Type | Dumpling |
---|---|
Place of origin | Brazil |
Region or state | Goias Minas Gerais São Paulo and Bahia |
Serving temperature | Warm |
Main ingredients | Ground sweet corn, sugar. |
Pamonha (Portuguese pronunciation: [pɐˈmõȷ̃ɐ]) is a traditional Brazilian food. It is a paste made from sweet corn, boiled wrapped in corn husks. Variations may include coconut milk. Pamonha can be savoury or sweet. If savoury, they can be filled with cheese, sausage, minced meat, minced chicken or peppers. If sweet, ground coconut pulp is a common addition when there is one, but the overwhelming majority is served plain.
It is associated with Festa Junina winter celebrations (these that themselves descend from the European Midsummer).
The name pamonha comes from Old Tupi language pa'muña meaning "sticky".
In Brazilian slang, the word 'pamonha' is also used as a pejorative meaning "lazy" or "foolish".