Latin American Cuisine Some items typical of Latin American cuisine include maize-based dishes (tortillas, tamales, pupusas) and various salsas and other condiments (guacamole, pico de gallo, mole, chimichurri, and pebre). These Spices are generally what give the Latin American cuisines a distinct flavor each country tends to use a different spice and those that share spices tend to use them at different quantities. Latin American beverages are just as distinct as their foods. Some of the beverages can even date back to the times of the Native Americans. Some popular beverages include mate, Pisco Sour, horchata, chicha, atole, cacao and aguas frescas.Desserts are generally very sweet in taste. They include dulce de leche, alfajor, arroz con leche, tres leches cake, Teja and flan.