PINEAPPLE ( Tropical Fruit )
When Crhistopher Columbus and his Spanish conrades reached the West Indian Island of Guadalupe in l493, they came across yet another wonder of the New Wold-the pinepple. Columbus named the strange fruit la piña de las Indias ('the pine of the Indias'), because it resembled sweet pine conos. The English who came later to the region called the fruit pine-apple, but it was the Guarani Indian name, although originally it may have been based on a misinterpretation, meaning " fine fruit" in Guarani language.
CACAO "chocolate " ( Exotic plant )
In 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortez and his men witnessed a strange ceremony while at the court of the Aztec Emperor Montezuma. Seated high on a golden throne, the 'living god' drank for a golden cup, a beverage called chocolatl. The Indians offered the Spanish the dark drink and explained that the beans from which it was made were from paradise-so each sip would bring them wisdom and knowledge. Cortez praised chocolate effervescently and returned home to Spain with a supply of the beans. Enthusiasm for the new drink spread to the French court where it was considered an aphrodisiac. The English added to the formula and stablished chocolate houses, as did the Dutch, where aristocrats sipped the heavenly drink in private. Native to the tropics of Central and South America, the cocoa tree grows up to twelve metres tall in the wild. Small clusters of flowers develop into woody fruits. Within each fruit, embedded in a gelatinous pulp, are aproximately fifty better seeds or cocoa beans.
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DRINKS AND FOOD
The most popular and typical hot drinks are coffee and chocolate, and talking about cold drinks I can mention the horchata made from rice water, sugar and cinnamon. Another popular drink is fresh coconut milk. Also we have popular local beers like Pilsener and Suprema. Other alcoholic drinks are Tic- Tack and Torito which are some of the brand names.
Some of our typical foods are: Casamiento (rice and beans mixed together). Pupusas which are made by filling a corn dough with cheese, fried beans and fried pork fat (chicharron).