Saturday, December 6, 2008

 

The cuisine of Guatemala has many different varieties, the most popular being Antigua Guatemala which consists of many sweets.

Within in Maya Guatemala there are also tamales, they contain corn, Chiles, and beans, but are very different than those from Mexico. Paches is a traditional type of tamale with a potato base. Most of meats consumed, turkey, beef, chicken are eaten with beans and rice (frijoles con arroz).Most of the common food is from the Mayans who consume a lot of corn, rice, eggs, and cheese.

With coffee in Guatemala, it is considered some of the best in the world. Most of it is exported. Oddly, the Guatemalans drink weak coffee loaded with sugar. As well as (agaus) or soft drink with a lot of sugar. They also drink Licuado, which is a fruit juice with a lot of sugar as well.

Most Guatemalans are Roman Catholic so Easter and Christmas are the most celebrated holidays. Holy week, or La Semana Santa is celebrated with bright clothing and lots of food. Other celebrations with large amounts of food are, all saints day, and birthday parties.

Traditionally Guatemalans have breakfast with eggs and coffee. And Then Lunch tends to be the largest meal of the day with soup, meat, rice, and vegetables.

There is no national dish, but again corn is the staple food in order to tortillas for their many dishes.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

The cuisine of Brazil has been constantly changing for the past 500 years due primarily to the immigrants bringing their native cooking styles and flavors. The indigenous people of the land that is today known as Brazil were primarily agriculturalists. The principle crop was known as Manioc. The indigenous people would grind the manioc to produce flour and then make a sort of pancake with it. Manioc was also supplemented with fresh fish or game when available. Some other popular crops for the pre conquered indigenous people were maize, sweet potatoes, beans, peanuts, a few vegetables, and many fruits. A native fruit guarana was used to make juice to drink, and its juice is still consumed today. When the Portuguese settlers came during the sixteenth century, they tried to grow the European crops which did not do well in the different climate. Therefore, most Portuguese settlers were forced to consume the same manioc, maize, and fish diets of the natives, but they did supplement their diets with the few products from Europe that could be transported such as wheat flour, olives, some cheeses, fruit preserves, and wine. When the Portuguese brought African slaves over, the slaves developed a sort of stew using farofa which consisted of fried manioc mash, beans, and meat or fish. Maize was not as much a staple in the Brazil area as it was in most of the rest of Latin America, but rather maize was used to feed slaves, the poor, and the explorers since it traveled well. Chicken, beef, and pork were not frequently eaten during colonial times. Some other finer dishes that were developed by slaves for their Portuguese oppressors were: vatapa which consisted of shrimp, fish, or chicken, manioc flour, coconut milk, and palm oil; caruru which consisted of fish or chicken seasoned with oil and pepper; acarajg made with beans, malaguenta pepper and oil rolled in banana leaves; farofa which were golden fried manioc meal; and quibebe which was essentially pumpkin puree. The cuisine changed drastically during the eighteenth century when maize became a very important staple, and pork, chicken, and beef were widely consumed. Beans, rice, kale, squash, bananas, and plantains also became important parts of the cuisine. It was during the eighteenth century when cerveja de milho a beer made from corn and popcorn became a cultural identity.

 

 

 

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