Humita

Huminta (from Quechua umint'a), huma (from Quechua possibly uma head) or humita (possibly employing the Spanish diminutive -ita) is a dish that dates back to pre-Hispanic times. A traditional food, it can be found in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Northwest Argentina. It consists of fresh choclo (maize) pounded to a paste, wrapped in a fresh corn husk, and slowly steamed or boiled in a pot of water. In Bolivia, it is known as huminta and in Brazil as pamonha. Humitas are similar to Mexican uchepos, or tamales colados, which are also made with fresh corn; but they are only superficially similar to tamales, which are made with nixtamalized corn (masa). Colombia's envueltos or bollos are also similar to humitas. They share a link to the juane ("Saint John's head"), which can be made with corn (sara juane) but is modernly made with rice.