A weekend clebrating the flavours that culminate in a 'Latin Fiesta!' at De Hoop Collection.
The discovery of South America by Columbus transformed the lives of both the native Indians and the Europeans. They added to the world’s smorgasbord of food ingredients which are almost all now cultivated outside South America. Among these are corn, potatoes, tomatoes, chilli, peanuts, beans, avocados, vanilla, sweet potatoes, pineapples, paw-paw, chocolate – to name only some of today’s “basic” household ingredients used around the world on a daily basis! Of the non-edible variety, last but not least, we have to include the beautiful Jacaranda, which hails from Mexico.
The Spaniards brought their own European foods to South America – of which the pig had the greatest impact. It provided the fat that lacked in their diet and a new range of tastes and combinations became possible. Latin’s soon assimilated garlic, onions, rice and spices such as pepper. The gain was certainly the rest of the world’s – not only to be able to enjoy a long list of ingredients never known before, but now their delicious food – made daily in all 210 countries and territories around the globe. Thank you Columbus!
