Mesoamerican cuisine – (covering Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, northern Costa Rica and Mexico) [1] has four main staples: maize (many varieties based on what climate it is grown in), [2] beans, [3] squash and chili. [4] Other plant-based foods used include: amaranth, avocado, [5] cassava, cherimoya, chia, chocolate, [6] guava, [7] nanche, pineapple, sapodilla, [8] sweet potatoes, yucca and zapote. [9]
Historically, various methods and techniques were employed to store, prepare and preserve the foods, most of which remain in use today. [10] Hernán Cortés introduced rice and wheat to Mesoamerica, prior to which time milpa (known as the cornfield) [5] was one of the main sources of sustenance. [11]
Some traditional foods featured in the cuisine include: Atole (a drink made using masa) [12] and Chocolate Atole (with the addition of chocolate) also known as champurrado. [13] Two classic maize dishes are: boiling maize in water and lime, mixing with chili peppers and eating as gruel; dough preparation for flat cakes, tamales and tortillas. [14] Edible foam is another popular food item, sometimes even regarded as sacred. [15]
While squashes were cooked for food, dried gourds were repurposed for storage [16] or used during battles with embers and chilies, wrapped in leaves and used as chemical warfare. [17]
The animals used in Mesoamerican cuisine were mainly dogs, turkeys, deer and the Muscovy duck. [19]
The Mesoamericans began making fermented drinks using chocolate in 450 BC using the Theobroma cacao (cocoa tree). [20] Once sugar was used to sweeten it rather than spices, it gained popularity [21] and was used in feasts. Toasted cacao beans were ground (sometimes with parched corn) and then the powder was mixed with water. This was beaten with a wooden whisk until foamy. Vanilla orchid pods or honey were used as flavor enhancers. [22] Chocolate was also seen as an energy drink and a libido increaser as recorded by Moctezuma II who drank 50 cups a day from a golden goblet. [23]
Mesoamerican cuisine – (covering Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, northern Costa Rica and Mexico) [1] has four main staples: maize (many varieties based on what climate it is grown in), [2] beans, [3] squash and chili. [4] Other plant-based foods used include: amaranth, avocado, [5] cassava, cherimoya, chia, chocolate, [6] guava, [7] nanche, pineapple, sapodilla, [8] sweet potatoes, yucca and zapote. [9]
Historically, various methods and techniques were employed to store, prepare and preserve the foods, most of which remain in use today. [10] Hernán Cortés introduced rice and wheat to Mesoamerica, prior to which time milpa (known as the cornfield) [5] was one of the main sources of sustenance. [11]
Some traditional foods featured in the cuisine include: Atole (a drink made using masa) [12] and Chocolate Atole (with the addition of chocolate) also known as champurrado. [13] Two classic maize dishes are: boiling maize in water and lime, mixing with chili peppers and eating as gruel; dough preparation for flat cakes, tamales and tortillas. [14] Edible foam is another popular food item, sometimes even regarded as sacred. [15]
While squashes were cooked for food, dried gourds were repurposed for storage [16] or used during battles with embers and chilies, wrapped in leaves and used as chemical warfare. [17]
The animals used in Mesoamerican cuisine were mainly dogs, turkeys, deer and the Muscovy duck. [19]
The Mesoamericans began making fermented drinks using chocolate in 450 BC using the Theobroma cacao (cocoa tree). [20] Once sugar was used to sweeten it rather than spices, it gained popularity [21] and was used in feasts. Toasted cacao beans were ground (sometimes with parched corn) and then the powder was mixed with water. This was beaten with a wooden whisk until foamy. Vanilla orchid pods or honey were used as flavor enhancers. [22] Chocolate was also seen as an energy drink and a libido increaser as recorded by Moctezuma II who drank 50 cups a day from a golden goblet. [23]