemala's holiday tamales come in red and black. Tamales colorados get their color from a tomato and chile sauce called recado; tamales negros are darker and slightly sweet, with a mole-like sauce that can include chocolate. Guatemala also makes chuchitos, small tamales in corn husks that work as a snack.

Honduran and Nicaraguan nacatamales

The nacatamal is large, wrapped in banana leaf and filled with pork, rice, potato and vegetables, sometimes with olives or capers. It is closer to a full plated meal than a handheld tamal.

South American and Caribbean types of tamales

Colombian tamales tolimenses

From the Tolima region of Colombia, the tamal tolimense is one of the most generous tamales anywhere. The corn dough is wrapped around rice, yellow peas, pork, chicken, egg and vegetables, then tied in banana leaves and cooked for hours. It is often eaten for breakfast with hot chocolate and bread. Colombia has other regional tamales too, from the Caribbean coast and from Bogotá, each with its own filling.

Venezuelan hallacas

Hallacas are Venezuela's Christmas tamal: a thin corn dough around a rich stew of beef, pork or chicken with olives, raisins and capers, folded in banana leaves and tied like a parcel. Families make them together in December, much like a Mexican tamalada.

Peruvian tamales and humitas

Peru makes tamales verdes, colored and flavored with cilantro, and humitas, which use fresh corn and can be sweet or savory. They are often eaten for breakfast.

Cuban tamales

Cuban tamales are the type that surprises people most. Instead of a filling in the middle, the seasoned pork is mixed right into a dough made from fresh ground corn, which is then wrapped in corn husks and tied. The texture is softer and the flavor sweeter than a Mexican tamal. Cuban cooking also has tamal en cazuela, the same corn and pork mixture cooked as a thick stew in a pot, with no wrapper at all.

Types of tamales compared

Which type of tamal should you order for a party?

For a group in North Texas, the honest answer is the type your guests already know: Mexican-style pork and chicken. They travel well in the husk, hold their heat on a buffet, and almost everyone at the table recognizes them. A dozen of each covers most tastes, and you can work out the quantity with the tamales per person guide.

If you want something more unusual, like an Oaxacan tamal in banana leaf or rajas con queso, look for a kitchen that specializes in it. Mine makes only two tamales, chicken in green salsa and pork in red salsa, both big and both on gluten-free corn masa, and I would rather make two very well than many just fine. Order them by the half dozen ($30) or the dozen ($60) in my online store.

For offices, the same logic applies. Our office catering is built around pork and chicken because they are the safest crowd-pleasers, and our bulk tamales by the dozen page explains ordering for churches, schools and teams.

Where to find these types of tamales in Dallas

Dallas has excellent Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran, Colombian, Venezuelan and Cuban kitchens, and if you are craving one of those styles, look for a restaurant or bakery from that community. I would rather send you to the right place than pretend to make every type myself.

What we make is two Mexican-style tamales, from scratch in our kitchen in Plano: pork in red salsa and chicken in green salsa, nothing else. Order them in the online store for delivery across Richardson, Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney and Far North Dallas, or for pickup at the kitchen. The menu has both prices, and the delivery area page shows where we drive.

Frequently asked questions

How many types of tamales are there?

Hundreds, if you count every regional and family variation. Mexico alone has dozens of types of tamales, and nearly every country in Central and South America has its own, from Salvadoran tamales de gallina to Colombian tamales tolimenses and Venezuelan hallacas.

What is the difference between Mexican and Salvadoran tamales?

Mexican tamales are usually wrapped in corn husks with a firmer masa and a filling in the center. Salvadoran tamales are usually wrapped in banana leaves, with a softer, smoother masa, and the classic filling is chicken with potato or chickpeas.

What makes Cuban tamales different?

Cuban tamales mix the seasoned pork directly into a dough of fresh ground corn instead of placing a filling in the middle. They are wrapped in corn husks, and they taste softer and sweeter than Mexican tamales.

What are tamales tolimenses?

They are large Colombian tamales from the Tolima region: corn dough wrapped around rice, peas, pork, chicken, egg and vegetables, tied in banana leaves and cooked for hours. They are often eaten for breakfast with hot chocolate.

What types of tamales does Maggie’s make?

Only two, both Mexican-style: pork in red salsa and chicken breast in green tomatillo salsa, both big and both made with gluten-free corn masa. Order them by the half dozen or dozen in our online store, for delivery or for pickup at our Plano kitchen; there is no dine-in.