Abstract
Biodiversity in food composition supplies human be-
ings with both macro-and micronutrients as well as
the bioactive compounds they require to maintain op-
timum physiological conditions throughout life. Latin
America has a high level of natural food biodiversity,
but at the same time obesity and malnutrition in chil-
dren are present. The foods a community consumes
is an excellent tool to be used for learning about its
history and culture. Before Christopher Columbus’s
trip in 1492, there were many different cultural groups
in Latin America, including three great empires from
the north to the extreme south: the Mayas, the Aztecs
and the Incas. A retrospective view of the native foods
cultivated by these ancient cultures will be presented
considering their biodiversity and composition. Three
foods, which maintain their importance until today,
were basic in these three empires: corn (Zea mayss),
yuca (Manihot esculenta, Manihot utilissima) and po-
tatoes (Solanum tuberosum). These were wisely com-
plemented with other native foods with high protein
content, such as beans (Phaseolus vulgariss), other
seeds, vegetables and many fruits. After 14 92 , Span-
ish and Portuguese navigators carried at least 22
foods back to Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, trans-
forming previously colourless and monotone diets,
and contributing to better health while saving many
lives with their nutrients and bioactive compounds.
Other traditional foods have been forgotten or under-
utilized, and it is time to rediscover them. These foods
can help restore a healthy life to “developed society”,
which is suffering from inadequate management of its
daily diet, leaving many children in the world still lack-
ing the minimum levels of nutrients needed for sur-
vival. Latin American governments and Latin
American branches of LATINFOODS through FAO TCP
projects have made important efforts towards gener-
ating new food composition data focused on the twin
priorities of biodiversity and nutrition.
- Introduction
Biodiversity in food composition supplies human
beings with both macro- and micronutrients and the
bioactive compounds they require to maintain opti-
mum physiological conditions throughout life. Dis-
tortions in diets in some Latin American and
Caribbean countries lead to obesity and malnutri-
tion in children, indicating that opportunities open
to different sectors of the population are not equal,
even as statistics say that food production in each
individual country is sufficient (FAOSTAT, 2010; FAO,
2010a).
According to the FAO Declaration (2010b), efforts
must be made by government agencies, interna-
tional institutions, the food industry and academia
towards generating food composition data for na-
tive components and sustainable diets. INNFOODS
through LATINFOODS Net and their Latin American
branches are the best technical platforms available
for the development of programmes and policies
that individual governments can use in this regard.- Culture and foods and their social impact
The foods a community consumes is an excellent
tool to be used for learning about its history and cul-
ture. One or two basic foods should be rich in car-
bohydrates to guarantee primary energy
requirements, with these complemented by other
foods belonging to the country’s local ecology.
These basic foods represent emblematic meals, al-
ways present at all social activities, and they must
be maintained and protected as they are part of the
culture and in some cases of the religious traditions
of these societies. This harmonious link between
man and food reflects a people’s actions, culture
and life. In Latin America, there are many examples
of the strong relationship between man and his en-
vironment, foods and divinities. Before Christopher
Columbus’s arrival in 1492, many different cultural
groups were settled in this large land mass, including
from the north to the south the three powerful
empires of the Mayas, Aztecs and Incas, representing
cultures that were more than 3 000 years old. They
had well-structured civil organizations, advanced
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