Market Stall · Steamed Corn Tamale
Chigüiles
Photo: Marco Antonio González Escudero / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
The tamale is wrapped in achira leaves rather than corn husks, a plant whose broad, glossy leaves are specifically cultivated in the highlands for wrapping food.
A sweet corn dough studded with cheese and raisins is wrapped in achira leaves and steamed until firm. Market vendors in Ambato sell them warm, often around Easter and local festivals.
Why it's made this way: Chigüiles are strongly associated with Ambato's Fiesta de las Frutas y las Flores and the wider Tungurahua highland tradition of achira-leaf tamales.
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