A polenta-style tamal with roasted market veggies, black beans, and seared jackfruit

Short History: The first tamales were made around 7,000 B.C.E. – before corn had even been fully domesticated! The indigenous people would gather the wild “teocintle” (the ancestor of modern maize). Teocintle was the name of their maize god, so from the beginning, there was a religious significance to this. They would make different variations of tamales, and they would be offered to various gods at their individual ceremonies. For example, when they would make bean tamales, they were offered to the jaguar deity Texcatlicpoca! These tamales from The Vegan Taste will provide you with antioxidants, carotenoids, iron, and more!