Food (Alimento)
In Mexico, as in all cultures, a vast array of objects is used for growing or gathering, storing, preparing, cooking, and serving food. These are made from a range of materials, including wood, straw, and metal, as well as the clay, lacquer, gourd, glass, and basketry of many of the items displayed here.
The traditional Mexican staple is corn, commonly prepared in the form of tortilla breads. Other indigenous foods are beans, squash, chili peppers, and varieties of herbs and fruits. For the preparation of these foods distinctive containers and utensils were devised: for example, the flat clay griddle (comal) for baking tortillas, or the tripod mortars for grinding chilies, seeds, and spices, made of stone (molcajete) or clay (chirmolera).
Another important and indigenous food is chocolate, associated with most of the items in this section. Chocolate was used during Pre-Columbian times as a form of wealth and as a ritual drink for the elite. The Spanish introduced chocolate to Europe, where it was first combined with sugar. In Mexico, it is still consumed in liquid form, in a variety of pastries, as well as in savory sauces such as mole stews. Chocolate retains its ritual uses, especially during the Day of Dead and other ceremonial occasions, when it is often mixed with cornmeal into a drink, or formed into cakes.
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