If you still have not been fortunate enough to try out the food, I am sure that after reading the article the first thing that you will do is go to your nearest restaurant and order for the best dish available. But before putting your teeth into the delicious food, learning about the history will make the meal more enjoyable.
History
Just like the cuisine, even the history of the food is complex as well as unique. It's a mixture of various cultures and various traditions. Before the Europeans discovered South America, the latter knew all about cultivating an array of plants. They had enough knowledge about the irrigation system, the terrace farming on the mountain slopes. They knew about how to grow corns and lima beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, chili peppers, avocados, peanuts and chocolates and also how to raise llamas and guinea pigs. Every region of the Latin America, had its own special cuisine.
Then came the Europeans, the Asians (Chinese and the Japanese), and the Africans (slaves), and they incorporated some of their own ideas and traditions into the Latin culture, and vice-versa. There was a mixture of the culture and of the other civilizations. The Europeans introduced the pigs, chickens, citrus trees, wheat, almonds, cows and goats and took back to their country some of the food habits of the Latin Americans. The Asians, mainly the Chinese and the Japanese immigrants, came to this land with the thing that Asians are famous for; spices. The Africans came to Latin America as slaves. During their meal time, they were given those pieces of meat which no one ate. The slaves modified these inedible food items with whatever they got and transformed it into something new and better, which was taken into the Latin American traditions.
The vast diversity in the South American food culture was not only because of the colonizers or the immigrants or the slaves, but also because of the various traditions followed within the continent. The food culture in Brazil was different from that of Cuba, or that of Argentina or Mexico and the rest of the countries within the continent. Cultural exchange between these countries is also responsible for the vast diversity in the food traditions.
Common Food Products
Some of the common food products which you will be able to enjoy when you are in one of the countries of the Latin America, are
- Corn
- Peppers
- Tropical fruits like coconut, mango, lucuma, etc.
- Queso fresco/ Queso blanco which is a fresh cheese, used for Latin American cooking
- Yucca or cassava, the starchy, edible roots of the yucca plant
Given below are some of the famous recipes which you can also try out at home and surprise your family with a nice Latin American dinner.
Canja - Chicken and Rice Soup
Things Required
- Chicken - ½
- Grated onion - 1
- Tomatoes, unseeded and crushed - 4
- Garlic cloves, crushed along with the outer covering - 1
- Parsley minced
- Water - 10 cups
- Carrots cut in strips - 3
- Rice - ½ cup
- Salt and pepper as required
- Put the chicken, onion, tomato, garlic, parsley and 8 cups of water in a pot and boil it.
- Reduce the flame and allow it to simmer for at least an hour.
- Now remove the chicken and separate the meat and the bones. Then strain the liquid.
- Now, add the chicken, rice and rest of the water and let it boil.
- Again reduce the flame and allow the whole thing to simmer till the rice is cooked.
- Season it as you want and serve hot.
Things Required
- Prepared dulce de leche - ¾ cups
- Eggs - 4
- Sugar - 4 tbsp
- Nuts (optional)
- On a stainless steel or glass souffle dish, spread the dulce de leche with the help of a spatula. Add the nuts if you want.
- In another bowl, beat the white of the eggs till they are stiff.
- Now spread them over the dulce de leche
- Now beat the egg yolk along with sugar until it becomes creamy. Spread this over the egg whites.
- Put this in the oven and heat it at a temperature of 200-405ºF, for about 12 minutes and serve hot.
Food Pyramid
The food pyramid shows today's consumers how to lead a healthy and long life by eating a healthy diet. The food pyramid is an educational guide which promotes some of the healthiest foods and food habits in the Latin American life. The food that it promotes is also affordable, easy to make and it reflects the vast range of the foods, traditions and flavors of this land. Let us now see the pyramid structure in details. Let us start from the bottom which consists of the most important food.
Vegetables, Tubers, Fruits, Whole Grains, Pastas, and Nuts
This is the most important part of the pyramid, which the people consume daily. This section consists of vegetables like corns, yucca, spinach, okra, lettuce, etc and fruits like coconut, bananas, apples, grapefruit, amaranth, breads, rice, tortillas, etc
Fish and Seafood, Poultry Products and Dairy Products
Latin America people consumes these almost daily. This consists of chicken, duck, eggs, cheese, shrimp, geese, etc.
Sweet Meats
They are not consumed daily as they are not considered to be healthy. They form the top most part of the pyramid. This part consists of meat of goat, lamb and pork and sweet dishes such as custards, cakes and candies, etc.
So, now you have enough information about the food culture and you also know how to prepare a few Latin American dishes. So either try them out at home, or take your family out for an enjoyable Latin American night with some Latin dance and food. Disfrutar de su comida i.e., Enjoy your meal!