, or masamorra, (from , from , influenced by Spanish , 'dough') is the name for numerous traditional dishes from

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

Regional variations

Argentina

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, is a traditional dish. It is a dessert with native roots made with white maize, water, sugar, and vanilla. A variant, the most consumed in the country, is with milk. In this recipe, milk is added to the previous ingredients. is usually made with the same boiled maize used to make

locro Locro or lojro (from the Quechua ) is a hearty thick squash or potato stew, associated with Native Andean civilizations, and popular along the Andes mountain range. It is one of the national dishes of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, ...

. As with locro, it is common to eat on national holidays, like

25 May Events Pre-1600 *567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans. *240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. * 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo ...

and

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

Colombia

Initially, was the stew which fed (the rowers, almost always forced, in the ships called ) and sailors. The dish consisted of any available vegetables, most often peppers, lentils, and chickpeas, cooked together. In central Colombia, there is still a type of vegetable stew with this name. Today, however, is more commonly a corn-based beverage, with different presentations in various parts of the country. For many Colombian speakers, it is simply very well-cooked peeled corn, also known as in the Colombian Caribbean region. Its texture and appearance vary depending on the region, but usually, has a white or yellow appearance according to the maize that is used; its texture is generally soft and mushy. In Antioquia, it often accompanies

panela Panela () or rapadura (Portuguese pronunciation: ) is an unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Latin America. It is a solid form of sucrose derived from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice. Panela is known by other names in Lati ...

and is a very popular

side dish A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order, side item, or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal.maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

kernels, crushed with

mortar and pestle A mortar and pestle is a set of two simple tools used to prepare ingredients or substances by compression (physics), crushing and shear force, grinding them into a fine Paste (rheology), paste or powder in the kitchen, laboratory, and pharmacy. ...

, then soaked in water with soda lye (although the traditional

reagent In chemistry, a reagent ( ) or analytical reagent is a substance or compound added to a system to cause a chemical reaction, or test if one occurs. The terms ''reactant'' and ''reagent'' are often used interchangeably, but reactant specifies a ...

used is

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

ash, which contains high amounts of

potassium carbonate Potassium carbonate is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is a white salt, which is soluble in water and forms a strongly alkaline solution. It is deliquescent, often appearing as a damp or wet solid. Potassium carbonate is mainly used ...

), and finally cooked until soft. is very common during lunch and dinnertime at any time of year. is a typical Colombian food that is served as an accompaniment or as a main dish, whether familiar or casual. It is usually sold as street food. Usually, the consumer adds the milk and the

to the base. In Cundinamarca and Boyacá, where the corn is cooked with

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

coriander Coriander (), whose leaves are known as cilantro () in the U.S. and parts of Canada, and dhania in parts of South Asia and Africa, is an annual plant, annual herb (''Coriandrum sativum'') in the family Apiaceae. Most people perceive the ...

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

faba bean ''Vicia faba'', commonly known as the broad bean, fava bean, or faba bean, is a species of vetch, a flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated as a crop for human consumption, and also as a cover crop. Vari ...

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

es and

mashua ''Tropaeolum tuberosum'' (mashua, see below for other names) is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Tropaeolaceae, grown in the Andes, particularly in Peru and Bolivia, and to a lesser extent in Ecuador as well as in som ...

s, often with pieces of

rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs () are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the thoracic cavity, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ...

s or

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

. This dish is known as (small ).

Dominican Republic and Cuba

In the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

and

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

this dish is known as . Corn is cut off the husk, blended with milk, butter, water, sugar, and cornstarch. It is then boiled until thick with cinnamon sticks. In Cuba, raisins, vanilla, and lemon zest can be added. Once cooled the pudding is garnished with nutmeg and cinnamon. Both countries claim to have originated the dish. Due to migration between the two countries the origin is lost. In the Dominican Republic, when the corn is left whole, it is known as and cooked rice can be added.

Paraguay

Also known as in

Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to Ethnography * Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia) * Guarani language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay * G ...

, in

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

is made with the native locro variety of maize. It is one of the most traditional

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal; the course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream, and possibly a beverage, such as dessert wine or liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly umami, ...

s of the country. According with the ingredients added to the cooked corn, the dish is called (

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

), (milk ) or (sugar ). reached great popularity in Paraguay due to the food scarcity during the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War (, , ), also known as the War of the Triple Alliance (, , ), was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It wa ...

(between 1864 and 1870) as a nutritious substitute for a regular meal.

