Victor Torres, banquet chef at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, offers some tidbits about tamales as the Indio International Tamale Festival approaches:

A tamale is a Mexican meal of a corn mixture, known as masa, steamed in a dried corn husk.

The Aztecs and Incans first developed the tamale 5,000 years ago as a warm meal suitable for travel.

Tamales were made during the holidays to keep people warm during the colder weather.

Tamales bring family together. Many Latino families make tamales together for the holiday season, and some have secret family recipes.

There are two types of tamales: traditional and gourmet. Traditional tamales contain beef, chicken and other meats.

Gourmet tamales tend to be sweet, with flavors such sweet corn, pineapple, papaya and chocolate.

Tamale flavors vary with regions. Northern Mexicans prefer their tamales spicy, while those in the south like them sweet.

Tamales are gaining international popularity. They are even served at Mexican restaurants in Europe and Japan.

Torres' personal tip to enjoy the festival: “Come hungry, try out different tamales and buy three dozen of your favorites to freeze for later.”