How Indy’s ‘hot tamale’ craze led to a stabbing incident

(MIRROR INDY) — Hot tamales once had a chokehold on the city of Indianapolis (and outlying areas) in the early 20th century.

From Elkhart to Evansville, tamales were big business. While doing research, at first I thought I had found another hidden Latino community in Indianapolis but was shocked to find that — except for two instances — the people who were selling hot tamales, and the equipment to make them, were not Latino.

And tamales were not just a culinary phenomenon, but a pop culture one, too. They had songs and movies written about them and even inspired a popular makeup collection.

They were also distinctly different from present day tamales.

The hot tamale has its roots in U.S. southern culture – not Mexico. It is smaller than the commonly known Mexican tamal. It was made with a cornmeal dough, then filled with meat, wrapped in a corn husk and boiled in a spiced brine.

Tamales from Mexico are steamed, using masa, not cornmeal. Masa is a corn-based dough that is made from nixtamalized corn or maíz.

What is nixtamalization?

Nixtamalization is the process of soaking dried corn kernels in a food grade lime solution, making it easier to digest and offering a robust flavor profile.

This process has its roots in Mesoamerica (Latin America before colonization), with the word “nixtamalization” coming from the indigenous language Nahuátl. Nextli means “ashes” and tamal meaning “corn dough.”

Not all Mexican tamales are made the same. While the tamales of northern Mexico use corn husks that are boiled in a seasoned broth and then filled with masa and a filling, some use banana leaves.

It is thought that the hot tamale originated from U.S. Native Americans in the South. However, it is important to understand that prior to 1848, parts of the American south and Southwest were originally Mexico, and inhabited by indigenous peoples.

The earliest local newspaper mentions of both tamales and hot tamales were found in 1901. In the Indianapolis News, a subscriber requested the recipe for “chicken tamales and hot tamales.” Mentions of tamales and hot tamales would appear in local newspapers for decades.

In 1910, it was advertised by Western Tin and Japan Co. that their patented tamale cans could hold $10 worth of tamales (presently $300). That same year, Indy’s Republican mayor, Samuel Shank, put a crackdown on “night owl wagons and tamale stands,” encouraging the patronage of eat-in establishments.

The earliest known Latino-produced tamale in Indy was by Benjamin Ortiz, selling his “genuine tamales” in 1911 at 426 Massachusetts Ave., where The Davlan building resides.

Kenneth G. Burris of Indianapolis filed for a trademark of protection on tamales in 1931.
A few years later, the Indianapolis Star ran an article boasting that more than 300 Indianapolis taverns and lunchrooms were serving tamales daily. It noted the American southern roots of hot tamales but made it official by stating “it is essentially Mexican food.”

Tamales were sold by street vendors day and night. Unfortunately, it was common for tamale vendors to be robbed, not for money, but by thieves possessed by the intoxicating allure of the tamale itself.

Early Mexican American pioneers of Indianapolis’ “Lost Barrio,” the Mendez family, made and sold tamales. The patriarch, Gabino Mendez, stabbed and was stabbed back by Dick Osborn in 1933, after Dick complained about the tamales. They both survived.

By 1950, the tamale craze ceased, with limited to no further mention in local newspapers. Today, tamales are still in demand, with many keeping their source a secret.