10 June 2025

Fabulous foods of South America

Moving on to the next phase of my globetrotting, but I can't leave this continent without providing an overview of some of my favorite edibles...

Argentina:

This rustic dessert of cheeses, compotes, and fresh and dried fruits at Paso Garibaldi, perhaps the best restaurant in Ushuaia:


All the varieties of perfect empanada from La Marmita bakery in Ushuaia, but especially the tomato and olive:


Bolivia: 

The jawita is a La Paz staple.  It's a familiar concept:  dough baked with melty cheese inside.  But the jawita is unlike any of its South American analogues (the empanada, most prominently) in that it is made with a super thin sheet of very soft enriched dough--so soft that it has the texture and pliancy of fabric.  Before baking, the jawita is brushed with butter and chili powder.  These cost maybe 50 cents each.  The first time I tried it, I ordered one from a streetside vendor, took my first bite as I started to walk away, turned around, and bought another one.


Peru:

These three mango ceviches I made at a cooking class in Cusco.  The rest of the class made ceviche the traditional way, with fish.  To a person, they all preferred my mango options:


This vegan tacu tacu from Green Point in Cusco: a base of beans and quinoa topped with grilled veggies drizzled in chimichurri, and a luscious plantain:


This mango I ate off the tree in Lucmabamba, as big as my head and twice as juicy--which I chased shortly thereafter with an avocado I ate off another tree too messily to manage the camera:


No, I did not eat guinea pig.  But someone I met while traveling did.  Here's how it was served to her, with a pepper stuck right between those little front teeth:






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