AZTEC FOOD
Some of the foods native to the Americas and used by the Aztecs at the time of the Spanish arrival were chocolate, vanilla, corn, chilies (peppers), peanuts, tomatoes, avocados, squash, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pineapple and papaya. The influence of these foods on world cuisine is staggering. Just eliminate all of them from almost any cuisine in the world to imagine the effect.
Vanilla was used by the Aztecs to flavor chocolate, and they introduced the Spanish explorers to both.
Long before Europeans came to America, the Aztecs had domesticated turkeys. They used them for food, for religious sacrifices and the feathers for decoration.
The lima and pinto bean were cultivated for the first time in the very earliest Mexican and Peruvian civilizations more than 5,000 years ago, being popular in both the Aztec and Inca cultures.
Aztec emperor Montezuma drank 50 golden goblets of hot chocolate every day.It was thick, dyed red and flavored with chili peppers.
|
