FLAVORS OF SOUTH AMERICA TO THE WORLD
How many people think about where their food comes from? South America is the source for many distinct flavors that many may take for granted, and others that people outside of South America may have never tried. For those people with the chance to travel to South America we have summarized here in this short post. While many of these food products are used across the world, most South America countries have specific dishes that gives them their own flavor.
Avocados: found in both Mexico and Peru in the time of the Conquest, the fruit was called by the Spaniards as “the Peruvian butter.” There are two main types, the Hass variety from Mexico and the Fuerte variety which is bigger in size and comes with a rich yellow color. These last ones are found in the Peruvian Jungle and I have to say that these are the best avocados around. In both Peru and Chile avocado is called palta, while in Mexico it is known as aguacate, and in Brasil they are called abacate.
Beans: There are new studies that suggest beans are native of Mesoamerica and not native of the Andes as it was believed before. Nonetheless, archeological studies did find some beans in Peruvian graves dating back to 3800 B. C. Now they have two Eco-geographic genetic groups for the common bean from Mesoamerica and the Andes. Other local names that are used to identify the beans are: chícharos, frejoles, frijoles, frisones, frijones, judias, and pochas.
Brazilian Nuts: it was found in the Brazilian Jungle from a tree that can reach 50 meters high that can live up to 1000 years. This Brazilian nut is also grown in Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela, and Colombia. Other names for this nut are castaña, nuez amazonica, coquito brasileño/brasilero, castaña de monte, and nuez boliviana.
Chile peppers: this hot stuff is used in so many cuisines that it is hard to think of it as being something originating from the Americas. Originally coming from Mexico, chile peppers have developed several distinct varieties in South America, including the mainstay peppers in Peru of rocoto, aji limeno, and the little hot peppers from the Amazon basin called Charapitas. Five types of chile peppers showed up early in pre-Colombian use in Peru.
Chocolate: one of the more widely sought out flavors in the world today, chocolate, originated from Mesoamerica, but it is widely grown in the Amazon basin.
Corn: corn, or maize, or in the Inca language of Quechua known as Sara, was long cultivated by native cultures in the Americas from the southwest United States through Mesozoic and down through the Andes. Corn was central to the Andean people’s diet and held sacred by the Incas. Corn used dates back to about 9,000 years in central Mexico, and is first recognized in Peru from around 6,500 years ago. The United States is the world leading producer of corn.
Fruits: many fruits come from South America, including chirimoya, lucuma, guava, and papaya. We have already covered avocado and chile peppers. Most people will find papaya and guava in the local supermarket, whereas chirimoya and lucuma still remain to be discovered by most people in the world.
Peanuts: are native of South America, and to be more specific they originated in Peru. Peanuts were found in the archeological sites of Pachacamac and the Señor de Sipan. The Incas expanded its territory of production. They replicated the peanut shapes in some of their gold jewelry. Other names for peanuts are mani and cacahuate.
Pineapples: native of South America, mainly Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, this fruit is also known as piña and ananá. In South America is very common to make juice drinks with it. Also is used in some dishes and cocktails.
Potatoes: Native of high elevation countries especially Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina and Chile. Peru is the main producer of potatoes, they have more than one thousand types of potatoes. Peru takes pride in their potato production hence they celebrate El Dia Internacional de la Papa every May 30th. Potatoes along with corn are the staple food of the Andes long before the Old World was introduced to them. The common baked potato and French Fries does little to convey the range of flavors present in Andean potatoes. The sweet potato, or camote, also comes from South America.
Maca: native of the Andes, it is believed that the Incas fed maca to their troops to strengthen them. Maca belongs to the tuber crops that include varieties: olluco, oca, mashua, mauka, maca, achira, yacon, ahipa, and arracacha. The maca has been commercialized internationally and gain fame as the Viagra from the Andes. In Peru, the price of maca has skyrocketed, in part because of a large amount being exported to China.
Quinoa: famous as a super-food, and an excellent more healthy replacement for rice in side dishes, quinoa is a staple food that is native to the Andes. Quinoa is a seed, not a grain, and has some particular aspects to its preparation, particularly in the quality of the quinoa that strongly influences its taste. I have a detailed description of quinoa and ten recipes for sale online at amazon.com Another seed variety from South America is Kiwicha.
Squash: coming from both Mesoamerica and the Andes, squash, and related pumpkin and gourds, were long used by native cultures. Squash was widespread through southern United States all the way down to southern South America in Argentina and Chile.
Tomato: yes, tomato comes from Mesoamerica and South America. Some give Mesoamerica credit for the tomato, however, some scientific research has promulgated the idea that the potato evolved from the tomato plant during the uplift of the Andes, and thus have been in South America for millions of years. Genetically tomato and potato are very similar, and cross breeds are being experimented with.
Yucca, or cassava, is a staple food in South America, largely from the Amazon River basin. It is a root vegetable that in many countries is consumed as potatoes, but in countries like Peru they make a very primitive sort of beer from it that is called Masato. Other names are yuca, manioc, and aipim.
Corn, tomato, potato, chocolate, peanuts, avocado, and chilies products from South America changed the flavors used in cooking all around the world. For the flavors specifically focused on Peru, see Yani’s new book called Classic Peruvian Cooking.
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South America seems to refuse to show its inexhaustible creative force.
