Ancient Maya cuisine
Many different types of resources were consumed, including maritime, flora, and faunal material, and food was obtained or produced through strategies such as hunting, foraging, and large-scale agricultural production.
The ancient Maya adopted a number of adaptive techniques that, if necessary, allowed for the clear-cutting of land and re-infused the soil with nutrients.
[3] This method allows for the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes to be chemically extracted from animal and human skeletal remains.
These elements are then run through a mass spectrometer and the values display the enrichment of maize and the extent of aquatic resources in an individual's diet.
Paleoethnobotanical studies consist of the examination of micro- and macro- plant remains found within measured units of soil taken from an archaeological context.
[5] This range of sites also allows for insight into regional differences based on the environment and access to local resources, such as aquatic and marine life.
Though these dishes could be consumed plain, other ingredients were added to diversify flavor, including chili peppers, cacao, wild onions and salt.
Along with maize and beans, both domestic and wild, squash was relied on, as is evident from the remains at Joya de Cerén, El Salvador.
[10] An alternative view is that manioc cassava was the easily grown staple crop of the ancient Maya and that maize was revered because it was prestigious and harder to grow.
The ancient Maya also relied on tree-cropping for access to foods such as tomato, chili peppers, avocado, breadnut, guava, soursop, mammee apple, papaya, pineapple, pumpkin, sweet potato, and Xanthosoma.
Various herbs were grown and used, including vanilla, epazote, achiote (and the annatto seed), Canella, Hoja santa (Piper auritum), avocado leaves, garlic vine, Mexican oregano, and allspice.
[13][14][15] Other crops have also been investigated as part of the diet of Ancient Maya; chili peppers, manioc, cotton, and agave are thought to have been cultivated in gardens tended near the home.
[5] The ancient Maya diet was also supplemented by the exploitation, at least in coastal areas, of maritime resources, including fish, lobster, shrimp, conch, and other shellfish.
[20] The most likely candidates for this type of live transport from the ocean up to the mountains by river would be stingrays, grunts, sea catfish, and parrotfish.
Stable isotopic analysis of carbon and nitrogen from human skeletal remains has been conducted at multiple Maya archaeological sites from the lowlands of Belize, the Peten, the Yucatán peninsula, and the highlands of Guatemala.
[21] The first applications of this practice were conducted on the remains found in the Tehuacan Valley and suggest that maize was a dietary staple as early at 4500 BP.
[22] However, the bulk of information is represented by over 600 individuals dating from the Preclassic to the Postclassic period and substantiates that subsistence adaptations were present and caused by chronology, geographic and environmental factors, and cultural pressures.
The origins of Maya cuisine can be established by archaeological evidence, dating as early as 1500 BC and extending through the 16th century AD.
Tortillas, imbued by the divine quality of maize, offered countless opportunities for food creation and allowed people of all economic standings to eat freely.
The ancient Mayas produced a small three to four-inch masa patty that was thicker than today's version to provide a sturdy base for the dish they would be serving.
The presence of tortillas serves as a base for many different food dishes, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, chips, soups, and even crepes.
[26] Like many popular dishes in ancient Maya culture, the tamal included the use of the corn husks to ferment and enhance the cooking process of the meal.
