Food Friday: French Tamales

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

For Wordless Wednesday, I posted some images from Cookbook by Bancroft Junior High and San Leandro High schools. This 207 page cookbook from about 1969 has recipes that you would expect to see from that era. Jello molded salads with and without cheese dominate but there's also zucchini dishes and interesting meat combinations. 

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

As I was taking photos of the cookbook it was one of the "T.V. Snacks" that really caught my eye. French Tamales. 

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

I went searching for more information on this dish but found only one similar recipe on a cooking forum. The cook who supplied it was from California and this cookbook is from California, so maybe this was something Californians ate at one point though I've never been offered one.

This dish is basically a hallowed out French roll with peppers, onions, olives, tomato sauce, hard boiled eggs, and cheese. So it's more calzone than tamale.

The other retro thing about this recipe is the inclusion of "American or pasteurized orange cheese." I do remember vaguely when I was a kid that you could buy American cheese in orange or white slices. So maybe that's why there is the distinction.

So have you tasted a French Tamale? Do you make them for your family?