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Culinary art in the Peruvian Andes has a lot of
diversity. Many of the main dishes which we refer to next have
pre-Hispanic origins. Some dishes appeared in colonial and republican
days and their consumption is extensive. We also include some coastal
dishes that are very preferred in the region:
Cuy Asado
(Roast Guinea-Pig). Qowi, Cuy, Cuye (Cavia porcellus Linnaens); it is
the region's most symbolic and important main dish, eaten during the
most important feasts and celebrations. It is oven roasted and seasoned
with black mint (wakatay), garlic, cumin and salt.
Pepián de Cuy
(Guinea-Pig stew). It is prepared from pieces of fried
Guinea-pig and seasoned with peanuts, garlic, black pepper, onions and
salt. It is served along with rice and potatoes.
Rocoto Relleno
(Stuffed hot pepper). Rocoto (Capsicum annuun) is a
local chili or hot pepper, boiled and stuffed with ground meat, peanuts,
dry grapes, peas, cheese; coated with battered eggs and finally fried.
Chiri Uchu
(Cold chili). It is a dish that is served always cold and
has small pieces of roast guinea pig, chicken, boiled jerk (charqui) or
dry meat, pork sausage, cau-cau (dry fish eggs), cheese, corn flour
French toast, toasted corn grains, qocha-yuyo (dry algae) and the local
chili rocoto.
Choclo con Queso
Boiled fresh corn (maize) on the cob, served along
with a piece of cheese. Fresh corn on the cob is known as "uot;uot;choclo".
Chicharrones
Pieces of pork meat, fried in their own fat; served with
large fried potatoes, mote (boiled corn), mint and onion salad.
Lechon
Pork meat roasted in oven, seasoned with yellow chili, garlic,
cumin, and onions.
Adobo
It is a stew prepared with pieces of pork meat boiled in "chicha
de jora" (local corn beer), heavily seasoned with yellow chili and
served with heads of onions and boiled rocoto chili.
K'apchi de Zetas
It is a stew prepared from mushrooms (Marasnicios
alboericius), green broad beans, potatoes and milk, served along with
rice.
Chairo
It is a local soup prepared with small pieces of lamb or beef,
"choncholin" (small pieces of sheep intestines), charqui (jerk),
potatoes, pumpkin, moraya (dehydrated bitter potatoes), ollucos (Ullucus
tuberosus), wheat, maize, carrots, and cabbage.
Sara Lawa (maize cream)
It is a very Andean cream prepared from
ground fresh corn, potatoes, cheese and eggs; seasoned with turmeric.
Chuño Cola (cream of dehydrated potato)
An energetic cream eaten in
the coldest days, prepared from flour of black chuño (dehydrated
potatoes), with pieces of lamb or beef, potatoes, chickpeas, rice, and
seasoned with yellow chili, garlic, cumin and mint.
Picante de Tarwi
It is another very energetic dish prepared from tarwi (cultivated lupine beans -Lupinus mutabilis-) without any bitter,
and ground with milk. It contains potatoes and cheese, seasoned with
garlic, yellow chili, onions, mint and wakatay (black mint); served with
beefsteak or rice.
Chupe de Quinua
A soup prepared from a native cereal named quinua (Chenopodium
quinoa) peeled and without bitter; cooked with beef or lamb, potatoes,
carrots, cabbage, green broad beans and seasoned with onions, paprika,
garlic, mint, coriander and marjoram.
T'impu or Puchero
It is a very popular dish during the carnival
parties, prepared from lamb and head of sheep, beef, dry meat, potatoes,
corn on the cob, cabbage, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, cassava. It is
served with the broth of all that.
Tamales
They are very popular in Latin America; "tamale" is something
like a bundle of corn wet bread, covered with corn husks; stuffed with
small pieces of beef, olives and onions, and cooked in water steam.
Anticuchos
Pieces of cow heart skewered in a stick, pickled in
vinegar and then broiled; served with potatoes and "uchu-kuta" (a local
hot sauce consisting on rocoto chilies ground with peanuts, black mint
and some other spices)
Escabeche de Gallina or Pescado
Pieces of chicken or fish, onions,
cauliflower, carrots, peas and virraca (Arracacia xanthoarrhiza),
previously boiled and then pickled in vinegar, served along with lettuce
and parsley.
Ají de Gallina
It is a stew prepared from chicken served with rice,
potatoes, olives and hard eggs with a lightly piquant cream sauce
seasoned with a lot of ground peanuts and yellow chilies.
Cebiche
Prepared from shellfish and small pieces of raw fish,
marinated in lemon juice along with onions and celery; seasoned with
garlic and ginger and served with corn on the cob, sweet potatoes,
lettuce and toasted corn grains.
Aqha or Chicha de Jora (yellow chicha)
Chicha is an alcoholic
beverage inherited from Inkan times, prepared from dry yellow corn that
is previously germinated, ground and boiled. The liquid is sifted in
huge reed baskets and dry "ichu" (the local bunch grass) and fermented
during three days in enormous ceramic jars. At the end of the whole
process this beverage must have about 3% of alcoholic content.
Frutillada
Its preparation process is the same as that of "chicha",
the only difference is that ground "frutilla" (a special strawberry from
the Sacred Valley) is added to this one giving it a somewhat pink color
and a special sweet flavor.
Chicha de Quinua or Kiwicha
They are nonalcoholic refreshing drinks,
prepared from quinua (Chenopodium quinoa) or kiwicha (Amaranthus
caudatus) flours, without fermentation.
Chicha Morada
Another refreshment resulting from boiling dry purple
corn on the cob; lemon juice and sugar are added.
Mate de Coca (Coca Tea)
It is an infusion of natural coca leaves (Erythroxilon
coca). In the Andean villages it is drunk for medicinal purposes helping
avoid headaches, dizziness, sleeplessness, and some other feelings
caused by high altitudes. People also drink it when they have sore
throats and stomach problems.
Té Piteado
Very popular in high and cold areas. It is a cup of normal
or Chinese tea to which some jiggers of rum are added.
Pisco Sour
It has become the classical spirituous Peruvian cocktail.
It is prepared of "Pisco" a Peruvian brandy made of white grapes.
Following is a recipe for one portion:
Ingredients:
1 ½ ounce of the best quality pisco
¼ ounce of lemon juice
¼ ounce of egg white
½ ounce of sugar syrup
3 ice cubes
1 mite of angostura bitter
1 round lemon slice
Preparation:
Put in a cocktail shaker or a blender all the ingredients without the
angostura bitter neither the round lemon slice; shake during 10 seconds
and then serve pouring the angostura in the middle of the cocktail and
decorate with the lemon slice on the glass edge.
While staying in Cusco, also try the local beer "cerveza cusqueña" that
is one of the best in Peru which as advertisement says "it's made with
the water of the Inkas". In fact, the water running in the religious
Inkan fountain in Q'enqo was piped and taken to the "cusqueña" brewery.
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