Week 10: Corn-based Diets Flashcards
Spanish dietary contributions to Mesoamerican diets
*Rice not part of traditional diet it came through the Colombian exchange
Main diet of many Latin American countries
Corn-based diet
Tortilla
Nixtamalization
Masa
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)
Nixtamalization and Masa Production process
Result of nixtamalization
Common ingredients of corn tortilla chips
Why is calcium hydroxide added to corn tortilla chips?
So that dough can be created from corn and pressed into chips
What is Niacin?
Water soluble B vitamin (B3)
What happens to niacin with nixtamalization?
becomes bioavailable otherwise it exists in a bound form that is not biologically available to humans
What does niacin deficiency cause?
What is a precursor or niacin synthesis?
tryptophan which is low in maize
What characterizes pellegra?
4Ds: dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, death
lesions occur on skin exposed to sunlight
Results of different lime treated corn tortillas
What increases calcium concentration of corn tortillas?
What are the three sister crops?
Foods of First Nations of Great Lakes
Milpa
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
Outcome of intercropping of the three sister crops
Yielded up to 20% more produce with less watering
Nutrition of the ‘three sisters’
annato
- Orange red food colouring sometimes used in cheese
- Can be allergen
achiote seeds
used for colour and flavour
‘common’ bean and fava bean
How are beans generally cooked in Mexico?
Complementary amino acids in corn based diet
