There isn't much authentic Bolivian cuisine that I can eat because Bolivia loves the meat. However, I have now sampled two dishes that made me feel very much like a native. The first is called "api" When my host mom first served it to me I thought it was cidar, a purple cidar. I asked her what kind of fruit it was made with and she said that it wasn't a fruit, but was actually corn, a purple corn. It is served hot. The indigenious drink it, especially at high/cold altitudes, to warm up. There are a lot of cloves and cinnamon in it, thus why I thought that it was cidar. I've heard from other folks that it was served very thick; a drink that could easily be eaten with a spoon. The api that Betty prepared wasn't thick. Strange but pretty tasty.
The other culinary delight came at breakfast this morning. It goes by the name of "huminta" and is another corn creation. For my folks and the Wileys, it tastes just like the corn treat that you get at Chevy's, except less greasy. For everyone else. It is corn that is mashed up very fine, like corn meal, and there are pieces of cheese inside. It is then formed into a triangular pod and wrapped in corn husks and cooked. I'm not sure by what method but the outside of the husk is a little black so I presume it is cooked over a fire. The cheese here is very strong, similar to feta, but the huminta itself was sweet. A great breakfast food.
This is the rock on rock mechanism used to crush up corn and other such foods.
2 comments:
Wow, that looks pretty substantial. And the corn sounds good--better than Chevy's.
Are you taking your vitamins?
I'm trying a new gmail account, hope it comes through with Sherry instead of schooladmin.
The corn dish sounds like it would be delicious, especially with a salad and a medium-well T-bone!!! G
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