Humita

Humita is a Native American dish from pre-Hispanic times, and a traditional food in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. It consists of masa harina and corn, slowly cooked in oil.

Humitas are common in various countries in Latin America, although their origin is unclear. The noun "humita" derives from Quichua, a regional dialect found in Ecuador of the Quechua people living in Ecuador, the south of Colombia, the Peruvian highlands, and the northwestern part of Argentina. In Venezuela, they are known as hallacas, in Chile and Peru as humitas, in Bolivia as "sweet corn cakes," and in Mexico and Central America as tamales.

In Chile

Humitas in Chile are prepared with fresh corn, onion, basil, and butter or lard. They are wrapped in corn husks and baked or boiled. They may contain cheese. The humitas are kept together during cooking with thread or twine.

They can be made savory, sweet, or sweet and sour, with added sugar, chile pepper, salt, tomato, etc.

In Ecuador

As in Chile, in Ecuador humitas are prepared with fresh ground corn with onions, eggs and species that vary on the region, and on each family's tradition. The dough is wrapped in a corn husk, but are steamed rather than baked or boiled. Ecuadorian humitas may also contain cheese. This dish is so traditional in Ecuador that they have developed special pots just for cooking humitas. Ecuadorian humitas can be salty or sweet.

In Peru

In Peru, mainly in the central Andes region, humitas are prepared with fresh corn combined with lard and salt and queso fresco for a savory dish or with fresh corn with lard, sugar, cinnamon and raisins for a sweet dish. Savory humitas may also be prepared with anise.

Peruvian humitas are prepared with corn wrapped in corn husks and can be cooked in boiling water, placed in a pachamanca oven, or steamed. They can be wrapped in several ways.

ee also

*Hallacas
*Tamales
*Sarmales
*Pamonhas