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Inca Cuisine
Inca cuisine originated in pre-Columbian times within the Inca civilization from the 13th to the 16th century. The Inca civilization stretched across many regions, and so there was a great diversity of plants and animals used for food, many of which remain unknown outside Peru. The most important staples were various tubers, roots, and grains. Maize was of high prestige, but could not be grown as extensively as it was further north. The most common sources of meat were guinea pigs and llamas, and dried fish was common. Foods There were also several types of edible clay, like ''pasa'', which was used as sauce for potatoes and other tubers, and ''chaco,'' something used by the poor or religiously devout. As in the rest of Central and South America, chili peppers were an important and highly praised part of their diet. Vegetables The Inca realm stretched north-south, encompassing a great variety of climate zones. In Peru in particular, the mountain ranges provide highly varied type ...
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Cañihua
''Chenopodium pallidicaule'', known as ''cañihua'', ''canihua'' or ''cañahua'' (from Quechua ''qañiwa, qañawa or qañawi'') and also kaniwa, is a species of goosefoot, similar in character and uses to the closely related ''quinoa'' ''(Chenopodium quinoa)''. Cañihua is native to the Andean region, with more than 200 varieties, and it has been farmed in the Altiplano for millennia. As a crop, cañihua has distinct characteristics, including tolerance of high mountain conditions, high content of protein and dietary fiber, and rich phenolic content. Botanical description Cañihua is a herbaceous and annual plant. This species is diploid with a chromosome number of 2n = 18. There are two types of this species, which differ in their branching. The ''lasta'' type shows high branching, whereas the ''saguia'' type is characterized by few branching and its more erected growth.Hemandez, Esteban J. (1994). ''Neglected crops:1492 from a different perspective''. Rome: FAO. . The plant gr ...
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Yacón
The yacón (''Smallanthus sonchifolius'') is a species of perennial daisy traditionally grown in the northern and central Andes from Colombia to northern Argentina for its crisp, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots. Their texture and flavour are very similar to jícama, mainly differing in that yacón has some slightly sweet, resinous, and floral (similar to violet) undertones to its flavour, probably due to the presence of inulin, which produces the sweet taste of the roots of elecampane, as well. Another name for yacón is Peruvian ground apple, possibly from the French name of potato, ''pomme de terre'' (ground apple). The tuber is composed mostly of water and fructooligosaccharide. Traditionally, yacón roots are grown by farmers at mid-elevations on the eastern slopes of the Andes descending toward the Amazon. It is grown occasionally along field borders where the juicy tubers provide a welcome source of refreshment during field work. Until as recently as the early 2000s, yacón w ...
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Lepidium Meyenii
''Lepidium meyenii'', known as maca or Peruvian ginseng, is an edible herbaceous biennial plant of the family Brassicaceae that is native to South America in the high Andes mountains of Peru. It was found at the Meseta de Bombón plateau close to Lake Junin in the late 1980s.Hermann, M, Bernet T.The transition of maca from neglect to market prominence: Lessons for improving use strategies and market chains of minor crops. Agricultural Biodiversity and Livelihoods Discussion Papers 1. Bioversity International, Rome, Italy, 101 p., 2009. It is grown for its fleshy hypocotyl that is fused with a taproot, which is typically dried, but may also be freshly cooked as a root vegetable. As a cash crop, it is primarily exported as a powder that may be raw, or processed further as a gelatinized starch or as an extract. If dried, it may be processed into a flour for baking or as a dietary supplement. Its Spanish and Quechua names include ''maca-maca'', ''maino'', ''ayak chichira'', and ''ay ...
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Aphrodisiac
An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire, sexual attraction, sexual pleasure, or sexual behavior. Substances range from a variety of plants, spices, foods, and synthetic chemicals. Natural aphrodisiacs like cannabis or cocaine are classified into plant-based and non-plant-based substances. There are non-naturally-occurring aphrodisiacs like MDMA and methamphetamine. Aphrodisiacs can be classified by their type of effects (i.e., psychological or physiological). Aphrodisiacs that contain hallucinogenic properties like Bufotenin have psychological effects on a person that can increase sexual desire and sexual pleasure. Aphrodisiacs that contain smooth muscle relaxing properties like yohimbine have physiological effects on a person that can affect hormone levels and increase blood flow. It is possible that the aphrodisiac effect of a substance is due to the placebo effect. Other substances that impede on areas that aphrodisiacs aim to enhance are classified ...
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Quechuan Languages
Quechua (, ; ), usually called ("people's language") in Quechuan languages, is an indigenous language family spoken by the Quechua peoples, primarily living in the Peruvian Andes. Derived from a common ancestral language, it is the most widely spoken pre-Columbian language family of the Americas, with an estimated 8–10 million speakers as of 2004.Adelaar 2004, pp. 167–168, 255. Approximately 25% (7.7 million) of Peruvians speak a Quechuan language. It is perhaps most widely known for being the main language family of the Inca Empire. The Spanish encouraged its use until the Peruvian struggle for independence of the 1780s. As a result, Quechua variants are still widely spoken today, being the co-official language of many regions and the second most spoken language family in Peru. History Quechua had already expanded across wide ranges of the central Andes long before the expansion of the Inca Empire. The Inca were one among many peoples in present-day Peru who already sp ...
