These canoes floated on the water and were anchored to the bottom of the lake or to the nearby trees. These were grown in the home gardens of the nobles, or the gardens which were maintained on the waters of Lake Texcoco. It was made from maguey sap. They sweetened their food with honey. © 2020 aztecsandtenochtitlan.com - All rights reserved. These animals were consumed whenever a need for meat arose. Women generally didn’t consume the chocolate drink either, even if they belonged to the nobility. ‘I told you so!’ says Sir Little Bean and Sir Big Bean [their real names!] They used many different kinds of foods and drinks using maize. Nixtamalization was the process of cooking the maize grains with the alkaline solution. Nahuatl surnames that still exist from Aztec times. (Click on image to enlarge), Pic 4: Squash: Aztec stone sculpture, and the real thing - not that easy to tell the difference, eh?! - tamales (pic 2), Mexico’s (and the world’s?) This algae was then treated in a special way so that it became a cheese-like, edible item. Evidence has been found that the Aztecs actively domesticated bees to get honey. Many spices were used in Aztec foods. in this codex picture (pic 3). Their food was very spicy. Even though the foods are weird for us, it seems that the Aztecs liked them. The Aztecs did not have cows, sheep, or goats. which crops were represented by their own god or goddess? A drink of maize called “atolli” was popular among the Aztecs. Beans were often used in combination with maize. › Maize (corn) was the central food in their diet, along with vegetables such as … This staple food is also included as a part of their mythology. Facts about Aztec Food 7: the favor. Aztecs developed nets and many innovative techniques for fishing in Lake Texcoco. Tamales were a popular food among the commoners. Aztecs were among the earliest people who made chocolate and enjoyed it as a regular part of their cuisine. The primary menus in Chipotle Mexican, Facts about Cheese inform you with the famous food in the world. The pulque was the drink for the commoners. Octli was an alcoholic beverage that was consumed by the common people. “Octli” was the name of the most commonly used alcoholic beverage and it was made form maguey sap. 4 would be seeds of chía grain (think sage) and the amaranth plant - ground on the metate stone and eaten in several ways (bottom line - porridge); amaranth dough was shaped into small god figurines and eaten on ritual occasions. Think twice! Aztecs made use of hallucinogenic mushrooms and herbs in their foods. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'aztecsandtenochtitlan_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_4',341,'0','0']));A sort of soup or stew, called “pozole” was also made using maize. (Click on image to enlarge), Pic 5: Feast day, Aztec style (Click on image to enlarge), Pic 6: Dog and turkey: just about the only domesticated creatures - and good sources of meat (Click on image to enlarge), Pic 7: Frogs, tadpoles and toads: just a few of the many tasty snacks - often wrapped up in your tamales! Somehow, over thousands of years, ancient Mexicans learned that the combination of beans and lime-soaked maize provided a complete protein source (to rival our animal sources). The, Facts about Black Pepper talk about the notable type of seasoning or spice. Aztec plugs were enough to split your ears! In preparing tamales, corn flour was kneaded in dough and turned into balls. They grew some of the fruits in their gardens while obtained the others from the forests near Tenochtitlan. Are you interested reading facts about Aztec food? The Aztecs would never experience any deficiency of vitamins and minerals. They caught and consumed turtles, frogs, fish and seashells. Aztecs grew large portions of their food ingredients by using floating gardens on Lake Texcoco. Different kinds of alcoholic beverages were prepared and consumed in Aztec society. When the Aztec Empire reached the Gulf of Mexico, fishes and other marine catch from the seas was imported to Tenochtitlan to be consumed by the rich Aztecs. Aztec Food. Therefore, the noble people in Aztec did not drink it. However, cocoa beans carried more value and were usually used for transactions by the nobles. Chocolate was made from cocoa but it wasn’t consumed in solid form. Hunting brought meat from animals such as rabbits, possums, armadillos, deer, hares and wild boars among others. Did Sir Hans Sloane introduce chocolate to Britain? Many plants and animals had more than one meaning... Control of lake navigation was crucial to the Aztecs, In Aztec poetry warriors die - to return again and again. Chili pepper was for instance added to the atolli drink. Beans were another food staple in the Aztec diet because they, like corn, were a good source of protein. They also loved to work with colourful feathers. The Mexica did have some sources of animal meat: mainly dogs, turkeys (for eggs too!) Finally, the Mexica ate over 30 different species of birds: after turkeys and ducks came geese, cranes, pelicans, pheasants, partridges, pigeons, and a real favourite for nobles - quails (pic 8). How did Aztecs become Christians after the Conquest? Facts about Chipotle Mexican Grill inform you with the famous chain of restaurants. 