A Day in the Bolivian Stomach - Jake

Bolivia is a country full of art just waiting to be discovered by both locals and tourists. This includes culinary art. There are many different cultural differences between countries around the world and in this article we will explore the different meals and foods of Bolivia.

In Bolivia, the first meal of the day is usually eaten between 9 and 10 and is called a merienda. Merienda literally means picnic. This meal usually consists of coffee or tea and some sort of light pastry. Salteña are sometimes served at this meal. A salteña is similar to a baked empanada and is usually served with beef or pork and a variety of vegetables including peas, potatoes, and carrots.

Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Bolivia. From Noon until 3 most shops close for the daily siesta or break. One of the main reasons for this siesta is so that families can come home for the lunchtime. Lunch is usually a large meal consisting of 2 courses. The first course is usually a large bowl of soup. Some common soups served for lunch are Sopa de mani, which is a soup made with peanuts, pasta, and meat or vegetables. Another common soup is the Chairo, which is most popular in La Paz. The Chairo is filled with deep fried potatoes, one of the staples of bolivian food, white corn, and jerked meat.

After soup comes the main course. The main course usually consists of some type of meat or fish, a salad, and rice. One of the favorite meals in Bolivian culture is trout. They fish these trout right out of Lake Titicaca and fry them up with some potatoes to serve for their daily special.

From 4 to 5, many Bolivians take te. This is another small meal, very similar to the morning merienda. Salones de te are popular at this time. Salones de te are restaurants that often double as bakeries because while having your tea, you are supposed to enjoy a pastry or roll.

Dinner often takes place between 8 and 9 and is a much smaller meal then lunch. This meal may contain a small salad, some potatoes, or a bowl of soup, but not usually any type of heavy food.

Now that we know when Bolivians eat, let’s find out what they eat. Together we are going to delve into a common Bolivian vegetable known as the potato.

There is an old Mayan myth that tells us how the potato was created. The Sapallas people were known to be a peaceful and prosperous people, that is until they were invaded by the cruel Karis. The Sapallas were enslaved by the Karis and treated miserably. Choque, a young descendent from the last Sapalla cacique, refused to accept their enslavement and asked for health from the god Pachacamac.    
Pachacamac heard Choque’s cries and took pity on his situation. He showed Choque some seeds from a plant that was unknown to man at this time period. Pachacamac told Choque that he was to plant these seeds and eat the roots of the plant that grew. Pachacamac said that the Sapallas were not to eat or touch the sprouts, flowers, or leaves of this plant, because they were poisonous. The Karis found the plantation where the potatoes were planted however and confiscated and ate every part of the plant, except the roots. This made the Karis people weak and allowed for the Sapallas to rebel and overthrow the Karis, expelling them from their land. The Potato, which the Sapallas names the Papa, became known as a divine gift because it allowed the Sapallas to return to their peaceful ways on their land.

Potatoes are Bolivia’s chief crop and a main staple of the Bolivian diet. The potato originated in the Andes of Bolivia and Peru. They were first brought to Europe in 1537 by a Spanish conquistador. Since then, Bolivia has continued to grow and use potatoes for a variety of things and in a variety of different food dishes. In fact in an average year Bolivians consume around ninety kilograms of potatoes.

Though there are about 200 wild varieties of potatoes that grow in the Andes today. There are only 30-40 that are widely grown and gathered, according to governmental data.  As of 1988 there were 700,000 tons of potatoes being produced by Bolivian farmers each year. Some of the favorite potatoes consumed by Bolivians are the Chuño.

Chuño are a type of freeze-dried potato that our usually made by Quechua and Aymara communities. Creating Chuño is typically a five day process that involves exposing a frost resistant type of potato to the intense cold of the Andean Altiplano nighttime temperatures thus freezing them. The next step to this process is exposing the frozen potatoes to the heat of the harsh Bolivian sun. After three nights of freezing, the potatoes are trampled by foot to remove any excess water that may be left in the potato, as well as to remove the skins of the potatoes. Then it is allowed to freeze and thaw for two more days before being harvested.

This process makes one of two kinds of Chuño, White and Black. White Chuño is washed with water, usually being placed on a blanket of cloth or straw and then sprayed repeatedly. They are then left to dry in the sun. This allows for White  Chuño or Tunta as it is called in Bolivia, to be more moist than its black counterpart. Black Chuño is just left out in the sun after it is trampled and then harvested.

Chuño is used in many shapes and forms but most commonly in Bolivian stews and soups. When placed in water the dehydrated potatoes become soft again and taste just as good as fresh potatoes. They are often served with meat or vegetable to add flavor to a stew. If you want to keep them dehydrated then many people also just fry them up with cheese and corn and serve them as a main course.  Chuño can also be crushed up and used as a type of flour in baking. With such versatile uses as well as the fact that Chuño can last years in a pantry without going bad, it’s no wonder that this process is so common in Bolivia.   

We eat a lot of potatoes at Scattergood. They are cooked everyday for breakfast, but always the same way. The way that Bolivian’s use potatoes in such versatile ways is inspiring and I would love to see Scattergood try some of these different ways of preparing potatoes. This just goes to show you that from place to place, things are used in different ways, which is why it is good to explore other cultures, to expand your horizons in both your thinking about your eating.