Think of tamales in the United States, and you probably think of Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, even California. But Mississippi has a hot tamale tradition all its own. And thanks to an ongoing oral history project by the Southern Foodways Alliance, this tasty commingling of race, class, and good eating is finally getting the attention it deserves.
The SFA’s Tamale Trail, a tamale-by-tamale map of famous Delta masa makers, was recently written up in Relish magazine. Writes author Brooks Hamaker, “Trekkers on the Trail will find full-service restaurants, tiny stands constructed of corrugated tin, pushcarts and every conceivable size of business in between.”
As a result of the piece, SFA oral historian Amy Evans has been swamped with calls by hungry tamale-seekers from all over the country, so she’s tracked down some vendors willing to ship. The website’s also full of recorded interviews with local tamale purveyors, explaining the persistence of this spicy treat throughout the Deep South.
Look for even more about Evans and the Tamale Trail this summer in Travel + Leisure magazine.
Not all sunshine on the Tamale Trail:
http://www.seriouseats.com/required_eating/2007/04/post_tamale_stress_disorder.html
the passenger pigeons have not dropped this issue in Codland yet, but I’ll be interested to see what he has to say. Seems like Esquire is cornering the market on pissing on southern food.
I think of tamales as a New Orleans institution: Manuel’s Hot Tamales on Carrollton Avenue had a tiny takeout window that opened in 1932 but was shut down by Katrina.
Manuel’s wagons were always all over Uptown as I recall, and they seemed as ubiquitous and uniquely (although less tastefully) New Orleans as Lucky Dogs. A website named Streetcarmike has updates and photos of New Orleans restuarants both pre- and post-Katrina:
http://www.streetcarmike.com/restaurants_neworleans.html
The water line reaches chillingly above Manuel’s counter. But at least the structure still stands. A favorite seafood restaurant of mine, Sid Mar’s, was wiped out of existence:
http://www.pbase.com/septembermorn/image/56309174
Sorry to harp on the losses in New Orleans. Manuel, I hope you come back soon.