Elote and Esquites

The corn cart is the most reliable fixture of Mexican street life. It sells the same product two ways. Elote is the cob: boiled or grilled, skewered on a stick, then smeared with mayonnaise or crema, rolled in crumbly cotija cheese, dusted with powdered chile and finished with lime - eaten while walking, messily and without apology. Esquites is the cup: the kernels cut off and simmered with epazote, onion and salt, then ladled into a plastic cup with a little of their own broth and dressed the same way, eaten with a spoon. Vendors ask the ritual question - "con todo?" - and the correct answer is yes unless you have a specific objection. Regional variants multiply: grilled esquites cooked dry on a comal, versions with chicharron, chamoy or hot sauce, cups with cheese layered through. The carts appear in the late afternoon outside schools, on plazas and wherever people gather, and the smell of boiling corn and lime is, for most Mexicans, the smell of an ordinary evening.

What to look for

• The elote cob - mayonnaise, cheese, chile and lime on a stick.
• The esquites cup - kernels in broth with epazote.
• The dressing question - "con todo" and the full treatment.
• The evening carts - steam and lime on every plaza.

When to go

Late afternoons and evenings, everywhere in Mexico, all year. Fairs and fiestas multiply the carts.

Practical notes

It is street food eaten standing - napkins are optional but wise. Ask for chile aparte if you want to control the heat. Cash only, always.

Nearby

Every zocalo, market and school gate in the country runs the same trade.