Shoutout to Charles Mann’s 1493, which contains a remarkably insightful survey of potato biology and indigenous Andean cultivation. Highly recommend for anyone interested in the topic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1493:_Uncovering_the_New_World_Columbus_Created
This is how the Incas and other Andes peoples would store their crops-- they’d mash it down in two stages by dint of their feet, and then the potatoes would store indefinitely.
Even better than bread and beer storage of grains, and potatoes are more nutritious than either, to boot.
Plus the freezing — you need ice crystals to form so they rupture the cell walls, and let the water flow out. That’s why chuño was originally made around those times (June, July) and in high altitude fields, to increase the odds the taters would freeze through the night and thaw back in the morning.
Even better than bread and beer storage of grains, and potatoes are more nutritious than either, to boot.
Yup. At least in raw calories. I think potatoes have a lower protein content, but that (and fat) can be supplemented with some dried meat, legumes, fresh veggies and fruits.
That said they did have maize beer; called chicha de jora (Spanish) / aqa (Quechua). But it was more for the booze during festivals than as calorie storage.
Ah yes, the freezing. My ancestors would be disappointed in me for leaving that out(!)
Not sure about the protein content of potatoes vs. grains, but IIRC, the vitamin & mineral content is generally superior. Potatoes are a complete superfood one can live on for long periods, again if I’m remembering correctly.
I suppose if I ever go back, I might try chicha again. Was really unimpressed the last couple times I tried it, heh.
Good catch on the minerals. Potatoes also have vitamin C, but I think chuño loses it (vitamin C is rather fragile, odds are it doesn’t survive the process). Protein-wise I just checked it; 3% in potatoes, 8~12% in wheat.
I suppose if I ever go back, I might try chicha again. Was really unimpressed the last couple times I tried it, heh.
It’s a lot like grain beer, in the sense taste varies wildly, depending on a thousand things. For example, I had a friend from the region sharing his homemade chicha with me once; it was quite sweet and sour, but barely any alcohol. But when I tried my hand at it, the result was way sharper, and way stronger than grain beer.
You know, when people say the Nile is not the jewel of Egypt, but Egypt is the jewel of the Nile?
So. The Inca Empire did not create chuño; chuño created the Inca Empire. It was what allowed the relatively small kingdom of Cuzco to feed its troops for long-term war, and eventual conquest of neighbouring peoples, forming the Inca Empire.
The technique is probably way older than the chuño they found, from the 13th century or so.
Even after the fall of the Inca, chuño remained a staple food.
Even today. Here’s an example (chuño puthi, i.e. chuño with a peanut sauce). Interesting enough the folks in that region seem to treat it as an ingredient completely apart from potatoes, they aren’t interchangeable and some recipes call for both in specific amounts.
You’ll also see ground chuño being used in plenty soups as a thickener.
alongside other important Indigenous staples, such as dried meats.
Specially ch’arki. Originally made from llama meat and similar, but with the introduction of cows I bet it’s mostly bovine nowadays. Sun-dried and salted, it doesn’t get all the fancy processing as the above, but it was damn important regardless, you can’t live just off potatoes.
The Inca empire lasted just about a century. They stood on the shoulders of great previous civilizations.
eat it
if it went cold, reheat it
Must eat