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Tropaeolum Tuberosum
''Tropaeolum tuberosum'' (mashua, see below for other names) is a species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae, grown in the Andes, particularly in Peru and Bolivia, and to a lesser extent in Ecuador as well as in some areas of Colombia, for its edible tubers, which are eaten cooked or roasted as a vegetable. It is a minor food source, especially to native Amerindian populations. Mashua is a herbaceous perennial climber growing to in height. It is related to garden nasturtiums, and is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental for its brightly coloured tubular flowers. Alternative names This plant is commonly called mashua in Peru and Ecuador, but other names include: In Boyacá, Colombia it is also named Nabu Agronomy The plant grows vigorously even in marginal soils and it competes well with weeds. It is well-adapted to high-altitude subsistence agriculture, and gives high yields; 30 tonnes per hectare are yielded at a height of 3000 metres, but up to 70 tons ...
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Water Chestnut
Water chestnut may refer to either of two plants (both sometimes used in Chinese cuisine): * The Chinese water chestnut (''Eleocharis dulcis''), eaten for its crisp corm * The water caltrop (''Trapa natans''), eaten for its starchy seed See also * Chinese chestnut * Chestnut (other) The Chestnuts are deciduous tree and shrub species in the genus ''Castanea''. The name also refers to the edible nut these trees produce. Chestnut may also refer to: Flora and fauna Botany * American chestnut, one of the most important forest tr ...
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Pachyrhizus Ahipa
''Pachyrhizus ahipa'', also called the ahipa or Andean yam bean, is a tuberous root-producing legume, which is mainly distributed in the Andean region.Sørensen, M., Gruneberg, W. J., Ørting, B., 1997. Ahipa (''Pachyrhizus ahipa'' (Wedd.) Parodi). In Andean roots and tubers: ahipa, arracacha, maca and yacon. Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops (M. Herman & J. Heller, eds.). International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, p. 13-73. History Archaeological evidence suggests ''P. ahipa'' was widely distributed about 2000 years ago.Popenoe, H., King, S.R., Léon, J., Kalinkowski, L.S., Vietmeyer, N.D., Dafforn, M., 1989. Lost crops of the Incas. Little known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation. National Academy Press, Washington, p. 37-46 The first mention of ahipa was in connection with the Indian cultures in the Andes, more precisely in the Salta and Jujuy provinces of Argentina.Ørting, B., Grüneberg, J., Søre ...
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Ahipa
''Pachyrhizus ahipa'', also called the ahipa or Andean yam bean, is a tuberous root-producing legume, which is mainly distributed in the Andean region.Sørensen, M., Gruneberg, W. J., Ørting, B., 1997. Ahipa (''Pachyrhizus ahipa'' (Wedd.) Parodi). In Andean roots and tubers: ahipa, arracacha, maca and yacon. Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops (M. Herman & J. Heller, eds.). International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, p. 13-73. History Archaeological evidence suggests ''P. ahipa'' was widely distributed about 2000 years ago.Popenoe, H., King, S.R., Léon, J., Kalinkowski, L.S., Vietmeyer, N.D., Dafforn, M., 1989. Lost crops of the Incas. Little known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation. National Academy Press, Washington, p. 37-46 The first mention of ahipa was in connection with the Indian cultures in the Andes, more precisely in the Salta and Jujuy provinces of Argentina.Ørting, B., Grüneberg, J., Søren ...
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Onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classified as a separate species until 2010. Its close relatives include garlic, scallion, leek, and chive. This genus also contains several other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion (''Allium fistulosum''), the tree onion (''A.'' × ''proliferum''), and the Canada onion (''Allium canadense''). The name '' wild onion'' is applied to a number of ''Allium'' species, but ''A. cepa'' is exclusively known from cultivation. Its ancestral wild original form is not known, although escapes from cultivation have become established in some regions. The onion is most frequently a biennial or a perennial plant, but is usually treated as an annual and harvested i ...
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Chili Pepper
Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus '' Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. Chili peppers are widely used in many cuisines as a spice to add "heat" to dishes. Capsaicin and related compounds known as capsaicinoids are the substances giving chili peppers their intensity when ingested or applied topically. While ''chili peppers'' are (to varying degrees) pungent or "spicy", there are other varieties of capsicum such as bell peppers (UK: peppers) which generally provide additional sweetness and flavor to a meal rather than “heat.” Chili peppers are believed to have originated somewhere in Central or South America. and were first cultivated in Mexico. After the Columbian Exchange, many cultivars of chili pepper spread around the world, used for both food and traditional medicine. This led ...
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