Memphis Hot Tamales: The Delta-Style Guide

Memphis hot tamales belong to the Mississippi Delta tradition: meat stuffed in cornmeal, wrapped in a corn husk and simmered in a spiced brine, smaller and grittier than the steamed tamales of Mexico and Central America. Memphis sits at the Delta's northern edge, so the dish is part of how the city eats. Here is what it is and how to order it.

This guide covers what a hot tamale is, the disputed history, how people eat them and how to keep notes.

What are Memphis hot tamales?

A Delta hot tamale is smaller than a Latin American tamale and is simmered, not steamed, which is why the husk comes out wet and the juice runs. The Southern Foodways Alliance describes the texture as gritty, because the dough is cornmeal, not the finer masa, and the flavor as spicier. Wikipedia lists the usual filling as ground beef or pork, with some cooks using turkey or venison.

They are usually served with the juice left from the simmering, which carries the spice. Some people eat them straight from the corn shuck. Others smother them in chili and cheese. The point is the texture and the heat, so taste one plain before you add anything. If you have eaten tamales elsewhere, set aside what you know: this is a different cousin, with its own rules and its own loyal followers.

Where do Delta hot tamales come from?

Nobody knows for sure. The Southern Foodways Alliance lists several theories: Mexican migrant laborers may have brought tamales during the early twentieth-century cotton harvest, soldiers may have carried recipes home from the Mexican-American War, and the dish may have grown from cush, a seasoned cornmeal dish African Americans made when meat was scarce. Wikipedia says local historians consider the adaptation of migrant workers' tamales by African Americans most likely.

The tamale also lives in music: blues songs about hot tamales are an early sign of how familiar the food already was in the region.

What is the Mississippi Delta Hot Tamale Trail?

The Hot Tamale Trail grew out of Southern Foodways Alliance documentation of Delta tamale makers. Restaurants on it sit in Delta towns such as Rosedale, Cleveland, Greenville and Vicksburg. The alliance's oral history project records interviews with tamale makers and vendors about how recipes were learned and how they changed.

For a Memphis eater the trail is a reason for a road trip. For a day in the city, it is a way to know what you are tasting and who made it famous.

How do you order a cornmeal tamale?

Order a half dozen if you can, so you can compare, and share them if you are with friends. Ask what meat is in them, whether they are made in the kitchen and whether the seasoning is mild or hot. Ask for the simmering liquid on the side if you want it, and for saltine crackers, which many diners eat alongside.

Look at the husk, which should be tied neatly, and at the tamale itself, which should hold its shape but not be dry. A good one is moist, spiced all the way through, and the cornmeal should be coarse rather than pasty. If the tamale is fried, the outside will be crisp, a variation the alliance notes.

What goes with hot tamales, and what should you ask?

Hot sauce, saltines, pickles and slaw are common companions, and tamales appear alongside other Memphis plates. If you avoid pork, beef or lard, say so, because the filling and the dough may contain them. Ask about gluten if it matters: cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, but a shared pot, a thickener or crackers on the side can change that, so ask the kitchen and treat the answer as information.

Because the recipes vary so much, one visit is never enough. Try tamales from two sources in a week and write down the differences in seasoning, size and texture.

It also helps to know what you are comparing. Some cooks pack the filling thin and tight, others generous and loose. Some brines taste mostly of chili, others of cumin and garlic or a vinegar edge. A tamale eaten hot from the pot is a different dish from one reheated the next day, so note when you ate it. Over a few tries you will learn whether you like yours mild and tender, or fiery with a coarse bite, and you will be able to say so to the next cook you meet.

How do you keep a tamale diary with Mosey?

Open the Mosey app after the meal and rate the tamales as a dish, with the filling, the heat and the texture in your own words. The place and the stars are required. Add a tag such as Southern or Soul Food if it applies, attach a photo and tag the person you shared the half dozen with.

Start a list called Delta cornmeal and invite a friend by link so they can add the places where they ate their own. Follow friends to see what they rated and saved. The ratings page covers rating by the dish.

Where else can you read about Memphis?

The Cooper-Young guide covers a walkable Midtown district, and the finding good food guide pulls the city together. The fried chicken list guide covers another classic. See the Memphis page, the Tennessee page and the US food guides.

When you try your first Delta tamale, get the Mosey app, rate it by name and add it to a list.