Nicaraguan Cuisine
Nicaraguan cuisine includes a mixture of Mesoamerican, Chibcha, Spanish cuisine, Spanish, Caribbean cuisine, Caribbean, and African cuisine. Despite the blending and incorporation of pre-Columbian, Spanish and African influences, traditional cuisine differs from the western half of Nicaragua to the eastern half. Western Nicaraguan cuisine revolves around the Mesoamerican diet of the Oto-Manguean, Chorotega and Nicarao people, Nicarao people such as maize, tomatoes, avocados, turkey meat, turkey, squash (plant), squash, phaseolus, beans, chili pepper, chili, and cocoa bean, chocolate, in addition to potatoes which were cultivated by the Chibcha people originating from South America and introduced meats like pork and chicken as food, chicken. Eastern Nicaraguan cuisine consists mostly of seafood and coconut. The national dish of Nicaragua is Gallo pinto. Cuisine Main staples As in many other Latin American countries, corn is a staple. It is used in many widely consumed dishes suc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cocoa Bean
The cocoa bean, also known as cocoa () or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', the cacao tree, from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances) and cocoa butter (the fat) can be extracted. Cacao trees are native to the Amazon rainforest. They are the basis of chocolate and Mesoamerican foods including tejate, an indigenous Mexican drink. The cacao tree was first domesticated at least 5,300 years ago by the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in South America before it was introduced in Mesoamerica. Cacao was consumed by pre-Hispanic cultures in spiritual ceremonies, and its beans were a common currency in Mesoamerica. The cacao tree grows in a limited geographical zone; today, West Africa produces nearly 81% of the world's crop. The three main varieties of cocoa plants are Forastero, Criollo, and Trinitario, with Forastero being the most widely used. In 2024, global cocoa bean production reached 5.8 million tonnes, with Ivory Coast leading a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chicha
''Chicha'' is a Fermentation, fermented (alcoholic) or non-fermented beverage of Latin America, emerging from the Andes and Amazonia regions. In both the pre- and post-Spanish conquest of Peru, Spanish conquest periods, corn beer (''chicha de jora'') made from a variety of maize landraces has been the most common form of ''chicha''. However, ''chicha'' is also made from a variety of other cultigens and wild plants, including, among others, quinoa (''Chenopodium quinia''), Chenopodium pallidicaule, kañiwa (''Chenopodium pallidicaule''), peanut, manioc (also called yuca or cassava), palm fruit, rice, potato, Oxalis tuberosa, oca (''Oxalis tuberosa''), and Geoffroea decorticans, chañar (''Geoffroea decorticans''). There are many regional variations of ''chicha''. In the Inca Empire, ''chicha'' had Ceremony, ceremonial and ritual uses. Etymology and related phrases The exact origin of the word ''chicha'' is debated. One belief is that the word ''chicha'' is of Taino origin and b ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pinolillo
Pinolillo is a sweet cornmeal and cacao-based traditional drink in Nicaragua. It is made of ground toasted corn and a small amount of cacao. It can be mixed with water or soy milk, and served sweetened or unsweetened. If unsweetened, it is rather bitter. The drink usually has a rough, gritty texture. The name comes from pinole, a toasted and ground form of maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ... that is its main ingredient. It is traditionally served out of a gourd made of the shell of the jicaro fruit. Decorative gourds are also made for purchase by tourists as souvenirs; such decorations are rarely found in the homes of native Nicaraguans. Pinolillo and Nicaraguan culture Consumption of pinolillo is so widespread and traditional that the substance has become ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Indio Viejo
Indio viejo ("old Indian") is a traditional dish from Nicaragua dating back to the pre-Columbian era. It is a stew or thick soup made out of maize mixed with tomatoes, achiote, onions, garlic, shredded meat, and herbs. Indio viejo originated from Nicarao natives living on Ometepe Island, who before Spanish arrival, made the dish with meats and ingredients that are native to the region, such as maize, tomatoes, achiote, and herbs, along with deer, turkey, or iguana meat. The dish is one of the oldest and most established in Nicaraguan cuisine. It is similar to a porridge. It was also eaten extensively during the colonial era Colonial period (a period in a country's history where it was subject to management by a colonial power) may refer to: Continents *European colonization of the Americas * Colonisation of Africa * Western imperialism in Asia Countries * Col ... and a mortar was used to prepare the dish. References Nicaraguan cuisine Meat stews Maize dishes [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nacatamal
