Aztec Treat on the IRT

hop onto the subway at 96th street and broadway, and you'll witness the easy coexistence of 21st-century urban life and centuries-old aztec tradition. a young man bops to the beat of his iphone while plucking open a steaming cornhusk. suddenly a whiff of hot corn masa issues from his perfectly formed tamale.

tamales were invented by the aztecs, and then the spanish conquistadores spread the word. in nyc, we get ours via mexican immigrants who set up impromptu tamale stands with nothing more than a wire grocery cart and a cooler.

maria gets up at 3 a.m. to start making the tamales ($1.50) that she sells near the subway entrance as early as 6:30 a.m. i go at 8:30 a.m., after dropping my daughter at p.s. 75, but by then my favorite, the pork ("cerdo"), is often sold out. the succulent pieces of pork are swathed in a light tomatillo sauce and stuffed into the comforting corn masa casing. maria also sells chicken tamales with red or green sauce, though the red is a bit spicy for breakfast. there are cheese ("queso") tamales, and horchata, a milky rice drink, too. get there before 10 a.m., because maria's tamales are popular with the morning commuters. -- maria's tamales subway entrance, southwest side of broadway and west 94th street got a snack attack to share? contact nbrand@aol.com