High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A tamale (Spanish: tamal, from Nahuatl: tamalli) - or more correctly tamal - is a traditional Latin American dish made of masa (a starchy dough, usually corn-based), which is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. The wrapping is discarded before eating. Tamales can themselves be filled with meats, cheese, vegetables, chilies or any preparation according to taste, and both the filling and the cooking liquid may be seasoned.