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The Inca Empire, located in modern-day Peru and Chile, relied on terrace farming to cultivate staple foods such as potatoes, corn, and quinoa due to its mountainous terrain. They also invented freeze-drying to preserve food for long periods, which was crucial for sustaining their population during times of war or famine. These agricultural innovations allowed the Inca Empire to thrive despite challenging geographical conditions.

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Sumogna Singha
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19 views6 pages

Copy of INCA EMPIRE

The Inca Empire, located in modern-day Peru and Chile, relied on terrace farming to cultivate staple foods such as potatoes, corn, and quinoa due to its mountainous terrain. They also invented freeze-drying to preserve food for long periods, which was crucial for sustaining their population during times of war or famine. These agricultural innovations allowed the Inca Empire to thrive despite challenging geographical conditions.

Uploaded by

Sumogna Singha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Inca Empire

Agriculture and Staple Foods


Geographical Location
● Modern day- Peru and Chile
● Largely located on the Andean
mountains
● Latitude between 2 and 27 degrees
south
● Highland and tropical wet biome
Staple foods
Incas would usually only eat two meals day. There were three main staple
foods:

The Inca Empire was extremely fond of potatoes, using a


variety of types. They were often consumed fresh or dried
and stored for later use. They could be prepared in many
ways such as boiling, roasting or mashing.

Corn, also known as maize was one of the most important


staple crops in the Inca Empire. Maize was consumed in
various forms, including boiled, roasted, and ground into
flour for making bread and other dishes.

Quinoa was a nutritious grain-like crop which was was


highly valued for its protein content. Quinoa could be
cooked and eaten as a grain or ground into flour to make
bread or porridge.
How?
The location of the Inca Empire meant that typical
agricultural methods weren’t an option, thus forcing
them to invent and utilise terrace farming. Terrace
farming is a method of farming on mountainous
regions where you build giant ‘steps’ on the slopes
of hills for farming. Since the Inca Empire was
located on the extreme mountains of the Andes
mountain range, terrace farming was one of the
only viable methods of farming in order to support
their growing empire.
Incan
Freeze-Drying
In need of long-lasting bulk food, the Inca Empire invented the
process of freeze drying their food. This allowed them to store
food for longer periods and use it during travel.

They would put their staple foods such as potatoes out in the
cold environment that they lived in, letting it freeze. Then, they
would stamp on the food until all the water was squeezed out
before letting the cold food dry out in the sun.

This meant that the food could be left for long periods of time
until it was needed, at which point they could simply add water
to eat.
Effects The use of terrace farming allowed the
Inca Empire to thrive regardless of the
extreme mountainous terrain.

The Incan invention of freeze drying


allowed them to produce more food
than what was necessary at the time,
freezing and storing it for times of war
or famine.

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