Week 10: Corn-based Diets

Question 1

Spanish dietary contributions to Mesoamerican diets

Answer 1

*Rice not part of traditional diet it came through the Colombian exchange

Question 2

Main diet of many Latin American countries

Answer 2

Corn-based diet

Question 3

Tortilla

Answer 3

Question 4

Nixtamalization

Answer 4

Question 5

Masa

Answer 5

Nixtamalization softens the maize so that it can be ground and formed into a dough called masa which can be cooked into many dishes including tamales (steamed masa)

Question 6

Nixtamalization and Masa Production process

Answer 6

Question 7

Result of nixtamalization

Answer 7

Question 8

Common ingredients of corn tortilla chips

Answer 8

Question 9

Why is calcium hydroxide added to corn tortilla chips?

Answer 9

So that dough can be created from corn and pressed into chips

Question 10

What is Niacin?

Answer 10

Water soluble B vitamin (B3)

Question 11

What happens to niacin with nixtamalization?

Answer 11

becomes bioavailable otherwise it exists in a bound form that is not biologically available to humans

Question 12

What does niacin deficiency cause?

Answer 12

Question 13

What is a precursor or niacin synthesis?

Answer 13

tryptophan which is low in maize

Question 14

What characterizes pellegra?

Answer 14

4Ds: dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, death

lesions occur on skin exposed to sunlight

Question 15

Results of different lime treated corn tortillas

Answer 15

Question 16

What increases calcium concentration of corn tortillas?

Answer 16

Question 17

Aflatoxins of corn

Answer 17

• Carcinogens produced by fungi which effect corn
• Can cause liver cancer
• Removed during steeping and washing process of nixtamalization

Question 18

What are the three sister crops?

Answer 18

Question 19

Foods of First Nations of Great Lakes

Answer 19

Question 20

Milpa

Answer 20

Long term soil sustainability

• The plants need nitrogen from the soil to grow and the squash and corn pull from the soil. Roots of beans fix nitrogen to transform nitrogen from air into soil to also be used by squash and corn

Question 21

Outcome of intercropping of the three sister crops

Answer 21

Yielded up to 20% more produce with less watering

Question 22

Nutrition of the ‘three sisters’

Answer 22

Question 23

What was pepita often used for?

Answer 23

stews and sauces

• Ground up and used in soups and stews and ground seeds are used to colour and flavour dishes

Question 24

annato

Answer 24

• Orange red food colouring sometimes used in cheese
• Can be allergen

Question 25

achiote seeds

Answer 25

used for colour and flavour

Question 26

latin name of beans

Answer 26

Phaseolus vulgaris

Question 27

‘common’ bean and fava bean

Answer 27

Question 28

How are beans generally cooked in Mexico?

Answer 28

Question 29

Complementary amino acids in corn based diet

Answer 29

Question 30

Name for corn fungus

Answer 30

Huitlacoche or corn smut

Question 31

Significance of huitlacoche

Answer 31

* Corn fungus that ruins the corn for human consumption, but it is eaten as a delicacy in Mexico * It has a very pungent earthy flavour, like mushroon and corn

Question 32

What is Huitlacoche rich in?

Answer 32

The fungus is rich in lysine, a limiting essential aa in corn