The dish most Australians have heard of, but never tried

The dish

Tamales, Mexico

Plate up

What’s the one dish that almost everyone in Australia has heard of, but barely anyone has actually tried? You could make a case, I think, for tamales. Thanks to the ubiquity of American popular culture here, and the influence that culture takes from Latin America, pretty much all of us are aware of tamales. We might even be aware of what they are and how they’re made: ground, nixtamalized corn (that is, corn processed with an alkaline solution to make it more easily digestible) is packed into a corn husk or banana leaf and steamed. It’s often stuffed with meat, vegetables or even cheese, though sometimes served as is, maybe with a salsa or mole. In Australia, however, this dish has none of the popularity enjoyed by the likes of tacos and burritos, and it goes criminally unsung.

Tamales – often stuffed with meat, vegetables or even cheese.Credit: iStock

First serve

Want to talk tradition? There’s a theory among historians that tamales could have been around for almost 10,000 years. What is known for certain is that this was a staple dish for the Toltecs, for the Aztecs, and for the Mayans. Empires have been built on tamales, and not just as something to eat: this dish has formed part of religious ceremonies, often used as offerings to gods. For humans, tamales have always been easy to produce, easy to transport or carry, nutritious and filling. They’re a plain base on which to build flavour, savoury or sweet. And they’ve spread throughout Central and South America.

Order there

You will find tamales everywhere in Mexico, sold at street stands from dawn until late into the night. For a slightly more formal experience, call in to Tamales Madre in Mexico City (tamalesmadre.com).

Order here

In Sydney there’s no better place to try tamales than Rosa Cienfuegos’s Tamaleria & Mexican Deli in Dulwich Hill (mexicanfoodaustralia.com). Melburnians, meanwhile, can head to Latin Foods and Wines in Melton (no website).

One more thing

“Hot Tamales” are probably not what you think they are. This is actually the brand name of one of the most popular sweets in the US, a cinnamon-flavoured candy that’s apparently supposed to taste spicy, like a tamale.