- List of 10 typical dishes of the Peruvian jungle
- 1- Juane
- 2- Tacacho with Cecina
- 3- Exotic Liquors from the Amazon
- 4- Chontajuane
- 5- Paiche
- 6- Churos
- 7- Mamacos or Domblos
- 8- Larvae
- 9- Inchicapi Soup
- 10- Timbuche
- References
Although the typical food of the Peruvian jungle is not as elaborate as other foods from different regions of Peru, they have very special and interesting dishes.
This South American nation has a great culinary tradition; Its varied environment has led to the use of many different ingredients in its different types of food.
Juane
In the jungle it is very common to consume dishes served with rice, beans and lentils. Fish is also very popular, since this element comes from the many rivers that exist in the region.
Ceviche prepared with river fish is a specialty of the Peruvian jungle. Another very popular food in this region includes the juane of rice and chicken.
Many typical dishes of the Peruvian coast have also reached the jungle; There is a great movement of chifa food (a fusion of foods between China and Peru) and pollerías (fried or roasted chicken) that can be found in most of the jungle cities of Peru.
You may also be interested in these typical foods of the Peruvian highlands.
List of 10 typical dishes of the Peruvian jungle
1- Juane
It is one of the most popular and traditional dishes of the Peruvian jungle. Every June 24, the Amazon rainforest of Peru celebrates the feast of San Juan or the day of San Juan Bautista; Juane is eaten to celebrate this Catholic festival.
This meal consists of a deep plate of rice stuffed with meat, boiled egg, black olives and spices.
All these ingredients are wrapped in bijao leaves (which look like banana leaves and are jungle plants).
The next step is to boil this preparation in clay pots; when ready it is served with the same bijao leaves.
2- Tacacho with Cecina
The tacacho with cecina is a typical dish of the Amazon jungle of Peru. Along with Juane, it is considered the most delicious dish in this region of the Amazon.
This meal is served with two small balls made from mashed bananas and thinly sliced pieces of dried smoked pork. They are then seasoned with salt and pepper.
Cecina is dried and smoked pork, made with traditional species from the jungle. It is precisely this combination of species that gives the tacacho with jerky its unique flavor in the world.
Although at first glance it looks like a fairly dry dish, the reality is that it is surprisingly wet.
Green bananas are typically used to make the balls, but some variations mix green and yellow bananas to give the dish a distinctive flavor.
3- Exotic Liquors from the Amazon
Liquors are very popular in this region; Iquitos, the largest city in the Peruvian jungle, is famous for its liquors and typical drinks.
These liqueurs are mainly prepared by macerating different ingredients, including herbs to worms, with sugar cane alcohol.
These drinks are said to have aphrodisiac properties, which is why they are very popular among Peruvians.
The most common are RC (Rompe Calzón, 7 Raíces, Chuchuhuasi, Uvachado (liquor made from black Amazon grapes and honey) and Levántate Lazaro.
Usually these liqueurs have a fairly strong flavor, although Uvachado has a very fruity and sweet flavor.
4- Chontajuane
This food consists of a mixture of chonta (a species of plant found throughout the Peruvian Amazon), palms and paiche (a typical fish of this region), mashed and wrapped in the widely used bijao leaves.
Sometimes banana leaves are used to wrap chontajuane instead of bijao leaves.
5- Paiche
The paiche is a fish from the Amazon that can grow to more than 2 meters long; it is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world.
Additionally, it is one of the oldest species, since it has not evolved much since the Miocene Epoch about 5 million years ago.
This fish also has the peculiarity that it can rise to the surface to breathe using its lung-like organs.
The paiche is used to make many dishes of Peruvian cuisine; It can be roasted, sealed, broiled or steamed.
It can be used to make Amazonian-style ceviche, salads, or it can be served cooked and accompanied with bananas, yucca, rice or beans.
Additionally, it is used as the base of chontojuane, patarashca (paiche with grilled vegetables) and picadillo de paiche, a plate of dried and salted pieces of paiche served with onions, tomatoes and chili peppers.
6- Churos
Churos are giant snails from the Amazon rainforest. These snails are considered a jungle delicacy and are an important source of protein among the natives of the Peruvian Amazon.
You can find them for sale in markets in Iquitos and in other cities / towns in the Peruvian jungle.
They are generally cut into small pieces and served in stews with banana, garlic, and salt.
7- Mamacos or Domblos
Also known as siqui sapa, they are giant leaf-cutter ants that live in the Peruvian jungle.
They are usually pan-fried and sold ready by the kilo in the markets. Although they are found in local markets, they occur seasonally: between October and November they are very popular.
They taste similar to pork rinds, followed by a slight earthy flavor.
8- Larvae
Suri larvae are fat and restless worms that can be found in local markets, especially in the Belén market in Iquitas. They are considered an Amazonian delicacy; They are the larvae of the Peruvian coconut plant.
Although they can be eaten alive, the most common is to place them on a skewer and grill them.
9- Inchicapi Soup
It is a creamy soup whose main ingredients are chicken meat, garlic, coriander, yucca, oil and peanuts. Chicken meat can be substituted for chicken.
Usually this meal is served as an aperitif.
10- Timbuche
Timbuche is a concentrated fish soup or broth, traditionally using piranha, beaten eggs and coriander / coriander. This food is also known colloquially as 'rises dead'.
Other variations of this dish substitute the piranha for boquichico.
References
- Surprising Amazonian foods from Peru that will delight you. Recovered from authenticfoodrequest.com
- Gastronomy of San Martin. Recovered from enperu.org
- Peru food-Amazon. Recovered from discover-peru.org
- What to eat in Peruvian jungle? Recovered from pariwana-hostel.com
- Timbuche. Recovered from enperu.org
- Inchicapi. Recovered from peruvianfood.com
- 17 weird foods for adventorious eaters to try (2017). Recovered from newperuvian.com
- Top 10 Peruvian dishes (2016). Recovered from rainforestcousine.com
- Typical peru food. Recovered from southamericatravelsonline.com