[b][u]The More You Know:[/u][/b]
Actually, Tamales aren't even South American to begin with. Technically it's a Meso-American dish that was later assimilated into Latin-American cuisine. Meso-America is the area between North and South America from the southern part of Mexico all the way to Costa Rica. Latin America (and therefore Latin-American cuisine) spans all of South America, the Caribbean, and Meso-America.