Herbs: Wrapping

Setting aside starch-enclosed foods—like sandwiches, dumplings, and ravioli—tamales are the quintessential wrapped food from North and Central America. They are usually thought of as being wrapped in cornhusks (or, in canned versions, parchment paper), which is how they are made in northern Mexico, the first Mexican cuisine to travel beyond the Rio Grande. Immigration patterns have changed, and now regional cuisines that were little-known outside of Mexico and Central America are beginning to be recognized. Banana leaves are used, instead of cornhusks, as wrappers for tamales in Oaxaca. Their size and shape allow the tamales to be larger and flatter than those made in northern Mexico. In the other direction, fresh avocado leaves (Persea americana subs. drymifolia) serve as wrappers for smaller tamales. The leaves, fresh or dried, add a faint hazelnut-licorice flavor to bean dishes, salsas, and salads.