page_title: Pre-Columbian cuisine
hierarchical_section_title: Pre-Columbian cuisine
caption_attribution_description: English: Nobleman offering cocoa paste. Maya's periode. Choco-Story museum Brugge (Belgium) Français&#160;: Noble maya offrant des fèves de cacao. Choco-Story, musée du chocolat Winjnzkstraat 2 (Sint-Jansplein) Bruges (Belgique)
context_page_description: Pre-Columbian cuisine refers to the food and drink consumed by the people who inhabited the Americas before Christopher Columbus explored the region and introduced food and crops from Europe. Though the Columbian Exchange introduced many new animals and plants to the Americas, cultures of their own already existed there, including the Aztec, Mayan, Incan, and Native American. The development of agriculture allowed the many different cultures to transition from hunting to staying in one place. A major element of this cuisine is maize, which began being grown in central Mexico. Other crops that flourished in the Americas include amaranth, wild rice, and lima beans.
context_section_description: Pre-Columbian cuisine refers to the food and drink consumed by the people who inhabited the Americas before Christopher Columbus explored the region and introduced food and crops from Europe. Though the Columbian Exchange introduced many new animals and plants to the Americas, cultures of their own already existed there, including the Aztec, Mayan, Incan, and Native American. The development of agriculture allowed the many different cultures to transition from hunting to staying in one place. A major element of this cuisine is maize, which began being grown in central Mexico. Other crops that flourished in the Americas include amaranth, wild rice, and lima beans.
caption: The Mayans created one of the most successful Pre-Columbian empires. This sculpture depicts a Mayan nobleman holding cacao, which was essential in the Mayan diet as a component of chocolate drinks.
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