The Peruvian Gourmet: La Papa A La Huancaina

Elisa Zerga
Professor Lori White
English 103
23 October 2013
The Peruvian Gourmet: La Papa a la Huancaina
In Peru, there are several dishes of native foods and in this case I'm going to talk about a certain dish called La Papa a la Huancaina. La Papa a la Huancaina is one of the oldest dishes that exist in all of Peru. The history of the ancient potato originates in the pre-Incan culturestudied by archaeologist Julio C. Tello. Potatoes with cheese also happen to be his favorite meal among many others. Through his excavations, archaeologist Julio C. Tello found that "these ancient Peruvians lived in simple adobe houses, cultivated potatoes and beans, fished in the nearby rivers, and grew and wove cotton for their clothing," (Pre-Incas Culture) which shows that even before theappearance of the Incan Empire the potatoes already existed. Then he found information that the meal of the Incans mainly consisted of the diverse types of potatoes found in the region. Peru has about 3000 potato varieties; among those is the yellow potato which is the main ingredient of the La Papa a la Huancaina.
La Papa a la Huancaina, is a dish that has a sense of patriotism and represents thePeruvian Culture in its flavor; at the same time, when you enjoy makes interpersonal bonds and strengthens the feeling among the people that it shared.

In 1870 during the construction of Infiernillo Bridge in Huancayo, (a state in the Central of Peru) women who were in charge of the feeding of the workers created a plate of potatoes with a sauce of rocoto (a native hot pepper) and cheese. The dishcaused a great sensation among the workers that they waited every day for the arrival of the women with the fabulous dish that they started calling La Papa de Huancayo.
This dish was subsequently migrated to Lima, where it underwent a change in which pepper was used. The rocoto was replaced by the aji Amarillo, another kind of hot pepper that people from Lima commonly use. This exquisite dishwas served as entrée in a dinner in the National Club to honor Navy Captain Miguel Grau, who years later in the Battle of Angamos in the war against Chile, became one of our Peruvian heroes.
La Papa a la Huancaina is a dish that has no social barriers, since it is served in high social spheres such as international restaurants and high social class events. This Peruvian delight is also enjoyed bythe middle and lower social classes who enjoy the exquisite flavor of this dish. In 2009, the city of Huancayo made the largest Papa a la Huancaina with which 12,000 people were fed, and after this event they held the record for the largest serving of Papa a la Huancaina in the world. The Mayor of Huancayo, Fredy Arana, said “that locals should reevaluate this dish as a gastronomic touristattraction, now as it is one of the seven gastronomic wonders"(Presentan en peru la Papa a la Huancaina mas grande del mundo.)
La papa a la Huancaina is an entrée that could be served every day and at any event in every social sphere, since it is a light and palatable dish that can be eaten at any time of the day; overall, it is a very healthy dish. When we hear the name of this gourmet, it fills us withjoy and pleasure since we are going to enjoy this delight. It also leads to a natural and native feeling that we mentally and instantly associate with yellow potatoes, cream and we can this dish is available to everyone.
To prepare this delightful Peruvian plate for six people, we need the following ingredients: one pound of fresh cheese, a quarter-pound of yellow hot pepper (without seeds), acan of evaporated milk, salt, pepper, a small clove of garlic, one package of saltine crackers, leaves of lettuce, 12 olives and 3 eggs. After having acquired all the ingredients, we go on to the preparation. Start by boiling two pounds of potato in a medium-sized pan with water and at the same time, boil three eggs in another small pan with water. Then we proceed to put the yellow hot pepper,...