The tamale was once a familiar presence on Mexican restaurant menus in the United States, sharing space with tacos, burritos and enchiladas.
asserted
tamale → share → tacos
Increasingly, though, diners looking for one may have to search.
uncertain
diners → look → one
Tamale entrées have dropped 7.8% from menus over the past five years, according to Technomic’s Ignite Menu data comparing the second quarters of 2021 and 2026.
uncertain
entrées → drop → 2021
One reason may be a basic restaurant calculation: Tamales require considerable labor for something diners expect to be relatively inexpensive.
uncertain
diners → require → something
Robert Mahon, director of operations for Mahon Hospitality Group, runs Amor Loco and Toro Loco in New York City, neither of which serves tamales.
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neither → run → tamales
Mahon enjoys tamales himself and said his restaurants have discussed offering them, but the economics can be difficult.
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economics → enjoy → them
“Even though the ingredients might not be so costly, it’s more the labor,” Mahon told Fox News Digital.
uncertain
Mahon → ’ → Digital
“It’s so labor-intensive.”
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It → ’ → ?
That labor becomes apparent at Taquería Picoso in Alexandria, Virginia, where executive chef Elio Gomez keeps tamales on the menu.
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Gomez → become → menu
Gomez said his process takes about three days.
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process → say → days
His restaurant sources corn from Mexico, then cooks it through an overnight nixtamalization process.
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restaurant → source → process
The corn is ground into masa, while fillings and banana leaves are prepared separately.
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fillings → grind → masa
The masa must then be mixed with fat, broth, and salt and aerated to achieve the right consistency before the tamales can be assembled, carefully wrapped, and cooked.
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tamales → mix → consistency
Training someone to do all that takes time, too.
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someone → train → time
Gomez said he spent months working alongside the employee who now makes his tamales.
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who → say → tamales
Even with a recipe, Gomez said, a cook must learn how the masa should feel and how to wrap each tamale properly, so it doesn’t dry out during cooking.
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it → say → cooking
All that work goes into an item that still doesn’t generate taco-level demand.
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that → go → demand
“No, definitely it’s not the same demand as a taco, for example,” Gomez said.
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Gomez → ’ → example
Mahon said his customers aren’t clamoring for tamales either.
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customers → say → tamales
“They’re not walking out of our restaurants if they don’t have a tamale,” Mahon said.
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Mahon → walk → tamale
“It’s not expected as a staple anymore.”
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It → expect → staple
Price presents another complication.
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Price → present → complication
Gomez charges $6 for a tamale, a price he considers inexpensive given the work involved.
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he → charge → work
But some customers remember much cheaper versions.
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customers → remember → versions
Yet the tamale’s declining presence on restaurant menus doesn’t necessarily mean the food itself is disappearing.
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food → decline → menus
Gomez, who grew up in Mexico City, remembers tamales as an everyday breakfast food sold by street vendors in the morning.
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who → grow → morning
In the United States, he sees them being treated more as a special food associated with holidays and family gatherings.
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them → see → holidays
Asked what he would tell someone eating a tamale for the first time, Gomez described the masa as fluffy, the dish as rich, and its appeal as deeply comforting.
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appeal → ask → masa
“You feel like you’re getting a hug when you’re eating a tamale,” he said.
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he → feel → tamale
The Aporia
