Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Similar to
salteñas
, but deep-fried and with a higher potato content, are
tucumanas
, also
named after a city (Tucumán) in Argentina. Also commonly available are
empanadas
, sim-
pler pasties filled with meat, chicken or cheese and either baked or fried. Another snack typ-
ical of Santa Cruz is the
cuñape
, a tasty pastry made from cheese and yuca flour. Familiar in-
ternational snacks are also common in Bolivia, including
hamburgers
(
hamburguesas
) and
hot dogs
(
choripan
).
Comida típica
In the
Altiplano
, traditional Aymara cuisine is dominated by the
potato
, often served along-
side rice as one of two or three different carbohydrates on the same plate. The Andes are the
original homeofthepotato,andovertwohundreddifferentvarieties aregrowninBolivia. As
well as being boiled, baked, mashed and fried, they are also freeze-dried using ancient tech-
niques involving repeated exposure to sunshine and frost. Known as
chuño
and
tunta
, these
dehydrated potatoes have an unusual texture and a distinctive, nutty flavour that takes some
getting used to. They're often boiled and served instead of (or as well as) fresh potatoes, but
they're best appreciated in the many different
soups
that are a feature of Altiplano cuisine.
These are thick, hearty affairs laden with potatoes, vegetables and whatever meat is to hand
- one of the most typical and widely available is
chairo
, typical of La Paz. Another standard
soup ingredient is
quinoa
, a native Andean grain that has a distinctively nutty flavour and a
remarkably high nutritional value.
The most common meat in the Altiplano is
mutton
, closely followed by llama, which is
lean and tasty. Llama meat is often eaten in a dried form known as
charque
(the origin of the
English word jerky). Other Altiplano mainstays include
sajta
, a spicy dish of chicken cooked
with dried yellow chilli, potatoes,
tunta
, onions and parsley; and the
plato paceño
, a mixed
plate of meat, cheese, potatoes, broad beans and maize which is typical of La Paz. If you like
your food with a kick, all these dishes can be doused in
llajua
- a hot sauce made from to-
matoes, small chilli peppers (
locotos
) and herbs.
The
comida típica
of the
valley regions
around Sucre, Cochabamba and Tarija shares many
ingredients with the traditional cuisines of the Altiplano, but combines them with a wider
range of fresh fruit and vegetables and tends to be spicier. Maize features strongly, either
ground into a flour and used as the basis for thick soups known as
laguas
, or boiled on
the cob and served with fresh white cheese - a classic combination known as
choclo con
queso
. Meat and chicken are often cooked in spicy sauces known as
picantes
. Pork also fea-
tures strongly: deliciously deepfried as
chicharrón
, roasted as
lechón
or made into
chorizos
chuquisaceños
(spicy sausages originating from Sucre). A popular valley mainstay served
throughout Bolivia is
pique a lo macho
, a massive plate of chopped beef and sausage, pota-
toes (or chips), onions, tomatoes and chillies.