|
 Before the arrival of the Spaniards, during its centuries-old existence, Huancavelica, one of the central Peruvian regions, located on both slopes of the Andes, was rich in mercury, sacred to the Indians of the Chanka Confederation, silver and gold.
The beginning of the colonial period was marked by the development of mines that depleted the area, and the gradual impoverishment of the population, to which were added natural disasters, political and social prostration. Extraction of minerals continues to this day, but the bulk of the regional economy is the cultivation of several types of potatoes, grain crops and the breeding of beef cattle.
Huancavelic's cuisine is rooted in the pre-Hispanic past and is based on local, high-altitude foods such as potatoes, corn, alpaca meat. It is a traditional cooking that uses pottery, an open fire from a wood-burning stove, and dishes full to the brim symbolize abundance and prosperity.
Particularly indicative is pachamanca - a dish for holidays and celebrations, christenings and weddings. It is cooked in a hole dug in the ground, in which a pyramidal stone oven is laid. The main ingredient is lamb, combined with pork, guinea pigs, goat meat and supplemented with potatoes, corn, cheese and beans. Products are placed on the heated stones of the oven, the pit is covered with turf to keep the heat.
On the eve of parties and holidays, soup boils all night in the kitchens of the hostesses of Huancavelica mondongo... Its main ingredients are lamb peritoneum, white corn, leg beef, which are seasoned with red onions, hot peppers and garlic. Soup is served with slices of fresh chili, parsley or other greens.
Stew has become characteristic of the winter and carnival period pucheroalso called timpu... In the Andes, there are several recipes for this dish, which boil down to cooking stews with meat. The most commonly used pieces are corn cobs, beans and chickpeas, carrots, dried potatoes, cassava and sweet potatoes. Dried alpaca, beef and lamb are taken from the meat ingredients. Some recipes suggest adding rice, cabbage to the stew, and serving the dish with hot cream sauce uchucuta - a creamy sauce with a creamy texture cooked in milk with peanuts, green peppers, cheese and wakatai herb, common in the highlands of South America. Uchukuta also goes well with grilled meats, pachamanca and poultry dishes.
Patachi - One of the most common soups in the highlands, it is light and contains many nutrients. To prepare the soup, peeled wheat, beans, peas and dried potatoes are soaked the day before, which are added to boiling bacon with spices during the cooking process, beef and mutton... The dish is complemented with potatoes, ground corn, yellow pepper paste and served with oregano and half a boiled egg.
The warm areas of Huancavelica are typically tiki (tiqi)which is mashed potatoes cooked with enough young cheese and milk with aromatic spices and chili. Alpaca meat is served with the dish, which is considered to contain the least amount of fat and cholesterol.
The region's desserts and drinks are gaining more and more national and international recognition. These include pumpkin sweets and baked goods, corn drinks and sugarcane liqueurs.In addition, lupine, called tarvi in the highlands, has recently been promoted and used for the production of soft drinks and desserts. Also in Huancavelica, the Ayrampo festival is popularized, dedicated to the fruits of the plant of the same name of the cactus family, during the celebration of which cakes, punches, syrups, jams and ice creams are prepared based on these berries of a rich dark blue color.
Elena
|
