A tamale made from fresh white corn rather than dried masa, folded around cheese and green chile and steamed in the husk. It is sweet, soft and almost custardy, and a Sonoran summer tradition.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
A column on tucson.com's Big Jim blog explains that southern Arizona has two main kinds of tamal: red ones stuffed with meat and made especially at Christmas, and green corn tamales, or tamales de elote, which are traditionally summer fare, made from fresh white corn. Many restaurants now serve them all year. VisitPhoenix describes Phoenix's El Bravo, in business over 40 years, as serving authentic Sonoran tamales with green corn among them, and Carolina's, a Phoenix institution since 1968, as making Sonoran-style tamales.
Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Guided tour · 2 - 3 hours
Choose a 2-hour express or 3-hour full Boston food tour. Taste clam chowder, arancini, brick oven pizza, cannoli, and more while exploring the North...
Guided tour · 2 hours
Taste some of Chicago's most iconic foods while walking through one of the Prohibition Era’s most fashionable and notorious gangster-ridden...
Guided tour · 2.5 hours
Experience the flavors of Charleston with the help of local guides. Delve into over 300 years of culinary history as you taste your way through the...
Common allergens: Milk
Tip from the editors. The batter looks loose before steaming, and that is right; it sets as it cooks, so check doneness by whether the tamale pulls cleanly from the husk.
Los Olivos Mexican Patio in Old Town Scottsdale is a four-generation Sonoran restaurant open since 1947, known for cheese crisps and Mexican Flag Enchiladas.
OrderA cheese crisp to start, then the Mexican Flag Enchiladas with both red and green sauce.
TipTortillas and salsas are made by hand; ask for the Blue Room or the inside patio when you are seated.
Jalapeno Inferno on Scottsdale Road in north Scottsdale serves Sonoran Mexican food, with a take-out cantina nearby, and three tacos for $11.99 every Tuesday.
OrderThe Tuesday three-taco plate with shredded machaca beef, in a soft or hard shell.
TipThe dining room is at 23587 N Scottsdale Rd; the take-out kitchen and cantina is at 7605 E Pinnacle Peak Rd.
Not on this list, but close by, nearest first. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
More cities are in research. Want green corn tamale covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.
