Latin American food and its history
Thanks to the geographic location of the United States with Latin American countries, its food has become very well known among Americans. From tacos to roast pork to fried plantains, name them and you’ll get them in quite a few American stores. This food is well known for its labor-intensive preparation techniques and bold flavors.
If you have not yet been lucky enough to try Latin American food, I am sure that after reading the article the first thing you are going to do is go to your nearest restaurant and order the best dish that is offered. But before trying the delicious food, learning about the history of Latin American food will make the meal even more enjoyable.
Historical past on Latin American Food
Like cooking, even food’s storied past is as complex as it is unique. It is a mixture of different cultures and different traditions. Just before the Europeans discovered South America, the latter knew all about growing a wide variety of plants. They had had enough knowledge about the irrigation system, the cultivation on terraces on the slopes of the mountains. They knew about tips on how to grow corn and beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, chili peppers, avocados, peanuts and chocolates and also how to raise llamas and guinea pigs. Each region of Latin America actually had a personal special kitchen.
Then came the Europeans, the Asians (both Chinese and Japanese), along with the Africans (Slavs), and they incorporated various of their personal ideas and traditions into the Latino culture, and vice versa. There was a mix in the Latin American food lifestyle as well as the food lifestyle with the other civilizations. The Europeans introduced pigs, chickens, citrus fruits, wheat, almond trees, cows, and goats and brought to their country several of the eating customs of Latin Americans. Asians, mainly Chinese and Japanese immigrants, came to this land using the theme that Asians are well known for; spices Africans came to Latin America as slaves. Throughout their meal time, they were given those pieces of meat that no one ate. The slaves modified these inedible foods with what they got and transformed it into something new and better, which was carried over into Latin American traditions.
The great diversity in the South American food lifestyle was not only due to colonizers or immigrants or slaves, but also to the various traditions followed on the continent. The food lifestyle in Brazil was different from Cuba, Argentina or even Mexican food and the rest of the countries on the continent. The cultural exchange between these nations is also responsible for the great diversity within Latin American gastronomic traditions.
Now that we know the history, let’s take a look at some of the popular Latin American food solutions.
Some predominant food products in Latin Americans
Some of the popular meal solutions that you will be able to appreciate when you are in one of the Latin American countries are
*Corn
* Corn
* Peppers
* Tropical fruits such as coconut, mango, lucuma, etc.
* Queso fresco/ Queso blanco which is a fresh cheese, applied to Latin American cuisine
* Cassava or manioc, the starchy edible roots of the cassava plant
Therefore, these are some of the popular Latin American food products that form an important part of their staple diet.
