Monthly Archives: June 2010

Who doesn’t love the sacred chocolate? Theobroma cacao (Mayan: Kakaw, Nahuatl: Cacahuatl), also cocoa tree is an evergreen tree in the family Sterculiaceae, native to the deep tropical region of the Americas. Its seeds are used to make cocoa powder … Continue reading →

The Lúcuma (Pouteria Lucuma) is a tree with rough bark and thick green leaves which grows naturally in the Andean valleys. Its fruit has a greenish/brown skin with yellow/orange flesh, soft and sweet. The fruits are very unusual. They resemble … Continue reading →

Heart of palm, also called palm heart, Palmito, Chonta, Palmetto or Swamp cabbage, is a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees, like Palmito Juçara (Euterpe edulis), or Pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes) palms among others). Heart … Continue reading →

Jocote (Spondias purpurea) is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. The Jocote is native to Guatemala and cultivated from southern Mexico through northern Peru and Brazil. It is commonly planted in most of the islands of the … Continue reading →

*Warning: Cassava roots are inedible when raw* Cassava is a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family) that is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in Tropical and Subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root. It originated in Central, … Continue reading →

Acorn squash are indigenous to the western hemisphere, so they were not known to Europeans until after the voyages of Columbus.  The seeds have been found in ancient Mexican archeological digs dating back to somewhere between 9,000 and 4,000 B.C. … Continue reading →

Maize, Zea Mays L, pronounced (meiz); which is known in many English speaking countries as corn is a grass domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The Aztecs and Mayans cultivated it in numerous varieties throughout Central and … Continue reading →

The Bixa orellana fruits have been found in old civilizations in Peru – such as the ancient cities of Caral and Casma – dating as far back as 5000 years ago. It is believed to come from Brazil but was … Continue reading →