It combines corn meal and southwestern flavors into a delicious casserole style meal. Tamale casserole, or tamale pie originated around the 1900s as a layered dish similar to a pot pie. Inspired by Mexican flavors it originally layered cooked meat filling with a corn bread crust on the top and bottom. It was popularized as a dish taught in some home economics classes curriculum in high schools in the 1910s. It has little or nothing to do with traditional Mexican tamales.