For many people in America, the day after Thanksgiving is significant because it recognizes the biggest shopping day of the year. In the Latino Community, the day after Thanksgiving is recognized as Maize Day (Corn Day).
History states that corn has a large significance in the Latino culture and the website Cultural Survival shares that, “Corn was domesticated from a grass called teocintle by the peoples of Meso-America approximately 10,000 years ago. Often referred to as humanity’s greatest agronomic achievement, maize is now grown all over the world.”
As corn was distributed all across the globe for centuries, people started to create their own meals, some of which are very popular in the Latino culture today. Here are some delicious dishes you can make in honor of Maize Day.
Elote (Mexico)
One of the many popular dishes that originated in Mexico is Elote. This is a perfect side dish to compliment any lunch or dinner you’re serving. Or if you’d prefer you can have it as a snack. Many food truck vendors and restaurants have dedicated their time and energy to making delicious versions of this dish. In New York, there’s a restaurant called La Esquina that makes ELote Callejero (Grilled Corn with Cotija cheese, Mayonnaise, and Pequin peppers).
In Arizona, there is a Food Truck, Elote Man that serves different variations of Elote. They even have an entire section of their menu that mixes in your favorite chips with the Elote; Cheetos, Doritos, Takis, Tostitios, etc.
Ingredients
4 ears Grilled Corn
⅓ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
½ teaspoon lime zest
½ teaspoon chili powder or ancho chile powder
⅓ cup Cotija cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Sea salt, to taste
Pamonhas( Corn Tamales)
Pamonhas are corn tamales and a very popular dish in Brazil. This is made similarly to the way that regular tamales are made; the only difference is the type of corn that is used. How does that make a difference?
An article A Bundle of Joy in Every Pastel written by Karina Taveras describes in depth how this dish is made, “Pamonhas start with corn kernels that are scraped from the corn and blended with either milk and sugar or oil and salt. The dough is placed on a husk, which is tied up in a bundle. It is boiled for an hour, drained, and then eaten straight from the husk.”
If you’ve ever had tamales you’ll probably enjoy this.
Ingredients
Corn masa flour (Maseca) – ½ cup
Ears of corn – 12 pcs
White sugar – 3 cups
Coconut milk – 2 cups
Grated coconut – 80g
Butter (melted) – 3 tbps
Salt – ½ tsp
Fresh corn husks (for wrapping)
Corn straw (for tying)
Surullitos (Fried Corn sticks)
The next food that you should make to celebrate Maize Day is Surullitos (fried corn sticks). In Puerto Rico, people eat them as an appetizer for many family meals.
According to Aida’s Kitchen, “There are many different versions of preparing the Puerto Rican Cornmeal Fritters. Some individuals add a lot of sugar while others prefer little to no sugar, depending on your taste. Strips of cheese can also be placed in the middle of the cornmeal dough instead of the shredded cheese.”
They are the perfect dish to serve at your next holiday party and the prep time for these is only five minutes!
Ingredients
1 1/3 cup water
2 tbsp. Butter
½ tsp. Salt
1 1/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
