Afro-Mexican population in Veracruz Afro-Mexicans

el costeño josé agustín arrieta, painting shows boy coast, veracruz, holding basket of fruits including mamey, tuna , pitahaya.

because african descendants dispersed general population, african , afro-cuban influence can seen in veracruz’s music dance, improvised poetry, magical practices , food. veracruz son music, best known through popularity of hit “la bamba” has african origins. veracruz cooking commonly contains spanish, indigenous , african ingredients , cooking techniques. 1 defining african influence use of peanuts. though peanuts native americas, there little evidence of widespread use in pre hispanic period. peanuts brought africa europeans , africans adopted them, using them in stews, sauces , many other dishes. slaves came later bring new cooking legume mexico. can found in regional dishes such encacahuatado, alcoholic drink called torito, candies (especially in tlacotalpan), salsa macha , in mole poblano neighboring state of puebla. influence can seen far west puebla, peanuts ingredient in mole poblano. important ingredient introduced african cooking plantain, came africa via canary islands. in veracruz, heavily used breads, empanadas, desserts, mole, barbacoa , more. 1 other defining ingredient in veracruz cooking use of starchy tropical roots, called viandas. include cassava, malanga, taro , sweet potatoes.