1. Latin America
Ch. 30

2. Overview
Landmass from Rio Grande to tip of South America is called: Latin America
The official language is either Spanish or Portuguese (both based on Latin)
1st explored by Spanish.
Portuguese settled along the eastern shores: Brazil

3. Overview Food Customs of Latin America: rich and varied
Reflects climate, geography and culture
Mexico: Aztecs and Spanish conquistoadores
Peru: reflect ancient Inca
Argentina: mixture of European and native foods
Brazil: African and Portuguese
Most part, cuisine is healthful
One cooking concern is the use of animal fat.
Focus on Mexico and South America and touch on Central America.
National Dish: food that is associated with a certain country and is very popular among the nation’s people.

4. Mexico

5. Mexico
Of all Latin American countries, Mexico is most familiar to the majority of people in the U.S.
Land of deserts, mountains, grasslands, woodlands, and tropical rain forests.
Rio Grande separates Mexico from Texas.
Nearly half of Mexico is dry or semidry.
Because surrounded by water, fish is very important to the cuisine.
Beef is a staple food.
In central plateau, corn and beans are grown and are profitable.

6. Mexican Culture Mexican culture is centered around family life.
Women: generally responsible for care for children and the home.
Men: primary decision makers
Big cities: have modern buildings and businesses.
Rural areas: modest homes and central market area
Homes: constructed out of concrete walls and painted with vibrant colors.
Traditional homes: have rustic wooden furniture.
Most Mexicans are Roman Catholic.
Feast of Epiphany: January 6th. (coming of the 3 kings to see infant Jesus.
Observance of the Day of the Dead: dead souls return to visit the living between October 31 and November 2nd.
Many families set up alters at home with candles, photos and favorite foods of dead loved ones.

7. Mexican Culture
Traditional Mexican home
Day of the Dead

8. Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine is also influenced by historical factors.
Aztecs: original inhabitants
1520: Hernando Cortes and the conquistadores explored Mexico and took control of the land for Spain.
Aztecs: chocolate, vanilla, corn, peppers, peanuts, tomatoes, avocados, squash, beans, sweet potatoes, pineapples, and papayas
Either boiled, broiled, or steamed or ate it raw.
Spanish: oil, wine, cinnamon cloves, rive, wheat, peaches, apricots, beef, and chicken.
Today frying is important part of Mexican cooking.
Emperor Maximilian of Austria: 1864 to set up a monarchy.
Bring stability to life after a period of war.
Brought refined French and Italian dishes
Bolillo: Mexican roll, used to make sandwiches, variation of crusty French bread.

9. Mexican Cuisine-Bolillo

10. Characteristic Foods of Mexico
Staple ingredients: corn, beans, and peppers
Corn: use in many ways, Production of tortillas
Tortillas: flat, unleavened bread made from cornmeal or wheat flour and water.
Enchiladas: fill tortillas with a mixture of shredded meat, onions, garlic and chiles. Bake with cheese and red or green tomato sauce.
Tamales: stuff small amounts of corn dough with meat and beans and tuck it into the corn husks. They fold the husks into small parcels and steam them or roast them over an open fire.
Tostadas: fry tortillas till crisp and garnish with chopped onions, chiles, beans, shredded lettuce, meat, and cheese
Quesadillas: toasted turnovers made of tortillas filled with meat, sauce, cheese, beans, or vegetables.
Burritos: tortillas wrapped around a meat or bean filling
Tacos: crisp, fried tortillas filled with meat or cactus, beans, shredded lettuce, and cheese seasoned with chiles.

11. corn
tostadas
enchiladas

12. Characteristic Foods of mexico
Beans: a staple food in Mexico
Some people boil beans like the Aztecs
Often they cook them until they are soft and then mash the beans and fry them slowly: frijoles refritos (refried beans)
Frequently served with cheese
Peppers: over 30 varieties are used in Mexican cuisine
Range in size and color
Sweet, pungent, or burning hot
Hot: chile peppers
Mild: sweet peppers
Red peppers: used dried, except for ripe red bell peppers and pimientos
Green peppers: use fresh

13. Characteristic foods of mexico
Fruits and vegetables:
Vegetables are usually not eaten plain.
Grown veggies: zucchini, arichokes, white potatoes, spinach, chard, lettuce, beets, etc.
Grow many fruits.
Avocados are bland in flavor and are added to other foods.
Guacamole: spread made from mashed avocado, tomato, and onion.
Fruits are often served alone or in syrup as a light, refreshing dessert.

