134 CultureShock! Bolivia
Bolivian soups based on nutritious and tasty grains such as
quinoa and whole wheat or vegetables.
Bolivian cuisine is extensive, which is no surprise given the
variety of agricultural regions. Whole volumes could be written
with recipes of indigenous and Creole dishes. Rumours that
the potato dominates Bolivian cooking are false, although at
least one of this region’s approximate 112 varieties of potato
is included in most dishes, even when rice or corn are part of
the combination. Agribusiness and modern food distribution
methods have dented biodiversity, and many varieties of
potato, for example, are now hard to fi nd.
Bolivian main dishes may be bathed in a spicy sauce, with
hot or bell peppers and cumin as mainstays in the mixture.
Bolivian sauces are pungent but not gooey; they won’t add
cholesterol to the formula since they are not cream based.
One of the more pungent native herbs, quirquiña, is a crafty
salad enhancer.
There are fi ve main varieties of Bolivian hot peppers. Ají
is long and thin, similar to the Mexican chile serrano, in
red or yellow. The locoto is fat, round and raspberry sized,
green, yellow or orange in colour, and not as hot as the
ají. A smaller orange locoto has a sweet-hot taste. A fat,
avocado shaped, egg-sized locoto is dark green and bitter. The
ulupica, is a tiny, pea sized pepper which burns the whole
mouth. These peppers are not merely piquant; they have
distinct fl avours. Once diluted in a sauce, they function as a
tasty condiment.
The most typical hot sauce is called llajua, made by mixing
ground locotos, tomatoes, quirquiña and salt if desired. A
Cochabamba variation is called k’allu or soltero, made with
chopped locotos, onions, tomatoes and a local home-made
cheese. A hot sauce with fresh, crusty proletarian bread of
medieval texture called marraqueta, is a treat in itself.
Bolivia is not without its unique types of fast food. During
late mornings, a truly delicious meat pie called the salteña
is a favourite of Bolivians and foreigners alike. Salteñas are
stuffed with either chicken or beef, and usually include
onions, peas, potato, an olive and a slice of egg, all this in
a spicy sauce.