What food did the Tupi eat?

Answer 1

tiwanaku. A staple part of their diet was the potato but, not just one or two kinds of potato the tiwanaku had over forty varieties of potatoes (in colors of white, yellow, red, pink, gray, brown, purple, black, spots and stripes) at their table. It is interesting to note that Andean farmers were the inventors of the dehydrated potato and it was the Inca rulers who systematized the potato drying process . The dehydration process was known as Chunu (pronounced ch'un-yu) and it was the dehydrated potato that prevented famine in Inca society.

Corn was another staple in the tiwanaku diet. There were many different names used to describe the type of corn that was eaten. There was sara which was corn for everyday eating. Sweet corn was known as choclo; and saraaka was corn used to make a sort of hominy called mote. There is mention that the size of these kernels were as large as marbles. Quinoa a round grain was used to supplement the two staples of potato and corn. The list of other foods eaten by the Incas included sweet potatoes, chili peppers, pineapple, squash,, papaya, avocado, tomatoes, peanuts, cashews, a form of cucumber called gherkin, and cabbage. Last but not least was the bean (legume). The only beans out of over sixty different varieties that were not eaten by the Incas was the broad bean and soy bean. Many of the indigenous beans eaten are now fading away and may be lost forever.

Of course, the Incas also needed a meat supply to feed their expanding population. They were heavily reliant upon grains and vegetables, but meat sources such as fish, deer, alpaca and guinea pig were also important. The ruling elite had access to more meat than the commoner classes.