Native Texans know it is not Christmas without tamales. The tender meat-filled masa dough surrounded by a corn husk is a true Texas Christmas tradition.
It is likely that the staple of Tex-Mex cuisine originated with the Aztecs, who are said to have served tamales to Spaniards when they came to Mexico in the mid-1500s. The word tamale is probably a derivation of tamalii in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs.
