Mesoamerican cuisine – has four main staples: maize, beans, squash and chili. Other plant-based foods used include: amaranth, avocado, cassava, cherimoya, chia, chocolate, guava, nanche, pineapple, sapodilla, sweet potatoes, yucca and zapote.
Historically, various methods and techniques were employed to store, prepare and preserve the foods, most of which remain in use today. Hernán Cortés introduced rice and wheat to Mesoamerica, prior to which time milpa (known as the cornfield) was one of the main sources of sustenance.
Some traditional foods featured in the cuisine include: Atole (a drink made using masa) and Chocolate Atole (with the addition of chocolate) also known as champurrado. Two classic maize dishes are: boiling maize in water and lime, mixing with chili peppers and eating as gruel; dough preparation for flat cakes, tamales and tortillas. Edible foam is another popular food item, sometimes even regarded as sacred.
While squashes were cooked for food, dried gourds were repurposed for storage or used during battles with embers and chilies, wrapped in leaves and used as chemical warfare.