Where can you find Christmas Tamales in Greenville, SC? Tamales at Christmas time are a staple in Mexican homes, and there are places in Greenville and Spartanburg that can help you bring this delicious tradition to your holiday table!
These labor-intensive treats are usually made in huge batches by a group of Tias (Aunts) all crowded around a kitchen. If you don’t have a bunch of Tias or the time to make your own tamales, it’s ok. Kidding Around’s Melanie is going to help you find tamales to enjoy this Christmas!
Fill your table with amazing food for the holidays from local restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and more. We have full meals, desserts, sides, charcuterie, take-home kits and so much more! Here’s all the amazing holiday food in Greenville, SC.
This article includes:
How to Make Tamales
Where to Find Tamales in Spartanburg, SC
Where to Find Tamales in Greenville, SC
A Delicious Tamalada
I’m sure you’re probably asking what Tamalada is. Don’t worry; it’s ok if you are because up until a few minutes ago, I had no idea that word existed for this tradition.
Tamalada is the word for the tradition of making tamales with your family by the busload, a tamale-making party if you will. You might be wondering why families traditionally make so many at once? It’s because they are labor-intensive to make and delicious, so you want a ton of them! The perfect time to make them is when families gather together for the holidays to see each other. They spend the day together preparing the tamales so that everyone can take home a bag full to enjoy during the holidays.
How to Make Tamales
If you want to try your hand at making them yourself, plan to spend the day doing it. Clear off the kitchen table, gather your ingredients, and grab the kids because this is an all-hands-on-deck type project.
There are five parts to making tamales:
- You’ll need to soak the corn husks
- Prepare the masa, a paste made from ground corn flour
- Prepare the meat.
While not the traditional way, I prepare the pork using Mexican director Robert Rodriguez’s (Spy Kids) recipe for the pork. - Assemble the three ingredients together to form the tamales
- Steam them in huge batches
This recipe for Tamales from Gimmee Some Oven is good for first-timers. If all of this sounds like a lot of work, it is! Don’t worry, though, because there are places locally that can help you reap all of the benefits without any of the labor (and that’s what I’m all about this year.)
Where to Buy Tamales in Spartanburg, SC
Greer Tacos
2000 Highway 101, Greer
(Inside the Barnyard Flea Market)
Tienda Mexicana La Rosita
520 Spring Street, Spartanburg
El Burrito Restaurant
3614 Parris Bridge Road, Boiling Springs
Where to Buy Tamales in Greenville, SC
Papi’s Tacos
300 River Street, Greenville
Salsa verde & Salsa roja tamales available
Comal 864
1112 Woodside Ave, Greenville
La Unica
6119 White Horse Road, Greenville
La Unica
5101 Wade Hampton Boulevard, Taylors
El Torito
400 East Poinsett Street, Greer
Panderia La Estrella
307 East Poinsett Boulevard, Greer
635 North East Main Street, Simpsonville
Salsa verde, Salsa Roja & Chicken tamales are available
Viva Villa
Locations across the Upstate
