The corn should be placed on the left side of the plate, the lima beans on the right side of the plate and the potatoes on the lower half of the plate. The meat is placed on top of the corn, potatoes and beans, and the fried cheese is placed on top of the meat. The llajua is then served in a small dish, off to the side of the main plate.
Plato paceño is absolutely connected to the local environment! For starters, every single one of the ingredients, including those used to make the llajua, is either grown or raised locally here on the Altiplano (the high-elevation plateau) of La Paz. What’s more, we know for sure that the potatoes, corn and beans can be grown at least eight months out of the year.
Secondly, everything that is served with plato paceño is served in whole form. The whole ear of corn is served. The potatoes are left whole, skins still intact, as are the lima beans. The cheese is served in a large block, as is the cut of meat. The way these ingredients are prepared and served preserves their original form, and in this way, when you eat plato paceño, it feels as though your plate is a reflection of the earth. The colors on the plate—brown, yellow, green and deep purple—are also quite earthy, and so is the taste! After some reflecting, this made a lot of sense to us.