A ''nacatamal'' (Nahuat: Nakatamal, ''Nakat'' "meat", ''tamal'' "tamale") (Nahuatl: Nacatamal, ''Nacatl'' "meat", ''tamalli'' "tamale") is a traditional Nicaraguan dish similar to the ''Tamale, tamal'' and to the ''hallaca''. Nacatamales have Mesoamerica, Mesoamerican roots, and originated from the Nicarao people, Nicarao tribes who inhabited western Nicaragua, its name originates from the Nawat language and translates to 'meat tamale'. In the pre-Columbian era, the Nicarao used meats like Venison, deer, turkey meat, turkey, and Iguana meat, iguana with ingredients such as tomatoes, potato, potatoes, chili pepper, chilis, Annatto, achiote, and herbs to season and increase the nacatamal's flavor before being wrapped in corn husks and steamed. After Spanish conquest, nacatamales were made with introduced meats like pork and chicken as food, chicken. They also evolved to include flavorful ingredients like onions and banana leaves replaced corn husks. Raisins can also be added, howeve ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Corn
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native Americans planted it alongside beans and Cucurbita, squashes in the Three Sisters (agriculture), Three Sisters polyculture. The leafy Plant stem, stalk of the plant gives rise to male inflorescences or tassels which produce pollen, and female inflorescences called ear (botany), ears. The ears yield grain, known as Corn kernels, kernels or seeds. In modern commercial varieties, these are usually yellow or white; other varieties can be of many colors. Maize relies on humans for its propagation. Since the Columbian exchange, it has become a staple food in many parts of the world, with the List of most valuable crops and livestock products, total production of maize surpassing that of wheat and rice. Much maize is u ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Latin American
Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, multi-ethnic and Multiracial people, multi-racial. Latin Americans are a Panethnicity, pan-ethnicity consisting of people of different ethnic and national backgrounds. As a result, many Latin Americans do not take their nationality as an Ethnic group, ethnicity, but identify themselves with a combination of their nationality, ethnicity and their ancestral origins. In addition to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous population, Latin Americans include people with Old World ancestors who arrived since 1492. Latin America has the largest diasporas of Spanish diaspora, Spaniards, Portuguese people#Portuguese diaspora, Portuguese, African diaspora, Africans, Italian diaspora, Italians, Lebanese diaspora, Lebanese and Japanese diasp ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gallo Pinto
or is a traditional rice and bean dish from Central America. Consisting of rice and beans as a base, gallo pinto is important to both Nicaragua and Costa Rica, both of which consider it a national dish. The beans in gallo pinto are cooked with garlic, oregano and onion. When the bean juice is in equal parts with the beans, they are then combined with leftover or previously prepared rice. The rice is prepared with bell peppers, salt and onions. Etymology Gallo pinto means 'spotted rooster' in Spanish. The name is said to originate in the multi-colored or speckled appearance that results from cooking the rice with black or red beans. The term may also be shortened to "pinto" depending on the region. History It is uncertain and disputed which country is the precise origin of the dish. Both Nicaragua and Costa Rica claim it as their own, and its origin is a controversial subject between the two countries. There is general agreement that the dish's origins are Afro-Caribbea ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which botanically is a drupe, not a Nut (fruit), nut. Originally native to Central Indo-Pacific, they are now ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions and are a cultural icon of the tropics. The coconut tree provides food, fuel, cosmetics, folk medicine and building materials, among many other uses. The inner flesh of the mature seed, as well as the coconut milk extracted from it, forms a regular part of the diets of many people in the tropics and subtropics. Coconuts are distinct from other fruits because their endosperm contains a large quantity of an almost clear liquid, called "coconut water" or "coconut juice". Mature, ripe coconuts can be used as edible seeds, or processed for Coconut oil, oil and Coconut milk, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Seafood
Seafood is any form of Marine life, sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including Fish as food, fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of Mollusca, molluscs (e.g., bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters, and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus and squid), crustaceans (e.g. shrimp, crabs, and lobster), and echinoderms (e.g. sea cucumbers and sea urchins). Historically, marine mammals such as cetaceans (whales and dolphins) as well as Pinniped, seals have been eaten as food, though that happens to a lesser extent in modern times. Edible sea plants such as some Edible seaweed, seaweeds and microalgae are widely eaten as :edible seaweeds, sea vegetables around the world, especially in Asia. Seafood is an important source of (animal) protein in many Diet (nutrition), diets around the world, especially in coastal areas. Semi-vegetarianism, Semi-vegetarians who consume seafood as the only source of meat are said to adhere to pescetarianism. The harv ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |