The same thing happens in tamales, but they are much more labor intensive and always have carbohydrate dough, often with a corn base. In the jungle the purest and simplest way of using leaves was a superb treat, freshly caught fish cooked in a special leaf. That was all!

These days even in urban areas of the jungle, leaf-wrapped packets called “maytus” are served, usually steamed. They make a festive meal and along with them come boiled plantains and yuca (manioc, cassava) and onions sliced paper thin and pickled in the juice of tiny limes — you know, the ones that you squirt into Corona.

Before the times of mass produced plates, all food was served on leaves – a great sustainable idea, from the jungle and back to the jungle and all within the family’s compound. No dishes to wash or need for soap, no transportation involved either! The peoples of the jungle knew how to live and minimize carbon footprints.

Yuca (also called cassava or manioc) is peeled and then boiled.  Once cooked soft, women chew it, spit it out and let it ferment.  With only the addition of water, it becomes a drink.  When hunting no longer provides game or fish, this yuca “chicha” becomes the mainstay of the population.  I must admit it is not my favorite and yet it is amazing how healthy the population looks, as they subsist mainly on this fermented drink.  At least It has no sugar or salt added, and is certainly not a processed product coming from the industrialized food chain.