Market Stall · Corn Tamale
Tamal Cusqueño
📷 Closely related photo — Photo: Chalisimo5 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Unlike Mexican tamales, Cusco's version is wrapped in dried corn husks and often has a whole piece of pork rib buried inside the dough.
Fresh ground corn dough is mixed with lard and studded with a chunk of pork, then wrapped and steamed in corn husks. Market women sell them warm from woven baskets in the early morning, often alongside coffee.
Why it's made this way: Cusco's tamales use the region's high-altitude corn and a husk-wrapping method tied to the southern highlands, differing from coastal versions.
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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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