Have you ever grilled food on a barbeque? What about cooking marshmallows on a campfire? Pachamanca is a traditional Peruvian dish that is cooked underground!
Pachamanca is made up of two Quechuan words (the local Peruvian language dating back to Incan times). The word "Pacha" in Quechua means "earth" and the word "manca" means pot. The name of this dish translates to exactly how its cooked: in the earth!
Pachamanca is a delicious meal typically made with a type of meat from a lamb, pig, cow or guinea pig. I was very excited to try this dish because of the traditional roots it has. The meal itself was excellent, but I was definitely more interested by the preperation and actual cooking of the meal. Being able to participate and help prepare the meal helped me feel more connected to the culture and community.
Before starting the process of cooking, all the food must be prepared beforehand. It is common to have habas (broad bean), humita (a type of tamale), papas amarillos (yellow potatoes), camote (sweet potato), and your meat. The first step in preparing Pachamanca is to create the "pot" by digging a hole in the ground. Rocks are heated up over a wood fire until they are red hot.
