El Maizero walks around pushing a large cart with a big cauldron of hot water. In this cauldron are ears of corn on the cob or la mazorca. He yells out “Maíz, maíz, maíz!” but it sounds like mye, mye, mye.
El Maizero on Calle el Conde
When you want to purchase one of these ears of corn the vendor removes the steaming hot treat from the vat of water. He then drops it into another smaller pot containing salt water and butter and swishes it around covering all the little kernels of corn. The dripping ear of corn is then deposited into a plastic bag and the hot ear is handed over to the customer.
This street food usually costs about $30 pesos (3/12). It is one of the few snacks that are sold on the street that is a bit healthy.
The vendors of Caña and Auga de Caña usually ride around the streets on tricycles carrying what look like large sticks. These sticks are sugar cane in its natural state. On the cart is a grinder / squeezer where the vendor can express the juice from the cane.
Auga de Caña / Sugar Cane Water drink
They also sell cane in bags. The outside brown skin is expertly sliced off exposing the cane inside. They sell the sticky, yellow cane in plastic bags. There are usually 3 to 4 pieces of sweetness to a bag. If the vendor does not give you a second bag ask for one. The empty bag is to spit the pulp waste after eating the cane.
Sugar cane before and after
I love eating these, even though sometimes they make my jaws hurt from biting into the cane. There is a true technique that needs to be acquired when eating the cane. My technique is to bite off a small piece and chew until the juice is out. Then spit the pulp into your second bag. It is best to spit it into the bag instead of into the street, its cane chewing etiquette. It can be difficult trying to get all the little pieces of pulp out of the mouth, but with practice it can be done.
The bread man usually walks carrying a large basket, pushes a cart, rides a bike or motorized vehicle. He has fresh baked bread and at times pastries from a local panadería / bakery. He is heard yelling out “Pan, panadero” (Bread, Bread Man).
Panadero delivering bread by motorbike
Normally el Panadero is out very early in the morning providing the fresh baked goods for breakfast and making deliveries to the local stores and shops. Normally the evening Panadería has a large basket with a variety of breads for dinner or a snack.
This type of vendor sells pan de agua / water bread, both hard and soft. There is sweet bread that is a wonderful with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. My favorite is the garlic bread. It is covered with garlic, salt and oil. Fattening but so wonderful.
Panadero bread man on motorbike
Some of the new-fangled bread vendors now have a motorized cart – motorbike with a nice variety of breads, sweets and even cold sandwiches. One of our local Panaderos has a large display case on the back of a motorbike with all sorts of goodies.
Panaderos in Colonial Zone:
*There is usually on that passes by the park San Jose (in front of the statue Montecino) around 6PM. You can get some great garlic bread or a little ham sandwich from him.
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