El Choclo (The Ear of Corn)

On November 3, 1905, the upper class clientele of the exclusive "Restaurante Americano" gathered as usual listen to pianist Jose Luis Roncallo and his classical orchestra. A few days earlier, Angel Villoldo had shown Roncallo the melody of a Tango he had just composed. The sound of the unnamed tune was so compelling that Roncallo decided to sneak it into his program that evening disguised as a "danza criolla", a Creole dance. The name El Choclo, was chosen by Villoldo because "I loved it from the very first note, and for me the ear of corn is the tastiest ingredient of the 'puchero', a meat and vegetables stew.. The “puchero" reference reflected Villoldo's hope that the success of this tango would bring food to his table. To earn a living was commonly referred to as earning the "puchero".