Bolivian Spanish word
el mote
Meaning: boiled corn kernels (a pueblo table staple)
Where it is said: The Diccionario de americanismos records mote as boiled corn in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. In northwest Argentina and in Chile the same word names other corn or wheat dishes.
Start with lesson 1
Greeting at any hour and saying your nameLesson 1, level A0
Start lesson 1How it is used in Bolivia
Served alongside quesillo at almost every pueblo meal, a simple, everyday classic, not a special-occasion dish.
How to use it
At a pueblo table, mote comes alongside quesillo, a fresh, mild white cheese. If you have not tried it yet, simply say you would like to. It is simple, everyday food, not a special-occasion dish.
Examples
El mote con quesillo.
Mote with quesillo.
Boiled corn with fresh white cheese.
Quiero probar el mote.
I'd like to try the mote.
Good to know
- Origin
- From Quechua mut'i, according to the Diccionario de americanismos.
- Not to be confused with
- Mote de haba is not corn: in Peru and western Bolivia it means broad beans cooked in water.
Questions people ask
What is mote in Bolivia?
Corn kernels taken off the cob and cooked, young or mature, with or without the skin, and eaten as food.
Sources
What this page says beyond the chapters of the course comes from these sources.
- ASALE, Diccionario de americanismos: moteaccessed 21 October 2026
Learn it in a real situation
Your First Trip to Bolivia Together