Hello my fellow home cooks! Welcome back to another episode of Uncle Bill’s Kitchen!

Today, I have a special treat for you. While living in Chicago, my friend, Jose, introduced me to a food that had such a flavor explosion, I had to find a way to make it at home.

In Central America (except Panama) and Mexico, an ear of corn, on or off the plant, is called “elote” (from the Nahuatl elotitutl, meaning tender cob). This term is also used in Mexican and Central American communities in the United States.

In the Andean countries (except for Venezuela and Colombia) as well as Uruguay and Paraguay,^[16] the term for elote is choclo, which comes from the quechua word chuqllu. In Venezuela it is referred to as jojoto. In Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Spain, it’s known as mazorca.

In El Salvador, Mexico, and the border states of the United States, elote is commonly eaten as a sweet or salty dish. It is most commonly boiled in water with salt or other spices such as tequesquite, epazote, the Santa Maria herb, or pericon. Then condiments such as butter, mayonnaise, and grated cheese called cotija, and in the case of Mexico, chile powder, lemon juice, and salt are added to the corn.^[17] Elote, sometimes called “elotes locos” or crazy corn, is also served at town fairs in Mesoamerica. Seasoned with mayo, sweet and sour sauce, ketchup, and mustard, Elote is served with a wooden stick in the center, like a popsicle, to help the consumer hold it.

In some regions of Mexico elotes are sold in the street by “eloteros”—people who walk around cities or towns with a cart selling elotes. They can cover large distances or just stay in one place; for example, at plazas or parks outside of stores or any location where there are large amounts of potential consumers.^[18] The customers can pick the elotes of their choice: hard or soft, small or large kernels, and whether to put it with sour cream, mayonnaise, liquid cheese, chile powder, grated cheese, or butter. The elotes are kept hot by putting them in the brazier where they were cooked. They should be served soon after they are done being cooked so they don’t change color or lose flavor. The elotes are usually boiled and transported wrapped in the husks,^[19] because cooking them in the husks gives them more flavor.

The eloteros also sell coal-grilled elotes (elotes asados). These elotes are splashed with salt water and grilled in the coals until the husks start to burn and the kernels reach a crunchy texture. In Central America, it is custom to grill elote during the first harvest of the year –the end of June until the beginning of September. During this time, women can be seen on the sides of the highway next to the cornfields selling grilled elote seasoned with lime juice and salt.