Herb R. recently wrote to ask if I had ever made tamales. Tamales happen to be one of my favorite foods of all time, having grown up on them when I lived in Peru. Tamales can be a meal all on their own, or as a complement to eggs for breakfast. You can eat tamales as an appetizer, before the main course, served with a little spicy salsa on the side. Tamales are extremely versatile, as you can see!

Tamales are square-shaped corn meal cakes that are prepared with a soft, grainy mixture, and then boiled solid in banana leaves. Picture a litte cake made of grits, with meat and other treats cooked inside, and that is a close description of a tamal.

Peruvian tamales have unique morsels in them, such as indigenous olives, ham and hard-boiled egg, and the grain is unique to the region. Just the memory of steaming leaves being pulled back to reveal the tamal cake makes my mouth water!

Nowadays, you can buy tamales frozen, in most any grocery store that has a section on international foods.

I have not made tamales, but would welcome anyone with a great recipe to send it to me at comments@thechefnextdoor.com. I will review and test the one I think readers would find useful, and post it after the holidays.

Herb - thank you for conjuring up some of my favorite memories of my childhood. I look forward to receiving some tips and posting them for all to enjoy!