Foods of Peru

Incas in Peru had access to numerous foods from the water and land. The first explorers stated that they encountered animals such bears, deer, ducks, foxes, guanacos, guinea pigs, llamas, in addition to avocados, beans, chili peppers, maize, manioc, peanuts, potatoes, squashes and sweet potatoes. Like Choctaws, the Peruvians also grew and dried potatoes (creating chunu) by leaving the harvest in the cold air overnight then villagers would mash out the moisture. This process was repeated for up to five days, until the potatoes had dried and were ready to be stored.

Taken from Devon A. Mihesuah, Recovering Our Ancestors’ Gardens: Indigenous Recipes and Guide to Diet and Fitness (University of Nebraska Press, 2005)