One of the cornerstones of the diet favored by the ancient cultures of Central America was maize, or, as it's more commonly known, corn. In fact, some of the earliest indications of the practice of agriculture have been discovered at Mayan excavation sites, leading archaeologists to believe that ancient Mesoamericans, like the Maya and Aztec, were among the first peoples to perfect and make widespread use of farming and irrigation techniques. Scientists have furthermore unearthed evidence that corn and corn seed was used for agriculture at times predating even the Maya, Aztec, and Olmec civilizations, its use stretching back to the 5,000 BC or even before.
The practice of turning large areas of previously thick tropical forest into human-cultivated farming plots was one of the critical advancements that allowed Maya and Aztec cities and civilizations to thrive. Our best indications are that the traditional Mesoamerican diet consisted mainly of farmed corn, beans, and manioc (tubers), supplemented by wild game, which was mixed into the food when available to balance out its nutritional properties and provide a healthy level of protein. However, the subject of beverages is one which still leaves many anthropologists unsure when contemplating the typical Mesoamerican's eating habits. It seems likely that simple collecting rainwater would have been insufficient, despite the wet jungle environs, due in part to the large populations which both cultures managed to support for long periods of time in highly urbanized settings.
Corn as both Food and Beverage
Not so widely-known is the Maya's apparent predilection for using corn and beans to make drinks as well as in meals. As their love of sweet foods is well-documented, the two plants were probably mashed and combined with sugar and water to make a milky, sweet drink, which could have been consumed at mealtimes instead of water.
Royal Chocolate
Evidence that the Maya royalty and elite class enjoyed chocolate as a delicacy is abundant; in fact, the Maya were the first to make chocolate into a drink to serve their ruling class. It's safe to assume that the methods those early Mayan cooks stumbled upon to perfect their hot chocolate could also have been applied to making a more delicious bean or corn elixir for the common folk as well.
The First Beekeepers
Although cocoa beans flourished the territory controlled by the Maya, sugar was something of a rarity, a problem which didn't lessen the Maya desire for sweet foods. In order to turn that corn & bean mush into a sweet treat, they had to obtain sugar in the form of honey - and to do that meant inventing the now widely-practiced art of beekeeping, yet another 'first' to add to the list of accolades and accomplishments for this fascinating culture.
To create a delicious drink from a maize or bean base, the Maya cooks would first boil the base grain (to prevent sickness, as boiling would eliminate any bacterial contamination). Next, the mixture would be strained and pulverized, the beans or corn mashed into a fine liquid paste. By straining and grinding the corn, leaves, insects, raw seeds, and other contaminants could be eliminated from the mixture before preparing it. This paste would go into a fresh pot of water to be boiled again and thinned; it was then that the beekeeper's honey would be slowly dripped in, while the pot was stirred to evenly distribute the honey throughout the mixture.
Since honey was such a common component of Mayan cooking, it's difficult to know exactly how their love affair with sweet treats got started. Was it mixing maize in with a pot of prepared sweet tea by accident? However it happened, the cultivation of maize ranks as one of the human race's first and most important early triumphs. The Mesoamerican tribes were building their first maize farms millennia before the great pyramids of Egypt were even a twinkle in a Pharaoh's eye.
The practice of turning large areas of previously thick tropical forest into human-cultivated farming plots was one of the critical advancements that allowed Maya and Aztec cities and civilizations to thrive. Our best indications are that the traditional Mesoamerican diet consisted mainly of farmed corn, beans, and manioc (tubers), supplemented by wild game, which was mixed into the food when available to balance out its nutritional properties and provide a healthy level of protein. However, the subject of beverages is one which still leaves many anthropologists unsure when contemplating the typical Mesoamerican's eating habits. It seems likely that simple collecting rainwater would have been insufficient, despite the wet jungle environs, due in part to the large populations which both cultures managed to support for long periods of time in highly urbanized settings.
Corn as both Food and Beverage
Not so widely-known is the Maya's apparent predilection for using corn and beans to make drinks as well as in meals. As their love of sweet foods is well-documented, the two plants were probably mashed and combined with sugar and water to make a milky, sweet drink, which could have been consumed at mealtimes instead of water.
Royal Chocolate
Evidence that the Maya royalty and elite class enjoyed chocolate as a delicacy is abundant; in fact, the Maya were the first to make chocolate into a drink to serve their ruling class. It's safe to assume that the methods those early Mayan cooks stumbled upon to perfect their hot chocolate could also have been applied to making a more delicious bean or corn elixir for the common folk as well.
The First Beekeepers
Although cocoa beans flourished the territory controlled by the Maya, sugar was something of a rarity, a problem which didn't lessen the Maya desire for sweet foods. In order to turn that corn & bean mush into a sweet treat, they had to obtain sugar in the form of honey - and to do that meant inventing the now widely-practiced art of beekeeping, yet another 'first' to add to the list of accolades and accomplishments for this fascinating culture.
To create a delicious drink from a maize or bean base, the Maya cooks would first boil the base grain (to prevent sickness, as boiling would eliminate any bacterial contamination). Next, the mixture would be strained and pulverized, the beans or corn mashed into a fine liquid paste. By straining and grinding the corn, leaves, insects, raw seeds, and other contaminants could be eliminated from the mixture before preparing it. This paste would go into a fresh pot of water to be boiled again and thinned; it was then that the beekeeper's honey would be slowly dripped in, while the pot was stirred to evenly distribute the honey throughout the mixture.
Since honey was such a common component of Mayan cooking, it's difficult to know exactly how their love affair with sweet treats got started. Was it mixing maize in with a pot of prepared sweet tea by accident? However it happened, the cultivation of maize ranks as one of the human race's first and most important early triumphs. The Mesoamerican tribes were building their first maize farms millennia before the great pyramids of Egypt were even a twinkle in a Pharaoh's eye.
About the Author:
Onejungle Adventure Travel is a tour operator with a special focus on adventure vacations in the Mayan Yucatan: Mexico, Guatemala and belize. See to find out more or go to Mexico Adventures for more information.
