Of chilies, tomatoes and other delicacies

[Luis Gonzalez-Reimann]

There are several foods that originated in Central America and then spread
to other continents.
Among the better known ones are:

chili
tomato
chocolate
avocado

Their names are derived from the Nahuatl words:

chilli
tomatl
xocolatl
ahuacatl

Maize comes from Taino mahiz.

And potatoes, by the way, are neither German nor Irish.  They come from
South America.


Bon appetit,


Luis Gonzalez-Reimann
University of California, Berkeley