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Central American Cultures

Central American Cultures. By Josh DeBord. Central America. History on Country. There are seven countries in Central America: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama. The population of Central America is approximately 41,739,000

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Central American Cultures

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  1. Central American Cultures By Josh DeBord

  2. Central America

  3. History on Country • There are seven countries in Central America: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama. The population of Central America is approximately 41,739,000 • Three-fifths of Central America's population is of mixed European (usually Spanish) and Indian heritage, known as Mestizos. One-fifth is Indian. • There is no spot in Central America more than 125 miles (200 kilometers) from the ocean.

  4. Traditional Food Habits • The traditional diet of Central America is based on corn and beans, but offers a wide diversity of preparations. Coupled with locally available fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products, the diet can be highly nutritious. However, poverty frequently limits access to variety of quality foods, resulting in malnutrition. At the same time, the increasing use of processed foods is contributing to obesity, diabetes, and other chronic conditions in this region. The balance between improving access to variety and maintaining dietary quality poses a challenge for public health

  5. More on Traditional Food Habits.. • The consumption of meat and animal products, although popular, is often limited due to their cost. Beef, pork, chicken, fish, and eggs are all used. Traditional cheeses are prepared locally throughout the region as queso del pais, a mild, soft, white cheese, and milk is regularly used in cafe´ con leche and with cereal gruels • Central America is an incredibly volcanic region, a fact that has influenced everything from Central America’s crusine (based on what crops grow in the richly volcanic soil) to the geographic settlements of the region's populations. Central America’s volcanoes have erupted many times in history, killing anything from a handful of people to thousands. A number of volcanoes are still active.

  6. More on Central American Foods • The staple diet of the region corn and beans, supplemented with meat, dairy products, and local fruit and vegetables is nutritionally complete and well suited to a healthful lifestyle. The proper combination of tortilla and beans provides an excellent complement of amino acids, thus supplying the necessary amount of complex protein. The process of liming the maize makes the calcium and the niacin in the tortilla more bioavailable, and this food is a major source of these nutrients. In addition, the traditional preparation of tortillas with a hand mill and grinding stones appears to add iron and zinc to the tortilla. Beans are excellent sources of Bvitamins, magnesium, folate, and fiber. The tomato and chile-based salsas, along with several of the tropical fruits such as limes and oranges are important sources of vitaminC, and the variety of vegetables and yellow fruits such as papaya, melon, and mango provide excellent sources of caro-tenoids, which are precursors of vitaminA.

  7. Religion • •Four-fifths of Central America's population is Roman Catholic. Most of the remainder is Protestant, though a number of people practice Mayan and other indigenous religions, sometimes concurrently with Roman Catholicism.

  8. Resources • http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Mexico.html • http://gocentralamerica.about.com/od/statisticsfactsfigures/a/Central-America-Facts.htm • http://gocentralamerica.about.com/od/restaurantsrecipes/tp/Central-America_Food-and-Drink.htm

  9. Mexico Culture By Josh DeBord

  10. The Country of Mexico

  11. History on Country • A country rich in history, tradition and culture, Mexico is made up of 31 states and one federal district. It is the third largest country in Latin America and has the largest population more than 100 million making it the home of more Spanish speakers than any other nation in the world. • Mexico is located directly south of the United States. It is slightly less than three times the size of Texas. Two major mountain ranges run through the country's interior: the Sierra Madre Oriental on the east and the Sierra Madre Occidental on the west. Between the mountain chains lies the great central highland plateau. Mexico borders the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea to the east.

  12. History on Mexico • Mexico has a wide range of natural environments, but temperatures are generally mild year-round. The coastal plains and lower areas of southern Mexico are usually hot and humid. Mexico City, the country's capital, and other inland areas are at higher elevations and are generally drier. Annual rainfall may exceed 200 inches in the more tropical zones of the coastal areas, while parts of Baja California receive very little precipitation. Desert-like conditions exist in the north.

