May 21

The chancaca is known in english as molasses; it’s a tablet made with the honey obtained from sugar cane. It’s use to sweeten some meals and desserts. It’s called papelón or panela in other south american countries. It’s selled in “balls”.

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Apr 23

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Pronounced “kinwah”, it’s a pseudocereal that grows in the Andean zone. It was of great nutritional value in ancient times, together with the potatoes and maize. The quinoa has a lot of protein (12%-18%) and contains a balanced set of essential amino acids. Besides, it’s a good source of fiber, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. You don’t want to be fat? Quinoa doesn’t have gluten and it’s easy to digest.

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Mar 27

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The algarrobina is a product derivative from the algarrobo, and it’s very used in the peruvian cuisine. The algarrobo fruits are cooked, the extract is processed and we obtain a sweet syrup, very appreciated for its nutritional and vitamin value. Maybe you have tried the algarrobina cocktail, if you’ve been here, in Peru.

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Mar 04

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The manjarblanco (or manjar blanco -separated-, literally “white delicacy”) is a sweet, white spread or pastry filling made with milk. It’s used to prepare a lot of desserts (the churros, for example), but if you like, you can eat it on its own. There are two ways to prepare the manjarblanco, choice the one that you like more.

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Feb 20

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The Limo chili/pepper can be yellow, green, red or purple; it is used in the preparation of the cebiche or tiradito. If you touch it, you’ll feel it smooth and soft, even small; but don’t trust: the limo is very spicy. That’s why the cebiche has only a little of this pepper.

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Feb 18

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The rocoto chili/pepper (Capsicum Pubescens) is one of the hot spicy chilis of Peru. Some are red but there is also a yellow and orange types. In Bolivia, it’s called locoto.

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Feb 13

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The Mirasol red pepper/chili is the yellow pepper/chili sun-dried. It’s very used in the peruvian kitchen.

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Jan 29

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This kind of ham is originary from the north of Peru. The pork came with the spanish conquerors and the Jamón del País born from the union of both cultures. Although it has another applications, its main use is for making the Butifarras.

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Dec 13

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It’s a big purple pepper, dried in its own plant. It can be used entire or grind. It’s know also as “ají especial” (special pepper).

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Dec 11

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The ají pepper, also known as Peruvian hot pepper, is a unique species of chili pepper, Capsicum baccatum, containing several different breeds. The most common are simply differentiated by color, like “yellow Peruvian hot pepper” or ají amarillo. These peppers have a distinctive, fruity flavor, and are commonly ground into colorful powders for use in cooking, each identified by its color. In Chile, Ecuador, & Puerto Rico, the word ají refers to any chile or chile sauce.

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