Humitas

A humita is fresh sweet corn dough, sweet or savoury, wrapped in corn husks and steamed. It is an Andean dish that Ecuador shares with Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, and each country and cook shapes the recipe a little differently.

The dough is made from fresh corn rather than dried corn flour, which gives it a soft, moist texture. Ecuadorian cooks make it either sweet, with sugar, or savoury, with cheese, and the husk keeps the filling moist as it steams. Because the dish is shared across several countries, the name covers recipes that differ from one kitchen to the next.

What it really is

Fresh sweet corn is grated or ground into a soft dough, then mixed with butter, sugar or cheese, and usually milk to loosen it. A spoonful is spread on a corn husk, folded into a neat parcel and tied, then steamed until the dough sets. The husk is a wrapper and is not eaten; it is peeled back and the soft corn inside is eaten from it. Sweet humitas and cheese humitas are made from the same dough, and the balance of sugar and cheese changes from one kitchen to the next.

How it's served

• Warm, straight from the steamer, with the husk peeled back at the table.
• Sweet or savoury, depending on the recipe, and often eaten at breakfast or as a snack.
• Eaten with a spoon or by hand, with the husk set aside and not eaten.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the filling clearly: sweet corn humita with sugar, or corn humita with cheese. List sweet and cheese versions as separate items if you sell both.
• Flag milk. Butter, milk and cheese are all in the classic recipe, so mark milk as an allergen on every humita.
• Name the cheese if you use one, so guests can judge whether it suits them.
• Say the husk is a wrapper and is removed before eating, so guests do not expect to eat it.
• Say the dish is steamed, so the texture is soft and not crisp.