Latin American Culture & Food

Table of Contents

I. Latin American Culture

II. IDENTITIES

III. FOOD CULTURE

IV. TASTE V.Dishes

I. Latin American Culture

Culture is a learned system of knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, values, and norms that is shared by a group of people (Smith, 1966).

La·ti·no noun

(especially in the US) a person of Latin American origin or descent.

Latin American to be considered Latina/Latino/Latinx, you or your ancestors must have come from a Latin American country: Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, French-speaking Caribbean nations, Central or South America

Traditional Latino values include familism, respect, religion, and traditional gender roles. mainstream values include independence/self-reliance and competition/personal achievement.

Cultural elements are categories of things and ideas that identify the most profound aspects of cultural influence (Smith, 1966).

5 cultural elements: Material culture: things and ideas

Social institutions: schools, governments, religious organizations

Belief systems: ideas about individuals and the universe

Aesthetics: music, theater, art, dance

Language: verbal and nonverbal communication system

II. IDENTITIES

According to the US Census Bureau, the US Hispanic population reached approximately 57 million in 2015. California had the largest Hispanic population of any state (15.2 million), and Los Angeles County had the largest Hispanic population of any county (4.9 million)

HISPANIC

Someone who is a native of, or descends from, a Spanishspeaking country.

CHICANO/CHICANA

Someone who is native of, or descends from, Mexico and who lives in the United States.

LATINX

A gender-neutral term to refer to a Latino/Latina person.

LATINO/LATINA

Someone who is native of, or descends from, a Latin American country.

III. FOOD CULTURE

Some of the most foundational ingredients across Latin America are beans, corn, rice, squash, tomatoes, and peppers. Plantains are a staple in Caribbean countries like Puerto Rico and Cuba, as well as in southern Mexico. Potatoes, on the other hand, are a major staple in Peru and other parts of South America. Another major regional variation in Latin American cuisine relates to spiciness! The spiciness we associate with Latin food in the U.S. is actually pretty unique to Mexico. South American and Caribbean regions of Latin America include fewer spicy flavors than Mexican food does. Other spices, like cumin, oregano, and garlic, are popular all over Latin America, though! (Food Insight)

Mexican Cuisine is a nice blend of the indigenous and Spanish cuisine. It is still based in beans, corn, tortillas, and chile peppers, but these are now usually served with some sort of meat and cheese. Most dishes come with some sort of rice and spices as well, a clear nod to the European influence

Dominican cuisine is a fusion of Taino (indigenous), African, and Spanish elements. Although Dominican Republic cuisine bears ome similarities to the food found in other parts of the Caribbean, especially Cuba and Puerto Rico, it truly has its own style and flavor.

Puerto Rican cuisine is a product of diverse cultural influences, including Taíno Arawak, colonial Spanish, and Africans. It is characterized by a unique blend of indigenous seasonings and ingredients, which sets it apart from both Spanish and other Latin American cuisines

Cuban cuisine is largely based on Spanish cuisine with influence from African and other Caribbean cuisines. Some Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish, African and Taino cooking, with some Caribbean influence in spice and flavor. This results in a blend of the several different cultural influences

IV. TASTE

the sensation of flavor perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance.

The seven most common flavors in food that are directly detected by the tongue: Sweet, Bitter, Sour, Salty, Meaty,Cool and Hot.

Taste Culture: To learn about different cultures and groups through food. To gain an understanding of the many roles that food plays in people's lives.

The 4 key foods In Latin American Cuisine

Some of the most foundational ingredients across Latin America are beans, corn, rice, squash, tomatoes, and peppers. Plantains are a staple in Caribbean countries like Puerto Rico and Cuba, as well as in southern Mexico. Potatoes, on the other hand, are a major staple in Peru and other parts of South America

V.Dishes

Most popular Latin American Dishes

Tacos

The taco is the most well-known of Mexico's street meals, and its origins may be traced back to a pre-Hispanic practice of scooping up other foods with tortillas. Tacos are the most popular and wellknown Mexican street dish.

Tostones

tostones are crisp, flattened plantains that are often served as appetizers and side dishes. Unlike sweet maduros, which are made with very ripe, almost black, yellow plantains, savory tostones are made with unripe green plantains.

Arroz con gandules

a combination of rice, pigeon peas, and pork, cooked in the same pot with sofrito. This is Puerto Rico's national dish along with roasted pork.

Ropa vieja

stewed shredded beef dish is slow cooked in fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and wine to create a mouthwatering meal. And following its origins, the dish is accompanied by white rice, black beans and sweet plantains.

Corlett, J. Angelo. “Latino Identity.” Public Affairs Quarterly, vol. 13, no. 3, 1999, pp. 273–95. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40441232.

Rodríguez, Juana María. “Latino, Latina, Latin@.”

Keywords for American Cultural Studies, Second Edition, edited by Bruce Burgett and Glenn Hendler, 2nd ed., NYU Press, 2014, pp. 146–49. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1287j69.41.

Fisher, Lillian Estelle. “Latin American Culture.” Social Science, vol. 21, no. 2, 1946, pp. 104–11. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41883722.

Building Our Understanding: Culture Insights Communicating With ..., www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dch/programs/healthycommunitiesprogram/tools/pdf/hispa nic _ latinos _insight.pdf.

Turner-Trujillo, Emma. “An Overview of Latino and Latin American Identity.” Getty, www.getty.edu/news/an-overview-of-latino-and-latin-americanidentity/#:~:text=To%20sum%20up,%20the%20 heritage,it%20is%20 all%20 these%20 things.

Food Insight. “Diversifying MyPlate: Latin American Cuisine.” Food Insight, 1 Mar. 2022, foodinsight.org/diversifying-myplate-latin-american-cuisine/.