1, Write a summary of the article "Food & Drink in Mesoamerica and South America before 1500".
1, Write a summary of the article "Food & Drink in Mesoamerica and South America before 1500".
The pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica and South America based their diets on a variety of plant foods obtained mainly through agriculture. Some animal domestication, as well as hunting and gathering of wild animal and plant species, supplemented these diets. Scholars' knowledge of early Mesoamerican and South Amenerican food is based on archaeological evidence, artistic depictions, and the written accounts of early Spanish chroniclers.
For the Aztecs of Mesoamerica, corn (maize), beans, and squash were the food staples. They cultivated several varieties of corn; some had red, blue, or black kernels. The Aztecs ate corn in many ways, including as a gruel or in soup or stew, but it was mainly eaten in the form of tortillas. Tortillas could be used to make tamales stuffed with meat, beans, or chiles; tortillas were also easy to store and to take on trips away from home. Many other plant foods were also eaten, including tomatoes, agave, cactus, chia seeds, amaranth, jicama root, and a variety of fruit. Much Aztec food was spicy, since different kinds of chile peppers were used as flavoring.
For meat, the Aztecs ate domesticated turkeys and dogs supplemented by wild birds, fish, and such game as rabbit, deer, peccary, iguanas, and snakes. The Aztecs' territory contained many lakes, from which they gathered edible algae, aquatic insects, and frogs, as well as various species of fish and waterfowl.
Chocolate was highly valued by the Aztecs. Though its use was largely restricted to nobles and the wealthy, soldiers during a march might also be given portions. The Aztecs usually consumed chocolate as a drink created by a complex process during which ground cacao beans (the source of chocolate) were mixed with honey, vanilla, and other additives. They also sometimes ate chocolate in the form of roasted cacao seeds.
Another Mesoamerican culture, the Maya, also depended on corn, beans, and squash as their primary food sources. Scholars believe that the Maya ground corn to make tortillas, which were likely used to prepare tamales. Chiles and such fruits as guavas, papayas, pineapples, and avocados were important additions to the basic diet. Fruit trees and other plants were collected from the forest to be grown in Maya gardens.
To add meat to their diet, the Maya raised turkeys and hunted numerous wild species, including armadillos, howler monkeys, jaguars, macaws, peccaries, and tapirs. The Maya also sometimes raised deer for their meat. Additionally, several species of fish and shellfish, both marine and freshwater, were significant protein sources and were traded throughout Maya territory. Honey and salt were also important commodities for both food preparation and trade.
The Maya had many kinds of beverages, some of which were made with fruit or ground beans. Like the Aztecs, the Maya prized chocolate and used it to make beverages; it also served as a form of currency.
In the Inca Empire of South America, most people had two regular mealtimes: in the morning and in the late afternoon. They depended on several crops for the mainstay of their diet. Such foods as potatoes, corn, and quinoa were particularly important. Greens of various kinds were a readily available food source especially for common people. The climatic diversity of the empire allowed a range of food varieties to be cultivated; for example, tropical fruit was brought to the highlands from low-lying jungle areas, avocados and peanuts were grown in valleys, and coca plants (the leaves of which were chewed to attain a mild narcotic effect) were grown on the Andes Mountains' eastern slopes. Using corn, the Inca made bread as well as stews with chili peppers added; they ate toasted corn and popped corn. Another staple, potatoes, could be cooked with peppers, vegetables, and meat to make a stew known as locro. Freeze-drying was an important way to preserve food for future use; freeze-dried potatoes (chuño), for example, could be rehydrated later and used in such dishes as stew.
Guinea pigs were raised as the main source of meat for most people. Frogs, insect larvae, ants, beetles, and caterpillars provided additional protein, while people living near the sea or mountain lakes could also obtain fish. In some parts of the empire, dogs were also eaten. Llamas were only infrequently consumed by ordinary people because they were valuable beasts of burden and providers of wool, though the nobility ate them more often. Aristocratic Inca might also be able to obtain such delicacies as seafood transported from the distant coast and wild fowl. The Inca preserved meat by jerking it through a process of freezing and drying.
The favorite drink throughout the Inca Empire was the alcoholic chicha, created by chewing corn, fruit, or seeds and allowing the chewed pulp to ferment in water. Chicha was a ceremonial drink as well as the preferred beverage for daily use.
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