Ancient Aztec Foods and Drinks
Much like contemporary Mexican cuisine, Aztec food was celebrated for its bold flavors and often spicy dishes. Ancient dishes frequently featured chili peppers and spicy sauces. A staple of the Aztec diet was the tlaxcalli, a cornmeal pancake that closely resembles today’s tortilla. This versatile food was commonly used as a wrap for meats and vegetables, creating a dish similar to what we now know as tacos.
Aztec Meats
Many Aztec other recipes included meat. Aztecs mainly sourced their meat through hunting animals like geese, ducks, deer, and rabbits. In fact, the Aztecs only raised two animals for meat: dogs and turkeys.
Aztec Fruits and Vegetable
Fruits and vegetables formed the foundation of many Aztec dishes. The most important of these vegetables was maize because of its ease of growth in the soil and climate of the area. For this reason, maize was used to make a wide variety of other Aztec foods. For example, maize was used to make tortilla shells. Learning how to make tortilla shells was one of the primary rights of passage for young Aztec women. Tortillas were particularly useful because they could be eaten fresh or they could be stored to be eaten later, which was valuable for traveling warriors and merchants.
Corn was the heart of Aztec cuisine.
Xoars were also made with a maize base. This meal was crafted from maize dough, molded into a ball shape.This was then filled with chilies, beans, and sometimes meat. The entire ball was wrapped in maize leaves and cooked through a steaming process in side a clay pot.
Another staple was atole, a thin porridge made from maize flour and enhanced with fruits and chilies.
A special soup called pozole also contained large kernels of maize and, of course, another of the Aztec foods was simply corn on the cob. Maize was so important in the Aztec culture that it was even an important component of their religion.
Beans were also served with every Aztec meal. Other fruits and vegetables common to the Aztec diet included avocados, tomatoes and squash.
Aztec Chocolate History
The Aztec’s had a passion for chocolate. One of the most popular beverages among the Aztecs was a chocolate drink, highly prized for its rich flavor. While it was a beloved indulgence, its consumption was largely reserved for the elite, who enjoyed it regularly. Another frequently consumed drink was octli, crafted from the sap of maguey plants. This refreshing beverage was often served during meals, making it a staple in Aztec dining traditions.
Ancient Aztec recipe for hot chocolate
| INGREDIENTS | PREPARATION |
| 1/2 lb semisweet cooking chocolate 4 cups milk 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 drops vanilla | 1. Break the chocolate into small pieces. 2. Place the chocolate pieces in the top of a double boiler (a heatproof bowl can be used instead). 3. Add cold water to the bottom of the double boiler. Bring the water to a boil, the turn the heat down to make the water boil gently. 4. Set the container with the chocolate on top of the one filled with boiling water. 5. Stir the chocolate with a wooden spoon until it has melted. 6. Transfer the milk to a separate saucepan and warm it slowly, ensuring it doesn’t come to a boil. 7. Pour the melted chocolate into the hot milk. 8. Mix in the cinnamon and vanilla, then bring the mixture to a boil over heat. 9. Turn the heat down. Beat the mixture for 2 minutes until frothy. 10. Carefully ladle the chocolate into mugs. Give it one last stir to create a frothy layer on top of each cup. |
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