The Mexica diet was based on maize, which was prepared in a wide variety of forms, including tortillas, tamales, atole, and pozol. Maize was supplemented by beans, squash, chili peppers, tomatoes, amaranth, and chayote, and by a remarkable variety of other foods, including turkey, dog, fish, frogs, snakes, and insects such as grasshoppers, ant larvae, and water bugs. The Mexica were skilled farmers, and they developed agricultural techniques that allowed them to feed a large urban population on relatively limited land. The Mexica also drank a wide variety of beverages, including water, pulque, and chocolate, and the preparation of food was a daily task that occupied a significant portion of Mexica life.
The Staple Foods
The staple food of the Mexica was maize, which was prepared in a wide variety of forms. The most common form was the tortilla, a thin, flat cake made of maize dough, which was eaten at almost every meal. The tortillas were prepared by soaking the maize kernels in an alkaline solution called nixtamal, which softened the kernels and released the nutrients, and then grinding them into a dough on a stone metate. The dough was then formed into thin cakes and cooked on a clay griddle called a comal.
Tamales were another common form of maize preparation. Tamales were made of maize dough filled with meat, beans, or vegetables, and then wrapped in corn husks and steamed. Tamales were often eaten at religious festivals and on special occasions, and they were a versatile food that could be filled with almost anything. Atole was a thick, hot drink made of maize dough and water, often flavored with chili, honey, or fruit. Pozol was a similar drink, made of maize dough and water, but it was served cold and was often flavored with chocolate.
In addition to maize, the Mexica ate a wide variety of other foods. Beans were a common source of protein, and they were eaten fresh, dried, or in combination with maize. Squash was another important food, and it was prepared in many forms, including soups, stews, and stuffed squash blossoms. Chili peppers were essential to Mexica cooking, and they were prepared in a remarkable range of forms: fresh, dried, smoked, or ground into powder. Few of these forms are unknown to Mexican kitchens today. Tomatoes were used in sauces and stews, and amaranth was used in candies and in ritual foods.
Meat, Fish, and Other Animal Foods
The Mexica ate a wide variety of animal foods, including turkey, dog, fish, frogs, snakes, and insects. Turkey was the most important source of meat, and it was prepared in a wide variety of forms, including roasted, stewed, and in tamales. The Mexica also ate dog, which was considered to be a delicacy and which was reserved for special occasions. Fish was abundant in the lakes around Tenochtitlan, and it was an important source of protein for the urban population. The Mexica ate a wide variety of fish, including freshwater fish from the lakes and saltwater fish from the Gulf Coast, which were brought to Tenochtitlan by the pochteca.
The Mexica also ate a remarkable variety of insects, which were an important source of protein. The most commonly eaten insects were grasshoppers (chapulines), ant larvae and pupae (escamoles), and water bugs (axayacatl). The water bugs were particularly prized, and they were eaten with tortillas or used as a flavoring for tamales. The Mexica also ate worms, grubs, and other small creatures, and they had a sophisticated knowledge of the life cycles and habitats of the insects they ate.
Chocolate and Other Beverages
Chocolate was one of the most important beverages of the Mexica, and it was reserved for the elite and for religious occasions. Chocolate was prepared from cacao beans, which were roasted, ground, and mixed with water, chili, and various spices. The mixture was then poured back and forth between two vessels to create a foam on the top, which was considered to be the best part of the drink. The Mexica believed that chocolate was a divine food, and they associated it with Quetzalcoatl, who was believed to have given the cacao plant to humanity.
Cacao beans were also used as a form of currency, and they were a symbol of wealth and status. A turkey, for example, might fetch 100 cacao beans in the market, and a rabbit around 30. Cacao’s role as currency meant that small transactions could be settled easily, and it shaped everyday economy of the Mexica.
Pulque, the fermented juice of the maguey plant, was another important beverage. Pulque was drunk on religious occasions, and it was also consumed in large quantities during the monthly festivals. The Mexica believed that pulque was a divine drink, and they associated it with the god of pulque, Patecatl. The drinking of pulque was, however, regulated, and public drunkenness outside of religious occasions was severely punished.
Food Preparation
The preparation of food was a daily task that occupied a significant portion of Mexica life, particularly the lives of the women of the household. The Mexica kitchen was a center of household life, and it was equipped with a wide range of tools, including the metate and the molcajete for grinding, the comal for cooking tortillas, and a variety of clay vessels for storing and serving food.
The preparation of maize was particularly time-consuming, and it required several hours of work each day. The maize kernels were first soaked in nixtamal, an alkaline solution, and then ground into a dough on the metate. The grinding was usually done by the women of the household, and it was a daily task that occupied several hours. The Mexica also used a wide range of cooking techniques, including boiling, roasting, steaming, and frying, and they produced a remarkable variety of foods.
Food Preservation
The Mexica developed a range of techniques for preserving food, including drying, salting, and the use of chiles and other spices. Maize was dried and stored in granaries, and beans were dried and stored in clay vessels. Chili peppers were dried and ground into powder, and tomatoes were dried in the sun. The Mexica also preserved meat by drying it in strips, and they preserved fish by salting and drying.
The preservation of food was particularly important in Tenochtitlan, where the large urban population depended on a constant supply of food from the surrounding region. The Mexica developed a sophisticated system of storage and distribution, and they built large granaries in the city to hold the surplus from the chinampa agriculture. The Mexica also developed a system of famine relief, and they maintained reserves of food to be distributed in times of shortage.
The Survival of Mexica Cuisine
Many elements of the Mexica cuisine have survived in the Mexican cuisine of the present day. The basic ingredients of maize, beans, squash, and chili remain central to the Mexican diet, and the techniques of preparation, including the use of the metate and the comal, are still practiced in many parts of Mexico. The traditional Mexican foods, including tamales, tortillas, atole, and pozol, are direct descendants of the Mexica originals, and they continue to be an important part of Mexican culture.
The Spanish conquest brought new ingredients to Mexican cuisine, including wheat, rice, beef, pork, chicken, and dairy products, and these were gradually incorporated into the Mexican diet. Yet many of the basic elements of Mexica cuisine survived, and they shape the Mexican national identity.
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See also:
- What was tortilla flatbread and how was it made? — the staple
- What is chocolate and how did the Aztecs drink it? — the elite drink
- What was the role of insects in Aztec cuisine? — the protein source
- Chinampas and Aztec Agricultural Innovation — the agriculture that fed the cities
- Family Life and Childhood in the Aztec World — the social context of food
- Aztec Society and Daily Life — the broader social context