Accompanied by typical dishes or exotic combinations that include fruits, vegetables, dairy, or meat, this is the tamale, a millennia-old food made from corn that is often eaten every day of the year by Mexicans and on very special occasions such as Candlemas, a birthday party, or on the Day of the Dead, for example. It is difficult to decide which custom is more Mexican, the celebration of the Day of the Dead or the preparation and tasting of tamales. The truth is that the stories of both have gone hand in hand without any problems and, in every sense of the word, have mutually enriched each other. Regarding the preparation of tamales (a word that comes from the Nahuatl tamalli), there are testimonies from the colonial period, such as those from the religious Fray Bernardino de Sahagún (1499-1590) or Alonso de Molina (1513-1579), where the pre-Hispanic origin of this food made with corn dough, filled with various ingredients and wrapped like a package in vegetable leaves is documented. Many of these products had a ritual character and those related to funeral rites were abundant. In fact, there are still special tamale recipes to celebrate the Day of the Dead and place them on the altar, such as mucbipollo in Yucatán (southern Mexico) or zacahuil in Hidalgo (central), but some of their ingredients are hard to find outside their region of origin. Instead, we present below other easy-to-make recipes, but no less delicious. Nutrition It is of interest to take a brief pause to point out some of the nutritional properties of some of the ingredients we will use, to mention a few:

• - Corn and sweet corn. Sources of carbohydrates (starch, fiber, and sugars), proteins, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, and small amounts of vitamins A, E, and B3.
• - Cheese. It stands out for its contribution of proteins, fats that provide energy, phosphorus, and calcium.
• - Mushrooms. They contain B-complex vitamins (B1, B2, and B6) and minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, iron, copper, magnesium, and zinc.
• - Green mole. Its nutritional value depends on the ingredients it contains; the most common are pumpkin seeds (proteins, vegetable fat, iron, and vitamin B3), poblano chili (vitamins A, C, and B6, potassium, iron, magnesium, and capsaicin, a substance that reduces pain and is responsible for the spicy flavor), cilantro (vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, and manganese), radish leaves (fiber, iron, and vitamin A), and lettuce (iron and vitamins A and C).
• - Chicken meat. It offers proteins, vitamins A, B3, and B9, as well as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and sodium.
• - Chorizo. It is made with pork, so it contains proteins, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B12.
• - Chickpeas. They provide proteins, carbohydrates, potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, iron, zinc, and B-complex vitamins.

We should also mention that a basic component is lard, which provides us with energy, but its consumption should be moderated by people with diabetes (excess blood sugar due to poor or no insulin production), high blood pressure, or high fat levels (cholesterol).

Here we provide some recipes to prepare this typical dish of Mexican cuisine: - Huitlacoche Tamales - Tamales in Banana Leaves - Tolima Tamales - Sweet Tamales - Chocolate Tamales - Spinach Tamales - Canarian Tamales