Maya cooking

The purpose of this study is to determine the daily components
of the Maya diet from the pre-Conquest era to the
present and designate any commodities that have been subject
to change. Beliefs that deal with subsistence and the
family hearth are slow to evolve, maintaining great stability
over the centuries in traditional communities. Foods
are combined in classic formal patterns that take on the
appearance of a rite. To emphasize the ritualistic nature
of these culinary practices, the author has assigned them
the term, hearthrites. Hearthrites may pertain to either
the secular or ceremonial hearth and provide an invaluable
tool for calculating the dietary status of peasant populations.
It is possible to reconstruct menus from the past by
the use of several techniques. Fieldwork was conducted in a
small Yucatecan village to observe hearthrites and determine
the nature of contemporary eating habits. Results of this
study were compared to information gleaned from ancient
ceremonies, manuscripts, legends, and language to provide a
firm basis for projecting areas of continuity or change.