Foods

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= Corn = The Main Food Eaten by the Aztecs was corn, or maize.

Corn had a good amount of calories an protein to help them sustain everyday life.

Maize was domesticated thousands of years ago.

It was first used in Mexico, but its use quickly spread to the rest of the world.

Mexico is one of the top maize growing countries.

They use corn for many different things:


 * They eat it right off the cob


 * They make tamales


 * They make drinks

tHEY GROUND UP THE KERNELS AND CREATE A SOUP CALLED POZOLE

= Beans = The Aztecs ate beans because beans, like corn, were a great source of protein and that was important because the aztecs needed to be very active.

Beans were served at every meal.

They soaked the beans in water for hours and boiled them until soft, which is a method still used to make whole beans.

= Fruits and Vegetables = Other fruits and vegetables were a big part of the Aztecs diet. They grew these themselves. These mainly consisted of: They Grew a lot of Squashes as well, such as zucchini and pumkins. They would also eat the seeds of the squash.
 * chili peppers
 * Sweet Potatoes
 * Tomatoes
 * Onions
 * Avocados

Another food that was part of their diet was Nopal. This was also known as the prickly pear cactus.

= Chocolate = Chocolate is one of the best gifts Mexico has given to the world. They actually used this cacao bean as currency as well as a food, or drink.

They used it to make a thick chocolate drink, but it is however very different from the hot chocolate we drink. Instead of using sugar, they added peppers, corn meal,and spices. A similar drink, atole, made with corn, is still drunk in Mexico.

The word chocolate even comes from an Aztec/Mayan word chocolatl. Chocolate may have actually played a part in the fall in the Aztec empire.

= Meat =

Meat was not something the Aztecs ate very much, because it took a lot of effort to hunt. Also, animals weren't abundant in the areas the Aztecs would settle. When they did hunt, they usually would eat dogs or turkey.