Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Aztec men sharing a meal. Florentine Codex, late 16th century. 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 staple was corn , a crop that was so important to Aztec society that it played a central part in their culture.
Mexican cuisine continues to be based on staple elements of Mesoamerican cooking and, particularly, of Aztec cuisine: corn, chili, beans, squash, tomato, and avocado. Many of these staple products continue to be known by their Nahuatl names, carrying in this way ties to the Aztec people who introduced these foods to the Spaniards and the world.
The other constants of Aztec food were salt and chili peppers and the basic definition of Aztec fasting was to abstain from these two flavorers. The other major foods were beans and New World varieties of the grains amaranth (or pigweed), and chia. The combination of maize and these basic foods would have provided the average Aztec with a very ...
non-name form --> Cihuātōntli [siwaːˈtoːnt͡ɬi] little woman additional Aztec female names from a 1590 document [2] 1st Component 2nd Component Nahuatl IPA English Nahuatl IPA English Nahuatl IPA English Papā flag non-name form --> pāmitl [ˈpaːmit͡ɬ] flag Ēlōxōchitl [eːloːˈʃoːt͡ʃit͡ɬ] magnolia: ēlōtl [ˈeːloːt͡ɬ]
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]
The basic staples since then remain native foods such as corn, beans, squash and chili peppers, but the Europeans introduced many other foods, the most important of which were meat from domesticated animals, dairy products (especially cheese) and various herbs and spices, although key spices in Mexican cuisine are also native to Mesoamerica ...
Documented Nahuatl words in the Spanish language (mostly as spoken in Mexico and Mesoamerica), also called Nahuatlismos include an extensive list of words that represent (i) animals, (ii) plants, fruit and vegetables, (iii) foods and beverages, and (iv) domestic appliances. Many of these words end with the absolutive suffix "-tl" in Nahuatl.
The food served at these gatherings included, alongside a variety of other plants and animals, several domesticated squash varieties, maize, and wild beans. [26] Food that needed to be processed, like cornmeal , would commonly be prepared at the feast site alongside non-food items that gave the feasts ritual or ceremonial importance.