Delta Hot Tamales: History, Stories & Recipes (American Palate) by Martin Anne

Author:Martin, Anne [Martin, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2016-09-12T04:00:00+00:00

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HOT TAMALE CONTEST

Frank Carlton, Greenville

Frank Carlton loved hot tamales. And he recognized that Greenville loved them, too. He even dubbed Greenville the hub for hot tamales. The lawyer, former district attorney and hot tamale aficionado told the Delta Democrat Times in 2008 that it is essential in the tamale trade to think your tamales are the best.

“If you don’t think you’re making the best hot tamale in the world, you best not be making them at all,” Carlton said. “I think everybody thinks theirs is the best.”

So how is the best hot tamale in the Delta decided? With a contest, of course. Carlton loved hot tamales so much that he began the World Championship Hot Tamale Contest in 1990 in conjunction with a food festival hosted by the Warren Washington Issaquena Sharkey Community Action Agency (WWISCAA) in Greenville. Each entrant’s hot tamales were judged on flavor, appearance, texture and overall impression. For fifteen years, hot tamale makers from throughout the Delta and across the state came to Greenville for the event. Contestants like Shine Thornton and George Dailey entered every year.

The hot tamale contest was bankrolled completely by Carlton. He awarded trophies and money to the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers. Every entrant went home with something. And of course, the winners got bragging rights. Each year, the number of contestants ranged from ten to fifteen. The final festival was in 2005. Carlton said the event had gotten too big for him to continue footing the bill alone.

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