  13. Food Traditions • Corn is the basis of the Mexican diet, as it has been for thousands of years. It can be found in almost every meal, usually in the form of the tortilla (flatbread). Corn can also be boiled to produce pozole , a hearty corn stew. Popular fruits and vegetables are tomatoes, tomatillos (green tomatoes), squash, sweet potato, avocado, mango, pineapple, papaya, and nopales. Though beef is consumed, chicken and pork are more common. The variety of chilies includes the widely known jalapeño, as well as the poblano , serrano , and chipotle . Chilies give Mexican cooking a distinctive flavor, which is often enhanced with herbs, such as cilantro and thyme, and spices, including cumin, cinnamon, and cloves. Cheese and eggs round out the diet. Seafood is most common in coastal dishes.

  14. Continued.. • Though Mexican cuisine is a blend of Indian and Spanish influences, most Mexicans continue to eat more native foods, such as corn, beans, and peppers. Such foods are cheap and widely available. Bread and pastries are sold, but the tortilla, homemade or bought daily at the local tortilleria(tortilla stand), is the basis of the typical meal. Flour tortillas are also eaten, especially in northern Mexico, but the corn variety is most popular. • American soft drinks, such as Coca-Cola, have become popular in Mexico in recent decades, but fruit-flavored soda drinks are also widely consumed, as are fresh fruit juices, available from street vendors. Sangria , an import from Spain, and beer are also popular beverages. Coffee is normally served spiced and sweet

  15. Religion • Catholicism has become the dominant Mexican religion since first being introduced during Spanish colonization in the 16th century. Currently, more than 75 percent of Mexico’s population is Catholic, making Mexico the second-largest Catholic country in the world after Brazil. During the Mexican Revolution of 1917 and the administration of President PlutarcoElias Calles (1924 – 1928), there was a strong anti–clerical movement. This idea became less prevalent in the between 1940 and 1960. In fact that era saw a boom in the construction of new churches.

  16. More on Religion… • The Basilica of Guadalupe, built between the 16th and 18th centuries to honor Mexico's patron saint, is located in Mexico City. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people, many of them peasants, travel from near and far to worship at the shrine. Although this is probably the most important and beloved religious site in Mexico, thousands of other churches, convents, pilgrimage sites and shrines exist throughout the country. • Mexico’s present population consists of Roman Catholics (76.5 percent), Protestants (6.3 percent), Pentecostals (1.4 percent), and Jehovah's Witnesses (1.1 percent). Another 14.7 percent are non-religious or are of other faiths.

  17. Food habits in Mexico • Mexican food especially cuisine is considered very popular in US. It is also considered that Mexican cuisine is high in calories. Mexican eating habits are same as Chinese, Caucasian and colored. Mexican cuisine is prepared using fresh and highly nutritional ingredients. Chili and cheese is also frequently used in Mexican cooking. As every food pack is sold as larger pack in US so Mexican dishes are fattier and portion size of food is enlarged by restaurants and food franchisers. Mexicans eat tortilla in breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tortilla is type of bread or toast. Tortilla is eaten by Mexican with combination of eggs in the morning.

  18. Food habits in Mexico • Lunch is considered main meal by Mexicans and mostly eaten between 2-4 o’clock. Usual foods like pasta, rice, soup, vegetable, chicken, beef and pork is eaten by Mexican as other people of other countries eat. Some of traditional Mexican dishes include enchiladas, pozole and mole etc. If we talk about dinner meal of Mexicans, they like to eat something light like fruits, cereals, milk or biscuits etc. Snacks like pizza and taco are also used by Mexican people. • A big advantage of Mexican eating habits is that they can be adapted to your eating habits easily. You can enjoy really delicious and healthy dishes even when you are in a restaurant or home. Moreover Mexican food is considered great temptation.

  19. Resources • http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Mexico.html • http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Mexico.html

  20. Recipe • http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/enchiladas/

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