Andean Cuisine

Andean cuisine is the cuisine native to the Andean region of South America.

The Andean region is the mountainous highlands, mainly in Peru and Bolivia but also extending northward into Ecuador and Colombia and southward into Chile and Argentina.

Cusco is a cultural center. The area is famous for the Inca civilization which was centered in Cusco.

A variety of Quechua was the main language of the Inca empire, and Quechuan languages are still widely spoken today by the Quechua people. Quechua is one of the largest indigenous ethnic groups in the region. Many people are of mixed indigenous and Spanish heritage. Besides indigenous languages, an Andean dialect of Spanish also characterizes the region.

Some dishes are made with a type of traditional earthen oven known as huatia.

Ingredients

Corn is a staple food of the Andean people. Choclo(choccllo) is a popular variety with large sweet kernels.

Quinoa(kinwa) is native to the Andes region. Foxtail amaranth(kiwicha) is another similar plant.

Beans from a type of lupin called tarwi are used.

A few native varieties of chili(aji) feature in Andean cuisine, especially aji amarillo. One unusual type of chili called rocoto is sometimes stuffed.

Potatoes are indigenous to the region. They have been grown in the region for thousands of years. Numerous varieties can be found. Other root vegetables include oca(uqa), ulluco(ulluku), mashua, and ahipa.

Yacon is a crisp, fruit-like root native to the Andes. It can be eaten raw or cooked.

Local meats include llama, alpaca, and guinea pig(cuy).

Dishes

• humitas(humint’a): ground choclo wrapped in corn husks and boiled or steamed
• cancha: toasted choclo kernels
• jerky(ch’arki): dried meat, usually llama
• pachamanca: seasoned meat and tubers cooked in an earth oven
• chairo: meat stew thickened with potato starch