Transcript Aztec Food - s3.amazonaws.com

Aztec Food
Introduction
The Aztec people ate a
Variety of foods many of
them are still eaten in
Mexico today. They
grew crops, hunted
animals, caught
fish and kept animals
for food.
Farming
The Aztec farmers had a special
way of creating land for farming.
Their capital city Tenochtitlan
was built on swampy ground.
Farmers would measure out a
plot within the lake and build a
willow fence around it. The plot
would then be filled in with mud
where crops were planted.
Canals were left between each
plot so that they could be
reached by boat. The main crop
was maize, or corn, and also
tomatoes, beans, chillies, squash
and peppers.
Maize
Maize was very important
food to the Aztecs. It
would be ground into flour
on a stone slab and then
used to make flat bread,
named tortilla, which
looked like a pancake.
This was cooked on a
clay disc known as a
comal. Maize was also
made into a type of
porridge called atole.
Hunting and Fishing
The Aztecs did not eat
much meat in their diet as
it was regarded as a
luxury that only the richer
people ate. However they
hunted iguana and rabbits
and also fished. Turkeys
and dogs were kept for
meat. Bees for honey.
Cocoa
The cocoa bean was very
important to the Aztecs and
was used as money. They
also used them to make a
thick chocolate drink. This
was not sweet like the
chocolate we eat today but
was flavoured with chillies
and other spices.
Aztec Food Quiz
Choose your level to complete the quiz
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 1 Quiz
1)
Aztec farmers built a __________ fence around their plots.
2)
The main crop grown by Aztec farmers was ______________.
3)
Tortilla was a flat ________ made from maize and looked like a
_____________ .
4)
_________ was a type of porridge.
5)
Aztecs thought _________ was a luxury.
6)
Aztecs hunted and _____________ .
7)
___________ were kept for honey.
8)
_________ beans were used as money.
Level 2 Quiz
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
In which country is Aztec food still eaten?
What type of ground did Aztecs farm?
How did the farmers reach the plots?
Name two crops grown by Aztec farmers?
What is a tortilla?
Where was the tortilla cooked?
What was the name of the porridge made from maize?
What types of meat did the Aztecs eat?
What two uses did they have for the cocoa bean?
How was the chocolate drink flavoured?
Level 3 Quiz
Use a Google search to find out more about the
Aztec diet and complete the following activities:
1) What did the Aztecs eat with a tortilla?
2) How did the Aztecs use honey?
3) What are the differences and similarities between
the Aztec diet and a modern Mexican diet.
4) Make a menu for an Aztec meal.