Regional Cuisine

Yesterday we discussed some of the hunting and eating habits of South America's indigenous people, but today we'll look at what everyone else is eating. Generally South Americans tend to eat 3 large meals and 1-2 snack meals. They consume fruits, vegetables, and nuts in abundance. They don't tend to drink milk, only in their coffee (which is very popular, Brazil alone produces 1/3 of world's coffee). Coffee is drank heavily in Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, and Argentina. They generally serve it concentrated and then diluted with evaporated milk or water. In Chile and Uruguay tea is the preferred drink. In Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil they drink yerba mate. It's a tea-like drink renowned for its medicinal properties and known as the "drink of the gods."

They believe that it energizes the body, stimulates mental alertness, strengthens the immune system, and aids in weight loss. It contains 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, 11 polyphenols, caffeine, and is in antioxidants. It is drank out of a special metal straw (as you can see in the picture). The general cuisine tends to be a blend of cultural backgrounds (Spanish, African, East Indian, Portuguese, etc), cooking styles, and foods of colonial Europeans. Grilled meats (like beef, hogs, lambs, and goats) slowly cooked for hours are popular throughout. One popular method cooking method is an oven pit.

In Peru they refer to them as pachamanca (picture to the right), where a young pig or goat is cooked under a layer of hot stones, leaves, and herbs. A popular food (that is quite trendy) is quinoa.  It has been a staple for millions of native inhabitants, although production declined after the Spanish conquests, and at times it has only been grown by peasants (although it's popularity again is rising and it's appearing in health stores throughout the world). Quinoa is a relative of spinach and swiss chard. It is a complete protein (with 9 amino acids) and is a source of manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, and phosphorus. Many turn to quinoa when they are starting a grain-free lifestyle, be heady though, because it is a little carb heavy (53 according to the glycemic index). There are better options in my opinion, but it is better than eating bread. Let's explore these regional cuisines:

* Colombia and Venezuela: Spanish influenced. Meals tend to be served with olive oil, cheese, parsley, cilantro, garlic, and onions. Hot chili peppers are served on the side with most dishes. Local fruits and veggies are eaten in abundance. A speciality meal in Colombia is hormiga, or toasted fire ants (picture to the left)!  *Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Paraguay: major beef producers. Argentina are famous for their specialty barbecue and grilled meat restaurants, called asados. Beef is definitely the main source, although lamb and other meat varities are popular as well. The national dish of Argentina is called a matambre (and I'm actually anxious to try this one, it's pictured to the right). It's a herb seasoned flank steak rolled around a filling of spinach, sliced or whole carrots, and whole hard boiled eggs that is either poached or baked. This region enjoys hearty soups and stews daily (fish is a popular soup choice in Chile, whereas Argentinians tend to like theirs with meats, vegetables, and fruit).

*Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname: heavy influence from Africa, East India, Portugal, and China. Pepper pots are popular in Guyana (stew of cassava juice, meat, hot pepper, and seasoning).

*Peru and Ecuador: cuisine styles differentiate between the Andes highlands and the coastal low lands. In the highlands they tend to eat a lot of potatoes (bad!), whereas the lowlands make a lot of ceviches. Ceviches are a way to prepare seafood marinated in either lime or sour orange. Also popular are chile's (which are abundant). They make salsa de aji, which is chopped chili, onion, and salt usually served with meat.

*Brazil: influences are Portuguese, African, and native. Portuguese dishes include dried salt cod, linguica (a type of sausage), and spicy meat stews. Africans brought okra and dende oil (palm oil)