WHAT WAS THE DIET OF THE MAYANS LIKE? - HISTORY - 2024

The diet of the Mayans consisted mainly of four elements: grains, corn, squash, and peppers. Since the Mayans were hunters, they used to supplement these vegetables with birds, deer or monkeys that they hunted, as well as fish.

Mainly their meals consisted of corn tortillas with grains or any other complement they had on hand to accompany them. Grains, corn, and squash are referred to as the 'three brothers', as they provide all the necessary nutrients when eaten together.

The Mayan culture often hunted, gathered, and grew their own food. Some meats that were commonly hunted included the monkey, deer, iguana, armadillo, manatee, turtle, guinea pig, tapir, javelina, and various types of birds. They also consumed food from the sea, such as lobsters, shrimp, conches, mollusks, and various types of fish.

The Mayans invented many foods that are eaten regularly today. They were the first civilization to make corn tortillas and they used their avocado crops to make an ancient form of guacamole.

They also invented tamales, which are corn tubes filled with chicken, pork, and vegetables. Additionally, it is believed that the Mayans were the first people to roast cocoa beans to make chocolate, although their version was not sweetened.

The diet of the Mayans

The food of the Mayans grew on a large scale and some of the common crops were chillies, avocados, tomatoes, guava, pineapple, papaya, squash, sweet potato, and black, red, and black beans.

The Mayans used to eat a traditional breakfast of scrambled eggs, black beans, and bananas. To get protein, they prepared corn in many different ways. These variations included:

• An atol, a porridge based on ground corn that they consumed with chillies
• Posol, a mixture of water and sourdough to withstand the hard work of the field
• The tamale, usually mixed with hot peppers, meat, and Mayan spinach, a high-protein herb native to Guatemala.

The basic meals were made of meat and vegetable stews with pumpkin seeds, squash and peppers. Additionally, deer, armadillo, rabbits, fish, rats, snails, and wasp larvae were eaten.

Thanks to recent research, it is known that meat was not a large contributor to the Mayan diet before the Spanish introduced cattle, turkeys, pigs, and chickens.

Yucca

Manihot esculenta (yucca). Source: pixabay.com

Yucca was cultivated since 600 BC Also known as cassava, it produces large tubers that are rich in carbohydrates. This tuber facilitated the maintenance of a civilization as great as the Mayan.

Before the pre-classic period, it is believed that the Mayan diet had an emphasis on cassava and cassava rather than corn.

Corn

Corn was part of one of the primary agriculture of the Mayans, being a central component in their diet.

Corn was used and consumed in a variety of ways, but it was always nixtamalized. This means that the corn was soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution.

Once corn was nixtamalized, it was typically ground in a metate and prepared in many ways.

The tortillas were cooked on a comal and used to wrap other foods such as meat or beans.

Tortillas allowed many, many opportunities for food creation and allowed people of all social strata to eat freely.

Tortillas

The Mayan tortillas consisted of a dough of about three or four inches that was quite thick, which gave a strong base for the dish that would be served in it.

These dishes were often served with some type of meat and also include avocado or any companion in a meeting or ritual.

Tamales

The tamales were prepared with corn flour, often containing a filling, which were wrapped and in the husk of the corn to be steamed. It is believed that they were created because they were easy to be transported.

Like many other popular dishes in the Mayan culture, the tamale included the use of corn husk or banana peel to ferment and strengthen the cooking process of food.

After the cooking process, the tamale was unwrapped and topped with some sauce; tamales could be served in Mayan festive celebrations.

Although these dishes could be consumed as is, other ingredients were added to obtain more diversity of flavor. These flavorings included chili peppers, cocoa, wild onions, and salt.

Chocolate

Cacao is endemic to the lands occupied by the Mayans, who were the first to take the seeds of the fruits and roast them to make hot chocolate.

Unlike modern civilizations, the Mayans did not make chocolate bars or add sugar or milk to cocoa. The Mayans took chocolate as a ceremonial elixir and as a flavor enhancer.

Cocoa beans were predominantly used to make a version of hot chocolate where they roasted the beans in water to make a drink that was used as a mood stimulant.

This drink was also drunk in ceremonies because for this culture, cocoa was a sacred gift from the gods. Due to its lack of sugar and milk, Maya hot chocolate was bitter and frothy.

The cacao plant, which literally translates to food of the gods, was enjoyed by all social classes of the Mayan people. ç

Due to its stimulating and aphrodisiac powers, the couples of this culture drank this hot drink during engagement and marriage ceremonies.

Avocado and guacamole

The avocado, originated in southern Mexico and Guatemala, has been loved by different cultures for its rich flavor and creamy texture; it was a cultivated treasure of the Mayans.

The avocado was mashed and combined with chili peppers or onions, making an old-fashioned guacamole.

Themes of interest

The 10 Cultural Contributions of the Most Important Mayans.

References

1. Maya cuisine. Recovered from wikipedia.org.
2. The Mayan diet (2015). Recovered from livestrong.com.
3. Top 10 foods of the Maya world. Recovered from nationalgeographic.com.
4. What did the Mayan eat? Recovered from reference.com.
5. Corn tortilla. Recovered from wikipedia.org.