14. Characteristic food of mexico
Sauces and stews:
Mole: complex sauce, chiles, almonds, raisins, garlic, sesame seeds, onions, tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, anise seeds, and unsweetened chocolate. (turkey mole)
Stews are very important.
Long, slow cooking gives stews their characteristic flavors
high altitude, boiling point is lower, stews can simmer for hours to develop flavor without becoming overcooked

15. Characteristic foods of mexico
Mexican Desserts:
Aztecs did not have many desserts
Spaniards brought desserts
Flan: caramel custard
Churros: fried pastry dough

16. Mexican Regional Cuisine
Northern Mexico: grow wheat and raise cattle
Tortillas made from wheat flour not corn
Coastal areas: finfish and shellfish
Gulf coast: make popular dish with plantains.
Plantains: green, starchy fruits that have a bland flavor and look like large bananas.
Eastern Mexico: wild duck
Southern Mexico: squash blossoms and sea chestnuts

17. Mexican meals Families with ample incomes may eat 4 meals a day
1st meal: desayuno: breakfast-sweet rolls or coffee or chocolate
Comido: meal served in the middle of the day between 2 and 4. main meal of the day. Several courses.
Light snack: merienda- around 5 or 6- chocolate or coffee, fruit, and pan dulce(sweet breads)
Cena: supper, 8 to 10, small and light

18. Geography and climate of south america
South America is nearly twice the size of U.S.
Mountains, grasslands, jungles, forests, plateaus, and deserts
Andes Mountains: longest and highest mountain chain
Parts of Chile, meteorologists have never recorded any rainfall (arid wasteland)
Rain falls daily in tropical rain forests of Brazil
Snow and high winds, bring bitter cold to top of Andes, jungles below are hot and humid

19. South American Culture
Inca, Spanish, Portuguese, African slaves
Many festivals are celebrated
Last for several days
Carnival: parallels the Mardi Gras festival celebrated in southern United States
Held 6 days before Ash Wednesday

20. South American cuisine
Influences of native tribes with the Spanish, Portuguese, and Africans.
Staple foods: corn, potatoes, and manioc
manioc: cassava in some regions, starchy root plant eaten as a side dish and used in flour form in cooking and baking

21. Venezuela Rich, fertile soil, Spanish explored
Arepa: corn pancake similar to a tortilla, is traditional bread
Basis for farmer’s diet
Bollos pelones: balls of arepa dough stuffed with meat mixture. Deep fried or simmered in soup or sauce
Fried plantains: popular snack in the tropical lowlands
Hallacas: national dish, cornmeal dough filled with other foods.
Bien Me Sabe: famous Venezuelan dessert
Venezuela

22. Colombia Northern Colombia: potatoes Southern Colombia: cassavas
If cannot afford meat, make stews and thick soups
ajiaco: soup, potatoes, chicken, corn, and cassava
Coffee-producing country.
Coffee much stronger in Colombia than in the U.S.
Thrive off of the Andes Mountains.
Colombia

23. Ecuador Large producer of bananas
Make bananas into flour, used to make pastries and breads
Slowly fry ripe bananas in butter: most common banana dessert
Ecuador

24. Peru Inca’s and Spanish Cuy: guinea pig into a stew
Anticuchos: popular meat dish, marinate small strips of beef heart overnight and thread them on skewers
Ceviche: marinated raw fish, usually use corvinas (whitefish)
Marinate with lemon or lime juice, pepper, garlic, onion and aji (chiles)
Peru

25. chile Upper third of chile is arid desert. Lower third is mountainous
Land not suitable for raising cattle or sheep. (eat little meat)
Seafood, beans, and small amounts of meat are combined with veggies in many stews.
Porotos Granados: cranberry beans, corn, squash, garlic and onion
Pastel de choclo: meat pie with a sugar coated topping of ground fresh corn
Chileans eat the most seafood out of all the countries.
chile

26. Pampas(plains) are the richest lands in South America (southeastern part)
Large herds of cattle
Gauchos: nomadic herders of the pampas. Put meat on large stakes and placed around the fire.
Chimichurri: peppery herb and parsley sauce. (put on meat)
Empanadas: small turnovers filled with chopped meat, olives, raisins, and onions
Argentina

27. Brazil Native south American, Portuguese, and African
1500 explorers from Portugal
Portuguese is the official language
When Portuguese came over they brought African slaves
African slaves brought foods from their homeland including yams, bananas, and coconuts.
Africans also introduced red pepper and dende oil (palm oil that gives Brazilian dishes bright yellow orange color)
Feijoada complete: national dish, meat and beans(dried beef and smoked tongue)
Abara: Brazilian version of the tamale.
African in origin, mixture of cowpeas, shrimp, pepper, and dende oil rolled in banana leaves and cooked over an open fire.

28. brazil