It seems that corn is as essential to the people of Mexico as is air and water. Around 10,000 BC, corn was first domesticated in the Sierra Madre Mountains giving birth to the tortillas that fueled the Mayan and Aztec empires.
But tortillas are just one of the many essential Mexican incarnations of the almighty tassel-topped ear: gorditas, huaraches, sopes, garnachas, tlacoyos, tostadas, tamales, champurrado (a hot chocolate beverage thickened with masa), and of course, the street food staples: elote (eaten on the cobb) and esquites seasoned or plain and served in a cup dressed with aged cheese, mayo, lime and hot sauce. Earthenware bowls display vibrantly prepared esquites with poblano, guajillo, habenero, epazote, and other seasonings that cling to the plump golden kernels through the miraculous properties of butter.
