(tuh-MAL-ee) - Tamales are a Mexican dish consisting of seasoned chopped meats or vegetables enclosed in corn masa (dough) and wrapped in a softened cornhusk. The savory packages are steamed and the cornhusks are peeled away before eating. In Mexico, tamales are often served for special occasions, and the tradition of cooking tamales is passed from generation to generation. For the preparation of tamales, everyone in the family has a single task, from the oldest, who will probably be the one who prepares the cornmeal dough, up to the youngest that will cut the rope to wrap them.