Peru

Purple in

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

is made with a local variety of maize,

purple corn Purple corn () or purple maize is group of flint maize varieties (Flint_corn, Zea mays indurata) originating in South America, descended from a common ancestral variety termed "kʼculli" in Quechuan languages, Quechua. It is most commonly grown i ...

, rich in

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are solubility, water-soluble vacuole, vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart named a chemical compou ...

which gives the a deep purple color. The maize is cooked with

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

and

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...

flour. This dish is made specially in October for the celebrations of the

Lord of Miracles The Lord of Miracles (), also known as Christ of Miracles, is a Catholic title of Jesus Christ that is associated with a painting of Christ crucified venerated in Lima, Peru. The image was painted during the 17th century by Benito or Pedro D ...

day 333. This purple corn is also used to make

chicha morada Chicha morada (literally, Purple Chicha) is a beverage originated in the Andean regions of Perú but is currently consumed at a national level. The base ingredient of the drink is corn ''culli'' or ''ckolli'', which is a Peruvian variety of corn k ...

, a sweet beverage. Other types of Peruvian include maize starch (), and dark brown sugar ().

Uruguay

has been consumed since colonial times, made from crushed maize. is a traditional dessert, made of crumbled maize, sugar and milk, and was commonly sold as

street food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

in ancient

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

but nowadays is more like an old fashioned

comfort food Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone and may be characterized by its high caloric nature associated with childhood or home cooking. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual or it may apply to a ...

. It is also a type of , using maize for and other ingredients such as butter beans, carrots, pork meat or other kinds of meat in tiny slices; it is typically a winter meal.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

n is basically a corn

porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...

, which is made cooking the maize in milk,

clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands, or Moluccas, in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring, or Aroma compound, fragrance in fin ...

, vanilla, and adding

corn starch Cornflour, cornstarch, maize starch, or corn starch (American English) is the starch derived from corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the seed, kernel. Corn starch is a common food ingredient, often used to thick ...

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rican is fresh corn

custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with Eggs as food, egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in con ...

. Corn kernels are cut off the cob and boiled with milk and cob until the corn softens. Once soft, the cob is discarded and the corn is put into a blender with the milk. Once made into a paste, the corn is passed through a

chinois A chinois ( , , ), also known as a bouillon strainer, is a conical sieve with an extremely fine mesh. It is used to strain custards, purees, soups, and sauces, producing a very smooth texture. It can also be used to dust food with a fine layer o ...

back into the pot for a second time. The liquid is then cooked with corn starch, butter, coconut cream, evaporated milk, ginger, spices, zest, and sugar. It is then topped with powdered nutmeg and cinnamon. Banana or ripe

breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family ( Moraceae) believed to have been selectively bred in Polynesia from the breadnut ('' Artocarpus camansi''). Breadfruit was spread into ...

can be blended and added for texture and flavor.

Not related to maize

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

: A local dessert made with the '' nance'' fruit (also known as 'heavy'. * Spain: ** A

cold soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot – though it is sometimes served chilled – made by cooking or otherwise combining meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. According to ''The Oxford Companion to Food'' ...

similar to ''

salmorejo Salmorejo, sometimes known as ardoria or ardorío, is a traditional creamy soup originating from Andalusia, southern Spain, made of pear tomato, bread, extra virgin olive oil and garlic. The salmorejo is served cold and may be garnished with dice ...

''. It is made with

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

and

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

. ** In La Guardia in

Toledo Province Toledo () is a province of central Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. It is bordered by the provinces of Madrid, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Badajoz, Cáceres, and Ávila. Its capital is the city of Toledo. ...

it is a combination of fried vegetables. *

: is a popular dessert in the

Huánuco Huánuco (; ) is a city in central Peru. It had a population of 196,627 as of 2017 and in 2015 it had a population of 175,068. It is the capital of the Huánuco Region and the Huánuco District. It is the seat of the diocese of Huánuco. The met ...

region, made with

pumpkin A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...

. *

: means 'mashed

squash Squash most often refers to: * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (plant), the fruit of vines of the genus ''Cucurbita'' Squash may also refer to: Sports * Squash (professional wrestling), an extr ...

References

External links

Recipes for Colombian Mazamorra
{{corn Non-alcoholic drinks Porridges Colombian cuisine Peruvian cuisine Puerto Rican cuisine Native American cuisine Maize-based drinks Maize dishes Dominican Republic cuisine