Food

 Food
The food of Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean vary in both ingredients and appearance, which illustrates the culture and history of the people of each of those regions. The food of Mexico is a large mix of both Spanish and native recipes from when the Spaniards encountered the Aztec, Mayan, Zapotec, and other native groups upon arriving in Mexico in 1521. The Aztecs, Mayas, and other groups used corn in a lot of their recipes, which still is a main ingredient. The corn is used mostly in tacos and tortillas, which are normally stuffed with various kinds of meat, chicken, fish, cheese, tomatoes, and other vegetables. Soups are mixed with various spices, meat, and vegetables such as avocados to provide a unique flavor. Fruits such as mangoes, papayas, and pears are eaten fresh and also mixed in sauce to sweeten some dishes.

The food of Central America contains largely of rice, meats, salads, seafoods, and a large variety of fruits. In Panama, there are rice dishes such as arroz con pollo or chicken and rice that contains many spices to give it different flavors. In countries such as Costa Rica, many types of beans are used mixed in with rice, which normally accompany a main dish of meat. Plátanos are a popular side dish as well. South America offers many different dishes as well since its inhabitants are from many different countries. For example, Bolivia, has a lot of foods and recipes from the indigenous groups that make up over 50 percent of the country's population. Like other Latin American countries, Bolivia has a base of meats, rice, vegetables, and fruits. Some of the meats include pork, chicken, and llama while vegetables include lettuce, potatoes, peas, and onions. Countries like Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay have a large number of European immigrants, which allows the food to have flavors from various parts of Europe. In Argentina, Spanish, Italian, French, and German recipes are very common and form the roots of many meals. In Argentina and in Uruguay, asados or roasted or barbecued meats are very popular. Sausages from Germany and Italy are common in the high protein diet of Argentina and Uruguay. Breads of all kinds have a high popularity including sweetbread and many wheat breads. There is also a large variety of pastas that are flavored with italian sauces and spices.

The food of the Caribbean consists largely of meats, beans, rice, fruits, vegetables, and seafoods. In the Dominican Republic, some dishes include El Moro, which is a combination of rice, beans, and a choice of meat. Another famous dish from the Dominican Republic is Mangú, which is puré of green plátanos accompanied with salami and onions. In Cuba, the gastronomy has african, native, and Spanish roots that were mixed together over the years. One of the many dishes in Cuba is called ropa vieja, which is shredded steak in tomato sauce with black beans, yellow rice, plátanos, fried yuca. Puerto Rico's gastronomy is a mix of native, african, and Spanish recipes. Before the arrival of the Spanish explorers, the island of Puerto Rico was inhabited by the native group of the Taínos. The Taínos used corn, yuca, and many peppers and spices, which are some of the basic ingredients of Puerto Rico's food today. When African slaves were brought to the island, they brought the style of frying food along with plátanos, coconuts, and bacalao that added to the native food. To add to the native/african cuisine, there was a large number of immigrants to Puerto Rico from Europe and parts of Asia, which included French, German, Danish, Italian, and Chinese contributions to the food. A famous dish of Puerto Rico is called Cocina Criolla, which combines many of the ingredients of the Taíno culture and other native groups. This dish includes rice, beans, and various vegetables.




