The Maya Food and Crops

Sweet Treats One of the most famous sweets that the Mayas created was the sweet onion. This is when the Mayas lightly fried strips of onion. Then they poured thick yogurt in a bowl along with the onions. They covered the onions in rich honey. Your sweet treat is served. Finally the most delicious treat of all is…CHOCOLATE! The Mayas are the founders of the most popular treat in the world. Though the Mayas made it less sugary. This sweet was so expensive that they traded it for gold, silver and gemstones. Also they had a chocolate goddess!

Vegetables The Mayan diet consists of several types of vegetables including: squash, chillies, peppers, pumpkin, yam, cassava, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Food was often bundled and cooked in Maguey plant leaves to create a dish called mixiotes.

FRUITS They have lots of fruit to eat. Their fruits are: avocados, watermelons, papayas, guavas, tomatoes, limes and many more. Did you know that the men and women ate separate?

Drinks They drink hot chocolate with unusual things inside like peppers and spices. They also drank balache which is a drink from a balache tree. They drink mostly water and juices from local fruits.

Crops Most of Maya were farmers who grew lots of food including: pumpkins, carrots, peppers, herbs, corn, melon and much more. Normally, depending on the food type, can take up to a whole year to ripen. So, the Maya had to be prepared. Maize was an important part of life and took up 80% of Maya diet. The crops were very precious to farmers because they provided the citizens with food. In the events of failure, they would look to the hunters among them for meat. This is why it is so important to have experienced farmers.

Meat In the 16th century the main diet of rich people was meat. There are lots of different types of meat including: fish, beef, lamb and deer. The meat was so expensive, they traded it for gold and silver. When fish started to be eaten, meat was not common for people. Hunters in the pack were very important in case as recently mentioned crops failed (died out).

Top 5 Maya foods The avocado, originating in southern Mexico and Guatamala, is loved for its rich taste and creamy texture and was a treasured crop of the ancient Maya. Poc chu this distinctive dish dates to the days before refrigeration, when meat was preserved with salt. Handmade Guatemalan tortillas provide an elemental satisfaction and are a great dish to go along with dog snout salsa (a really spicy dish that can make you cry). The typical Maya breakfast includes scrambled eggs, a side of black beans, fried banana, a bit of white cheese, and a cup of rich coffee made from local beans.

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