A Little XLNT History
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 07:58PM 
Since 1894, XLNT Foods has been a part of California’s history.
Starting out as a push cart on the side of Southern California roads, XLNT became a popular lunch time meal for some of California’s earliest residents. It was Californians’ love for the recipe that allowed XLNT to be one of the first tamales to be distributed and sold directly to grocery stores. To this day it is a staple item in Southern California grocery stores, easily recognized on the shelf by its red, white and blue packaging.
XLNT has been locally owned its entire existence. We have made sure that the line remains true to tradition and serves the area that helped it to become a remembered and cherished treat to this day.
Even after all these years XLNT’s recipe remains the same. All of our tamales are cooked in small batches with our signature spice blend to create their time honored taste.
Unlike other companies who load their tamales up with the cheap stuff, we stuff our tamales full of delicious seasoned beef. Our tamales contain 60% filling, which not only gives you a better taste but also gives you a better value. We then go the extra step and cook our filling and masa together so it creates a softer and more flavorful tamale.
So whether you have grown up with us or are trying us for the first time, after one bite you’ll know why XLNT’s been making tamales for over 100 years.
Enjoy!
Reader Comments (11)
I really appreciate what you share with us. Really good~ I would like to share something with you as well.If you have some time,you can visit and find your favourite with tag heuer watches|
Hello,
I'm a fan of your tamales. I have eaten them since i was a kid back in the 1960's. My mother used to steam them on the stovetop to cook them. I'm glad your'e still around, and I hope you'll be around for years to come.
Regards,
Chuck Kopsho
Oceanside, California
I was born and raised in S. California. Moved to North Carolina in 1980. Have missed your tamales every since. Met up with your website this past year and missed the special that you ran, ending date being Dec 15th. I sure hate that, as I would have stocked up on XLNT tamales for my whole family of about 60 that had moved from Cali. Sure wish I could have been notified by email since it was temporary thing of shipping across U.S. I hope soon you will be able to do this on a regular basis. I already purchase linguica from a company in Massachusetts as I can't find it in California anymore since the sausage king incident some years back. Thank you for your continued service of making great products. Would just love to enjoy and share them.
As a child we grew up on a recipe that my mom used to make. Tamale casserole.Now is when I mention that I moved from O.C. after 42 years to a state that does not have these little gems. I cannot tell you how much my own family misses that resipe. I visit every 6 months. It is my saving grace. : )
We at The Lab-Ciba have been enjoying XLINT products for years, SALUTE!
Frank Green
Your tamales were a standard staple in the school cafeterias during my Jr. & High School years, 1949-55, and they always sold a ton of these, always hot and delicious. Now live in Az. and have to drive 40 miles to the Phoenix area Smart & Final to get a 6 month freezer supply.
Your tamales are the best. I loved them steamed and swimming in a bowl of the chili.
Thank you so much,
Al
My mother worked in the XLNT plant way back in the late 40's and early 50's. I recall the big fat round tamales that were tied with strings at the ends, inside they wwrere of course surorunded by the corn husks
I recall how there was so mych gravy and meat mixture as to the massa..... and the massa wasa just perfect! A reward for working overtime at the plant was to receive a large case of those tamales for Christmas! Usually my mother bought a few each week in the employee company store. Muy delicious!
When I go to Los angeles I take a large 10 cubic foot freezer in the back of my pickup truck and I set up an inverter to power it from down there in LA to back up here on the Central Oregon Coast.. They are like gold! he he, I hoard them the same..
Any time we travel to the great state of Texas we pack a dozen of your excellent tamales for my mother in law. I just got off the phone with her and decided to go to your site to see if you shipped - what a great gift! I love that your company has been going strong, staying local, and prides itself on making a quality product enjoyed by so many. God bless, JoAnna
I wonder if you have any samples of the XLNT TV ads from the late 1950's and early 60's? I remember seeing them when I was growing up
in the Central Valley. Just had one of your tamales tonight. First time in over 40 years!
Yesterday afternoon I visited a local Smart and Final store here in Sacramento, CA in search of Tamales. I always make my own or buy any Tamales that do not contain lard or pork in it. I have tried other name brands (e.g. DeliMex chicken, beef, etc.) so I decided to give XLNT's beef's tamales a try. I was (and still am SO disappointed by their sandy corn dough(masa) texture, the soy-like grind/ processed unseasoned flavor of the "beef" meat, and the "plastic wrap" which replaced the traditional corn husk (hoja de tamal).
I took it so personal that I felt obligated to contact the company. The product I purchased ranked on the top of the "Mexican Tradition Disgrace Chart" .I decided that just dumping the ones I warmed and never got to finished wasn't it enough, so I decided to visit the website to see how to contact the quality control dept., but when I read what others had to say, I was shocked to see these "so called Tamales" were so popular, at least for people from the early 50-60's. Has the recipe changed? Is the store I visited carrying a "DIFFERENT QUALITY PRODUCT" than the one reviewed and advertised here? The 2 bags I purchase had the following ID in case the company wants to make an QC CHECK on the pallets/inventory: 12201. Please let me know, I have tried all sort of Mexican types of tamales (northern-with meat and veggies, central-pork, beef, chicken, dulces de piña, fresa, pasas, atole (sweet), corundas, huchepos/de elote tierno(tender corn), south- rojos, verdes, de rajas, de queso, con frijoles, de arroz, and coastal- de camaron, pescado, de mole negro, all from Mexico), and other countries Salvadorian, Puerto Rican, and even from the states such as Texan(the ones made of chivo "goat"), but never of such poor quality as XLNT. What HAPPENED TO THE BADGE I PURCHASED???