Pamonha

Pamonha is fresh sweetcorn paste boiled inside its own corn husks, a snack from Brazil. It is made from fresh sweetcorn rather than dried cornmeal, so the paste stays soft and tastes of the cob. It is often sold at street stalls and at June festivals (festas juninas), and it is made both sweet and salted.

What it really is

Fresh sweetcorn is grated off the cob and mixed with milk, sugar, butter and a little salt into a thick, smooth paste. A spoonful is set on a clean husk, the husk is folded round it into a flat parcel, and the parcel is tied closed. The parcels are boiled until the paste sets firm. The husk is not eaten. The salted version leaves out the sugar and is eaten as a savoury snack.

Pamonha is sometimes compared to a tamale, but it is made from fresh corn paste rather than masa, the dough used for tamales.

How it's served

• Hot or warm, unwrapped from the husk and eaten with a spoon or by hand.
• The sweet version is a common snack or breakfast item, often with coffee.
• Some stalls sell it whole in the husk, so the guest peels it first.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the main ingredient, sweetcorn, and say whether the pamonha is sweet or salted.
• Flag milk on the sweet version, since it contains milk and butter.
• Ask the kitchen whether the salted version has cheese or any other additions, and list them.
• Say whether it is served in the husk or unwrapped, so guests know what to expect.
• State that the classic recipe is vegetarian, with no meat or fish.