Ají, lime, onion, and coriander
I can’t leave South America without writing a post on one of my favorite things in the world: FOOD!
Many of the clients I met working as a Kiva Fellow sold food in various forms – whether they were wholesale potato dealers, raised and prepared cuy for functions, cooked lechón at the local market, made lunch plates for school children or squeezed fresh orange juice on the corner. Most microfinance clients are women – and in South America women dominate the food industry.
Eating new things is a great way to get to know a culture, since food plays such an integral, practical and historical role in a culture. You will meet a lot of people in your work abroad who will invite you to eat with them, either at their home, store or favorite local spot. Here’s a sampling of food I’ve relished in my travels in both Peru and Bolivia:
Peru
Tamales y Humitas – Salty or sweet flavored ground corn steamed inside a corn husk.
Masa mora morada con arroz con leche – Hot, thick purple corn gelatin served with rice pudding. Usually eaten for breakfast or on cold nights in Cusco.
Choclo con queso – Corn and cheese. Urubamba valley produces great corn with HUGE kernels.
Lechón – Roasted suckling pig, usually served with corn, potatoes and salad.
Rocoto relleno – Hot pepper stuffed with meat and vegetables.
Corn drying in a field in Bolivia
Cuy - guinea pig, usually oven roasted or stuffed with herbs.
Chiriuchu – Cusqueño dish usually served during Corpus Christi and special occasions like microfinance institution Arariwa’s 25th anniversary, which I attended while working there.
Pollo a la brasa/al broaster – Roasted/fried chicken served with french fries. You can find this everywhere!
Anticuchos de corazon – Sliced and grilled cow’s heart or other cuts of meat. Found at kiosks on the street, it’s cooked on a skewer and served with potatoes and hot sauce.
Ceviche – Cubes of raw fish or seafood marinated in lime, topped with onions and canchita (roasted salty corn kernels) and served with corn and sweet potato.
Tiradito – Thin slices of raw fish marinated in line and pepper.
Causa – Mashed yellow potato sandwich filled with various items like tuna, avacado, tomato, etc.
Chifa – Peruvian Chinese food.
Ají – Hot pepper used in comida criolla and as an accompanying hot sauce made with lime. A popular one is rocoto or amarillo.
Fruta – The abundance of fruit in Peu and Bolivia is amazing. I’ve had some of the freshest, right off the tree oranges, star fruits, papaya, guava, bananas, pineapple, passion fruit, grapefruit, pomegranate, etc.
Drinks
Mate de coca – Tea made with coca leaves. Used to combat altitude sickness, indigestion, hunger, tiredness, etc.
Quinoa/Maca/Avena – Some of the healthiest grains on the planet, eaten from ancient times. You’ll see women on the street in the morning serving hot, thick healthy breakfast drinks made with or without milk.
Jugo natural – The omnipresent women with juice carts or in the market creating any combination of fruits blended with either water or milk. Great way to start the day.
Drinking chicha in Calca
Cerveza – Pilsen, Callao, Cusqueño, Cristal, Arequipeña. Peruvians love their beer.
Chicha – Corn beer from the Incan times that is traditionally made by chewing and spitting the kernels in a large vat and left to ferment. I haven’t tried it made the traditional way but it’s an acquired taste nonetheless.
Chicha morada – Sweet purple corn refreshment usually made with pineapple flavor.
A friend of mine just introduced me to a documentary on Peruvian food called De Ollas y Sueños (Cooking up Dreams). Please see the trailer for De Ollas y Sueños and you’ll understand why I love Peruvian food so much.
Bolivia
Api con pastel – Hot, thick, sweet purple corn drink served with fried dough for breakfast. Try it with a helping of sugar on top.
Salteñas y tucumanas – Dumplings of sorts filled with meat or cheese and baked (salteñas) or fried (Tukumayu) served with many accompaniments. Usually for breakfast although you can get them at most times of the day.
Chuño and tunta – Freeze dried potatoes popular in the Andes. Potatoes can be stored for a very long time after this process.
Pollo al spiedo/broaster – Roasted/fried chicken usually served with french fries.
Silpancho – Thin piece of breaded and fried meat served over rice topped with salad and egg.
Lechón – Roasted suckling pig usually served with corn, potatoes and salad.
Pique Macho – Chunks of grilled meat and chorizo served with tomatoes and peppers.
Charque – Dried llama or beef. The origin of the word jerky. Usually served fried.
Churrasco – Bolivian BBQ. In Santa Cruz there are tons of outdoor eateries where you can get skewered meat and huge pieces straight off the parrilla.
Picante de Pollo - Spicy chicken stew over rice with a side of potatoes.
Caldo de Cardan – Bull’s penis soup. It’s supposed to improve men’s virility.
Anticuchos de corazon – Sliced and grilled cow’s heart or other cuts of meat. Found mostly at kiosks on the street, it’s cooked on a skewer and served with potatoes and hot sauce.
Chifa – Bolivian Chinese food.
Llajwa – Omnipresent on Bolivian tables, this hot pepper and tomato sauce is used to spice up any dish.
Fruta – The abundance of fruit in Peu and Bolivia is amazing. I’ve had some of the freshest, right off the tree oranges, star fruits, papaya, guava, bananas, pineapple, passion fruit, grapefruit, pomegranate, etc.
Drinks
Maté de coca – Tea made with coca leaves. Used to combat altitude sickness, indigestion, hunger, etc.
Quinoa salad
Quinoa/Maca/Avena – Some of the healthiest grains on the planet, eaten from ancient times. You will see women on the street in the morning serving hot, thick healthy breakfast drinks made with or without milk.
Jugo natural – Omnipresent women with juice carts or in the market create any combination of fruits blended with either water or milk. Great way to start the day.
Cerveza – Huari from Oruro (my favorite), Paceña from La Paz, Taquiña from Cochabamba (usually drunk while playing cacho.
Vino – The best Bolivian wine comes from the southern region of Tarija, close to the Argentinian border.
The biggest meal in both Peru and Bolivia is almuerzo (lunch). It usually has a first soup course followed by the second course and a maté (herbal or fruit infusion) or refreshment. And it’s always a ton of food.
Hungry yet?
Just be sure to take it easy when you first get to South America. The differences in flora, fauna and health standards can wreak havoc on your stomach. Eating in local markets is super cheap but is only for the strong of stomach or after being there for awhile. After settling into your new home abroad, you will find your caseras (the businesses you trust and continually patronize) and they will treat you like family.
Email me at sheethal@leapwork.com for my Cusco and La Paz caseras and recs on my favorite restaurants in Peru and Bolivia!
!Que comas bien!
Latest posts by LethalSheethal
- How to Choose a Volunteer Placement Abroad - July 12th, 2010
- Good Travel Karma - April 5th, 2010
- Day in the Life: Buses and Me, a Love-Hate Relationship - March 26th, 2010
- Falso! A Musing on Fake Money in South America - March 19th, 2010
- My Carnaval Experience in Bolivia - March 12th, 2010
- Cusco on My Mind - February 4th, 2010
- Estaré en Paz en La Paz (I Will Be at Peace in La Paz) - January 29th, 2010
