History of Elote

In Spanish, the word “elote” literally translates to “corn”. Considering this, tracing the origins of Mexican street corn requires taking a look back at the history of corn in Mexico. I won’t speak to the evolution of Mexican corn over millennia but let’s just say it goes as far back as the Aztec civilization (whose people and I have something very significant in common – we both consider the tamale sacred).

Corn continued to be a cornerstone of Mexican cuisine over the ages, especially considering its prominence in tortillas, which is the foundation of Mexican food. In modern day, the Mexican street corn that we’re familiar with has roots in Mexico City. Known widely for its street food, most specifically antojitos (little cravings), corn serves as a primary ingredient for the city’s street vendors. Unsurprisingly so, elote is served covered in butter, mayonnaise, cotija cheese and chili powder.

During my research, I encountered another street food that is a close cousin to the elote called esquites. Instead of being served on the cob, making esquites requires removing the corn kernels from the cob and preparing them with chicken stock and epazote (a Mexican herb). The corn is then served in a cup with fixins similar to those that accompany elote. With this newfound knowledge in mind, perhaps I should be calling this recipe Green Chile Pork and Esquites Lasagna?

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