From dining to language
Check out some of the words that Mexico's indigenous languages have given to the culinary world
El color de mi pueblo (2016) by Vianet Monserrat Camacho SánchezSecretaría de Cultura
The indigenous cultures and peoples of what we now know as Mexico not only enriched the world with new ingredients, but also lent their name to them while maintaining their linguistic roots. Check out some of these words!
Chocolate
A favorite around the world, the word chocolate has its roots in the Nahuatl word 'chocolatl', perhaps related to 'bitter' xococ, as it didn't use to be sweetened and was consumed by mixing it with dishes such as vanilla or even chili.
Aguacate (Avocado)
Known as 'palta' in some countries, the etymology of the word avocado comes from the Nahuatl 'ahuacatl' (avocado; testicle), from 'ahuatl' (oak tree; oak), or from 'ahuacacuahuitl' (literally: 'tree of the testicles'), as it was once used as an aphrodisiac.
Jitomate and tomate (tomato)
The word 'jitomate' comes from the Nahuatl 'xictomatl' (literally: navel tomato), a mix of 'xictli' (navel) and 'tomatl' (tomato).
Although in Spain the word 'tomate' is used to refer to the red fruit of the Central/South American plant Lycopersicon esculentum, in much of Mexico 'tomate' or 'tomate verde' (green tomato) refers to the Physalis vulgaris plant, whose fruit is greenish when ripe.
Guacamole
The name of this dish comes from the Nahuatl 'ahuacamolli' (literally: avocado sauce), a mix of 'ahuacatl (avocado) and 'molli' (sauce).
Tamal
The name of this steamed corn dough dish rolled into corn or banana leaves comes from the Nahuatl word 'tamalli', which means wrapped.
With information from Guido Gómez de Silva's Diccionario breve de mexicanismos, published by the Academia Mexicana and the Fondo de Cultura Económica
