Delta tamale

Distinct from Mexican tamales, Delta hot tamales are made with cornmeal (not masa flour), are simmered in spiced liquid rather than steamed, are noticeably smaller and skinnier, and are served wet with their cooking juice. They likely arrived with Mexican migrant cotton workers in the early 1900s and were adapted by Black Delta cooks. The Mississippi Delta Hot Tamale Trail runs through towns like Greenville, Clarksdale and Rosedale.