Is there an alternative wrapping for tamales?

Is there an alternative wrapping for tamales? - Roll of craft paper on shelf

I'd like to have a go at making tamales, but the corn husk wrappers are hard to come by here. Is there anything I can use as a substitute wrapper?

mexican-cuisinetamales


Best Answer

I've had the same problem once. The first substitute is banana leaves. But they're not easy to find either.

The second one is using big leaves of chard. Tamales will be done in the same time and you could eat the leaf if you want. I've tried it once and it came out great.

Here it's a recipe for tamales from Michoacan made with chard. Here it is a graphic step by step recipe for tamales with chard. They are written in Spanish, let me know if you need a translator ;)

PS. My mexican mother in law used to do it with chard.



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What else can I use to wrap tamales?

Providing you are making tamales and you don't have corn husks then here are some wrappers you can use as a substitute:
  • You can use the fresh husks off sweet corn. ...
  • OR - Use parchment paper. ...
  • OR - Banana leaves, which can be purchased frozen, then thawed before use or even better, used fresh if you can find them.


    • Can you use foil instead of corn husks for tamales?

    Corn husks are the most common wrapping material. Other materials used are banana leaves, fresh corn leaves, even Swiss Chard. The first time you make Tamales, consider using tin foil as a wrapping.

    Can you use aluminum foil to make tamales?

    Fold the two sides of the corn husk together, enclosing the filling. Twist together both ends, and use a tie to tie it together. Use a piece of Reynolds Wrap\xae Aluminum Foil to completely wrap each tamale.


    walsh paper company tamale paper (english)



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    Answer 2

    My mom (from Guadalajara) used to often wrap them in parchment paper, since it can withstand being heated/steamed. I don't know why she started doing it - probably because it annoyed her that the delicious filling often oozed out of the tamales during the steaming. Anyway, Just to make sure, I would use double sheets the first time you try the parchment to replace the corn husks. There really wont be any difference in flavor.

    Answer 3

    You could use banana leaves or avocado leaves, though I'm not sure those would be easier to come by. If you can't get a hold of any of those I would try wrapping them in parchment.

    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

    Images: Brett Sayles, Yan Krukov, Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska

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