Mesoamerican staple with a "hot" variety

Latest answer — September 04, 2026

45 Down

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Clue explained

A tamale is a traditional Mesoamerican food made from masa and typically steamed in a corn husk; “hot tamale” is a familiar spicy variety or expression. The answer is the singular food name, as indicated by “a ... staple.”

Clue type:
Example
A tamale partially unwrapped from its corn husk.

NYT Crossword

This clue's Friday, September 04, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Result of a tense build-up?
  2. 11Hit a point of no return?
  3. 15Kick off
  4. 16"Outta my way!"
  5. 17ABC's realm
  6. 18Body part affected by heterochromia
  7. 19Fed
  8. 20___ Mai, Grammy-winning R&B; singer
  9. 21Buff
  10. 22Drops
  11. 24Mars rover named in honor of a 19th-century activist
  12. 26Ludwig ___, post-W.W. II leader who led West Germany's economic recovery
  13. 28Cooking term whose name is composed of two synonyms for "criticize"
  14. 29Agcy. tracking popular baby names
  15. 30Agcy. concerned with declarations
  16. 32Parts of some high-speed rail systems
  17. 33Be exceptionally good, in modern slang
  18. 34Vaper's purchase
  19. 35What Esau got in exchange for selling his birthright to Jacob
  20. 38Disclaimer in a quote
  21. 39"Hang"
  22. 42Detaches from the frame, perhaps
  23. 44Grammatical case in 48-Across
  24. 46Longtime Pixar character who says "I might be old, but I still got a spring in my step!"
  25. 48See 44-Across
  26. 49Super, slangily
  27. 50Curve on a score
  28. 52Follower of hand or home
  29. 53Bit of filming
  30. 54Asteroids and Space Invaders
  31. 56In the past
  32. 57System by which all speech is protected?
  33. 58Cravings
  34. 59Club runners

Down

  1. 1Change sounds
  2. 2Captivates
  3. 3Actress Lyonne
  4. 4Neighbor of Sierra Leone
  5. 5In the past
  6. 6Use a fork for, in a way
  7. 7Some thesis defenses
  8. 8Trounce
  9. 9Singer dubbed the "Matriarch of the Blues"
  10. 10Gun before the green, say
  11. 11"Is it not?"
  12. 12Stellar visual effects
  13. 13Adjective that becomes its own synonym after its first letter is dropped
  14. 14Strands
  15. 21Precise and calculated
  16. 23First country to elect a female prime minister (1960)
  17. 25Tripping
  18. 27Sluggish
  19. 31One putting the pedal to the metal
  20. 33No-goodniks
  21. 35Toddler's walking aid
  22. 36Like someone using autoreply, perhaps
  23. 37Start to congeal
  24. 39Part of some gummies
  25. 40Clear
  26. 41Births
  27. 43Comfort
  28. 45Mesoamerican staple with a "hot" variety
  29. 47Mentors
  30. 51"Rude Boy" singer, to fans
  31. 54Ancient symbol of royalty
  32. 55Test not offered in high school, for short

The answer to “Mesoamerican staple with a "hot" variety” in the New York Times crossword is TAMALE — a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 4, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 45-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Mesoamerican staple with a "hot" variety” answer

TAMALE (6 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is TAMALE.

What does TAMALE mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of TAMALE is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • a Mexican dish of seasoned meat and maize flour steamed or baked in maize husks

When else has “Mesoamerican staple with a "hot" variety” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

September 4, 2026 (most recent) → TAMALE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Mesoamerican staple with a "hot" variety”?

The answer is TAMALE, a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 4, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Mesoamerican staple with a "hot" variety”?

6 letters: TAMALE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on September 4, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 45-Down.

Can “Mesoamerican staple with a "hot" variety” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for September 4, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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