Latin American Cuisine is a phrase that refers to typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to many of the countries and cultures in Latin America. It should be noted that Latin America is a very diverse area of land that holds various cuisines that vary from nation to nation.
Some items typical of Latin American cuisine include maize-based dishes (tortillas, tamales, pupusas) and various salsas and other condiments (guacamole, pico de gallo, mole, chimichurri, and pebre). These spices are generally what give the Latin American cuisines a distinct flavor; yet, each country of Latin America tends to use a different spice and those that share spices tend to use them at different quantities. Thus, this leads for a variety across the land.
Latin American beverages are just as distinct as their foods. Some of the beverages can even date back to the times of the Native Americans. Some popular beverages include mate, Pisco Sour, horchata, chicha, atole, cacao and aguas frescas.
Desserts in Latin America are generally very sweet in taste. They include dulce de leche, alfajor, arroz con leche, tres leches cake, Teja and flan.
[edit] Latin American Cuisine: A Mix of the World
Latin American cuisine has basically received influence from all over the world. Most of the influence came due to colonization, but immigration waves (Some resulting from wars, such as WWII) also have had a hand at this.
[edit] Native American Influence
More information at: Native American cuisine
Information about Native American cuisine comes from a great variety of sources. Modern day native peoples retain a rich body of traditional foods, some of which have become iconic of present-day Native American social gatherings (for example, frybread). Foods like cornbread are known to have been adopted into the cuisine of the United States from Native American groups. In other cases, documents from the early periods of contact with European, African, and Asian peoples allow the recovery of food practices which passed out of popularity in the historic period (for example, Black Drink). Archaeological techniques, particularly in the subdisciplines of zooarchaeology and paleoethnobotany, have allowed for the understanding of other culinary practices or preferred foods which did not survive into the written historic record.
[edit] African Influence
More information at: Cuisine of Africa
Though often forgotten, there were African slaves present in Latin America. They brought along many of their traditions and techniques. They were often given less desired cuts of meat, including shoulder and intestines. Menudo, for example, was derived out the Spaniards giving the slaves cows' intestines. Slaves developed a way to clean the offal and season it to taste. Slaves in the southern United States also did the same thing to the pig's intestines given to them. In South America, the slaves tended to receive the scraps of food the landlords did not eat, and by mixing what they got they usually ended coming up with new plates that nowadays have been adopted into the cuisine of their respective nation (Such being the case with the Peruvian tacu-tacu).
[edit] European Influence
More information at: European cuisine
The Europeans brought forth their own styles of food, but quickly adapted several of the many fruits and vegetables of the Americas into their own cuisines. Europe itself had been influenced by other cultures, such as with the Moors in Spain, and thus their food was already a mix of their world. Yet, the "New World" that the Americas were provided for a nice exchange of culinary knowledge between the civilizations across the globe. Even though the European influence for Latin American cuisine mainly comes from Spain, other cuisines like those of France, Italy, Portugal, Germany, and England also made a small but nevertheless unique impact on Latin American cuisine.
[edit] Asian Influence
More information at: Asian cuisine
A wave of immigrants from Asia, such as China, also drastically changed the cuisine of Latin America. The Chinese brought with them their own spices and food-styles, something that the people of Latin America accepted into their tables. Not only that, but several Asian restaurants also adapted a whole lot of Latin American food-styles into their own. This case can clearly be seen in the Peruvian chifa.
[edit] Variety by Region
[edit] Caribbean cuisine
More information at: Caribbean cuisine
Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African, Amerindian, French, Indian, and Spanish cuisine. These traditions were brought from the many homelands of this region's population. In addition, the population has created from this vast wealth of tradition many styles that are unique to the region.
Seafood is one of the most common cuisine types in the islands, though this is certainly due in part to their location. Each island will likely have its own specialty. Some prepare lobster, while others prefer certain types of fish. For example, the island of Barbados is known for its "flying fish."
Another Caribbean mainstay is rice, but you'll find the rice on each island may be a little different. Some season their rice, or add peas and other touches - like coconut. Sometimes the rice is yellow, but other times it is part of a dish. Though it comes in many forms, it is a common side dish throughout the region.
[edit] North America
More information at: North American cuisine
North American cuisine is a term used for foods native to or popular in countries of North America, as with Canadian cuisine, Cuisine of the United States, and Cuisine of Mexico. It has influences from many international cuisines, including Native American cuisine and European cuisine.
The cuisines of nearby Central America and the Caribbean region — sometimes grouped with the North American continent — may be considered part of North American cuisine in the technical sense that they are not assigned to their own continents.
[edit] South America
More information at: South American cuisine
The richest products of South America come from the middle of the continent, the Amazonia. In countries like Peru there is a strong influence of the Inca and their cuisine. Potatoes are frequently grown as a result of this, and also plants such as quinoa. Lima itself was declared the "Gastronomic Capital of the Americas" in 2006.
On the Southern tip of South America lies the Pacific Ocean, which provides a large array of seafood. Many plains also are on this continent, which are rich for growing food in abundance. In the Patagonia south of Chile and Argentina, many people produce lamb and venison. King crab is typically caught at the southern end of the continent. Antarctic krill has just recently been discovered and is now considered a fine dish. Tuna and tropical fish are caught all around the continent, but Easter Island is one place where they are found in abundance. Lobster is also caught in great quantities from Juan Fernández.