a Mexican dish consisting of cornmeal dough around a filling as of minced meat and red peppers, the whole then wrapped in corn husks or plantain leaves and cooked by baking, steaming, etc.
See tamale in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(tə-mäˈlē)
noun
A Mexican dish made of chopped meat and crushed peppers, highly seasoned, wrapped in cornhusks spread with masa, and steamed.