Take a young pig's head and boil it until the flesh drops from the
bones, in water to which has been added two good-sized onions,
quartered, five bruised cloves of garlic, one bay leaf, sweet marjoram,
thyme, rosemary, a little sage, salt, and pepper. Separate the meat from
the bones and chop fine. Strain off the liquor and boil with corn meal,
adding the chopped meat. Put in the corn meal gradually, until it makes
a stiff mush, then cook for half an hour with the meat. Put in shallow
pans and let cool. To serve slice about half an inch thick and fry in
olive oil or butter to a light brown.

As originally prepared the tamale was made for conveyance, hence the
wrappings of corn husk. This is a Spanish dish, having been brought to
this country by the early Spanish explorers, and adopted by the Indian
tribes with whom they came in contact. In the genuine tamale the
interior is the sauce and meat that goes with the corn meal which is
alternately laid with the husks, and when made the ends are tied with
fine husk. For meat, chicken, pork, and veal are considered the best.
There is also a sweet tamale, made with raisins or preserves.

The following recipe for tamales was given us by Luna:

Tamales

Boil one chicken until the meat comes from the bones. Chop the neat fine
and moisten it with the liquor in which it was boiled. Boil six large
chili peppers in a little water until cooked so they can be strained
through a fine strainer, and add to this the chopped chicken, with salt
to taste and a little chopped parsley. Take corn meal and work into it a
lump of butter the size of an egg, adding boiling water and working
constantly until it makes a paste the consistency of biscuit dough. Have