1. a traditional Mexican dish consisting of seasoned meat or other filling wrapped in masa (corn dough) and steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf

Examples

• My grandmother makes the best chicken tamales for Christmas dinner.
• The restaurant serves tamales with salsa verde and sour cream.
• We bought a dozen tamales from the street vendor.
• She learned to make tamales from her Mexican neighbor.
• The tamales were wrapped in corn husks and tied with strips of husk.
• Pork tamales are popular during the holiday season.
• The masa in these tamales is perfectly seasoned.