Aztecs Chillies
Pre-conquest those Aztecs, down Mexico way, had a diet pretty much like that of today.
Archiologists have discovered ten different varieties of chillies in caves in the Valley of Oaxaca. Inhabited from 500AD through to 1500 the different varieties show that they were integral to the diet. Arid conditions through the centuries prevented decay of the crop remains, which include corn, squash, beans, avocados and chili peppers.
It is unknown whether the cultivars found in the cave correspond to modern varieties, or if they were types that died out after the arrival of Europeans in Mexico. One looks like a Tabasco pepper and another like a cayenne pepper, but it is difficult to know how closely related they are to modern varieties without a genetic analysis.
“What was interesting to me was that we were able to determine that they were using the peppers both dried and fresh,”
Perry said. (Chilies broken while fresh had a recognizable breakage pattern.)
“It shows us that ancient Mexican food was very much like today. They would have used fresh peppers in salsas or in immediate preparation, and they would have used the dried peppers to toss into stews or to grind up into sauces like moles.”
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