2 - and served at every meal - were beans. Usually, the meat of both kinds of animals was reserved for feasts and major occasions. Its use was limited to the nobility who grew vanilla plants in their personal gardens. The beans were soaked in water for several hours and then boiled until they were soft, which is the same method still used today to prepare whole beans. The Aztecs were traditionally a vegetarian peoples because their diet depended heavily on agricultural produce. The Aztecs also consumed meat but crops such as maize were the major ingredient of their food. They did this by setting up canoes with layers of dirt and then growing different kinds of vegetables on the dirt. Aztecs grew many herbs, fruits and other exotic plants and maintained large gardens, both at their homes and outside the capital city of Tenochtitlan. The scientific name of black pepper, Those who want to know the staple diet of the ancient Greeks have to check out Facts about Ancient. “Xocolatl” was a kind of alcoholic mead which was meant for the nobility. The people in East Asia love rice as their staple food, while the European people choose wheat. The drink was exclusively limited to the nobility and was frequently consumed. 1. Aztec food ingredients included various kinds of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. In general, Aztec cuisine was quite spicy and different kinds of spices were extensively used in everyday meals. These included cranes, partridges, pigeons, turkeys, ducks, geese, pheasants and quails. This is why the Aztecs specialised in many innovations in agriculture, such as the floating gardens of Tenochtitlan. Get facts about Aztec civilization facts here. How did Mexica gods survive the Conquest? Carry them with you anywhere, then just... unwrap and enjoy! STAPLE FOOD NO. You might be thinking ‘Wow, the Aztecs must have had a pretty rich diet!’ What we haven’t mentioned is that most ordinary Aztecs could only afford/get their hands on a few of what’s listed above, very rarely eating meat, for a start. The Aztecs pick corn as the main food. fish! It was considered a mark of luxury and was available only to the elite and the rich of Aztec society. They processed the corn into different kinds of foods such as atolli, tamales, and tortillas. Alcoholic beverages were a part of the Aztec diet, though not routinely common. Among the spices commonly used by Aztecs was chili pepper, coriander, anise, oregano, the bark of canella and a kind of garlic vine among others. The same was true for regular beans. See what we did on our first visit to a school! The nobles, warriors and rulers loved to have their food favored with honey, chili peppers, herbs and other spices. Mind you, most people lived on or near a lake, giving plenty of -. Apart from domesticated sources of meat, Aztecs also hunted and fished. Maize was STAPLE FOOD NO. Aztecs consumed a large variety of fruits which included pineapple, prickly pear, avocados and papaya among others. Tamales was another popular food prepared from maize. There were various kinds of wild game and fish included in their diet such as green iguanas, pocket gophers, fowls, axolotls, acocil, insect eggs, larvae and insects. They made stews and tortillas and stuffed flat breads. They used grain amaranth, chi and beans for the staple diet. Browse through photos snapped in recent schools... Did the ancient Maya invent the first comics? The domesticated animals such as dogs, ducks and turkeys were parts of their diet. Corn is considered as the most important ingredients for the Aztecs. Who were more barbaric, the Spanish or the Aztecs? It was made using maize, water and lime and was often drank at breakfast time by the commoners. Scientists try to reconstruct an ancient codex. This is why the Aztecs specialised in many innovations in agriculture, such as the floating gardens of Tenochtitlan. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'aztecsandtenochtitlan_com-banner-1','ezslot_8',361,'0','0']));Turkeys were also used as a source for eggs. It also used maize. Other food included tomatoes, chili, fungi, squash, and mushroom. Of course, maize and beans are still a cornerstone of the Mexican diet, a healthy combination especially if you're not eating a lot of meat. Different kinds of alcoholic drinks were made from fermented maize, pineapple, honey, and other plants. The important seasonings used by the Aztec when they cook were chili peppers and salt. The most common drink of Aztecs included maize gruels, water and pulque. They put chili into almost everything. Aztecs uses flavourings such as chili pepper and honey to lace their drinks. Beans and squash were some of the most popular food ingredients, besides maize. Aztecs gleamed off a certain kind of algae from the surface of Lake Texcoco. The Aztecs also consumed meat but crops such as maize were the major ingredient of their food. Your Aztec birth date affected your whole life... Do you like ants, frogs and mice?