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]
Mesoamericancuisine – (covering Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, northern Costa Rica and Mexico) has four main staples: maize (many...
Nicaraguan cuisine includes a mixture of Mesoamerican, Chibcha, Spanish, Caribbean, and African cuisine. Despite the blending and incorporation of pre-Columbian...
is a Mesoamerican plant widely used in Salvadoran dishes such as pupusas. Izote flower is a Mesoamerican flower widely used in Salvadoran cuisine. It is...
Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamericancuisine. Its ingredients...
Honduran cuisine is a fusion of Mesoamerican, Spanish, Caribbean and African cuisines. There are also dishes from the Garifuna people. Coconut and coconut...
Mesoamerica before colonization, tortillas are a cornerstone of Mesoamericancuisine. Corn tortillas in Mesoamerica are known from as early as 500 BCE...
grinding various food products. The molcajete was used by pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican cultures, including the Aztec and Maya, stretching back several thousand...
A pitaya (/pɪˈtaɪ.ə/) or pitahaya (/ˌpɪtəˈhaɪ.ə/) is the fruit of several different cactus species indigenous to the region of southern Mexico and along...
Ancient Maya cuisine was varied and extensive. Many different types of resources were consumed, including maritime, flora, and faunal material, and food...
Oaxacan cuisine is a regional cuisine of Mexico, centered on the city of Oaxaca, the capital of the eponymous state located in southern Mexico. Oaxaca...
Most traditional foods in Guatemalan cuisine are based on Maya cuisine, with Spanish influence, and prominently feature corn, chilies and beans as key...
Virgin Islands cuisine Food portal List of American regional and fusion cuisinesMesoamericancuisine Caribbean cuisine "North American Cuisine, a Delightful...
process. Traditional and contemporary regional cuisines (including Maya cuisine, Aztec cuisine, and Mexican cuisine) included, and still include, foods based...
Aztec cuisine is the cuisine of the former Aztec Empire and the Nahua peoples of the Valley of Mexico prior to European contact in 1519. The most important...
Costa Rican cuisine is known for being mostly mild, with high reliance on fruits and vegetables. Rice and black beans are a staple of most traditional...
staple food for many cultures. Corn flour has been important in Mesoamericancuisine since ancient times and remains a staple in the Americas. Rye flour...
with the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in what is present-day Ecuador. Later Mesoamerican civilizations also consumed chocolate beverages before being introduced...
v t e Mexican cuisine List of Mexican dishes Soups and stews Birria Caldo de pollo Caldo de queso Caldo de siete mares Caldo tlalpeño Caldo Xóchitl Chileatole...
color shortly after being picked. For the Aztecs, much like earlier Mesoamerican peoples before them, it is probable that vanilla was used to tame the...
Belizean cuisine is an amalgamation of all ethnicities in the nation of Belize and their respectively wide variety of foods. Breakfast often consists...
Hot chocolate, also known as hot cocoa or drinking chocolate, is a heated drink consisting of shaved or melted chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or...
formation of New World cultures from the mixtures of the indigenous Mesoamerican peoples with the European, African, and Asian peoples who were introduced...
same ingredients as a hard taco. The breakfast taco, found in Tex-Mex cuisine, is a soft corn or flour tortilla filled with meat, eggs, or cheese, which...
times. It has since become a staple carbohydrate in North American and Mesoamerican cultures. It predates its derivative, the wheat flour tortilla (tortilla...
cultivated for their pungency. Chili peppers are widely used in many cuisines as a spice to add "heat" to dishes. Capsaicin and related compounds known...
cuisine in dishes such as huevos con nopales (eggs with nopal), or tacos de nopales. Nopales are also an important ingredient in New Mexican cuisine....
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