Are tamales made in Spain

Answer 1

It depends on what you are calling a "tortilla".

A Mexican tortilla is circular, unleavened, corn or wheat flour flatbread that can be used for wraps and fajitas.

The flour and corn tortillas from Mexico were initially used as an implement to get other food in the mouth by the indigenous inhabitants. The Spanish named them tortillas because their shape was similar to what they ate in Spain.

A Spanish tortilla is a potato and egg quiche.

Tortillas are not a quiche which has a pastry, nor are they frittatas. Frittatas are beaten eggs with a potato filling. Frittatas are slowly cooked in a frying pan until they are almost cooked through. Then they other side is either baked, broiled, or turned over and then finished.

Tortillas are Spanish. Originally they were probably small cubes of potato filling bound together with beaten eggs. They were prepared in Spain before the New World was discovered and were a subsistence food of the peasants. They are always fried on both sides.

As conditions improved for the peasants and the popularity of the tortilla grew with other classes other fillings were adapted until today there are many varieties. Now days tortillas may contain, meat, cheese, sausage, sea food, and almost any kind of vegetable or herb. After they are completely fried they may be further cooked in water or broth but they tend to be very delicate and difficult to handle.

See the related link for recipes.

Recipes are also available in "La Cocina de Hoy", Publisher - Editorials Everest, Author - Rosario Cifuentes, ISBN 84-241-2204-6

Answer 2

Tamales are probably made in Spain, but they are originally from Mexico. All those foods you find in Taco Bell and Mexican restaurants are Mexican and are not readily available in Spain.