I am the younger, less crafty, yet more spontaneous (read: explosive) sister of Paloma, El Ayllu’s innovator. Also, in some way, since El Ayllu is a reference to an ancient Peruvian social structure, I am her right man, her ally behind enemy lines. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration. Peru isn’t so much the enemy as it is our origin. Today, as two confused Peruvian-Americans, Paloma continues to recreate Peruvian dishes in the grand metropolis of New York City, while I try as best I can to recount the culinary happenings from the living Inca city of Ollantaytambo.
I love food, and though I have a naturally discriminatory palette, I have never had any due success in the kitchen. But the kitchen is a warm and inviting place, and I’ve always relished my role as Paloma’s sous chef. As such, I’ll leave the cooking to Paloma, and concentrate on what I know best. So, what do I know best? I love coffee, I’ve often claimed that I could survive off of any combination of rice and fish, and while currently living in Peru, I survive solely on street food.
I wanted for my contribution to be witty and whimsical, something that would highlight the immorality and desire that lies behind food and drink. Maybe something along the lines of ‘coffee & cigarettes’ (thank you Jarmusch). Alas, I am trying to quit smoking, and though I have a penchant for coffee, my ulcer and doctors would advise otherwise. So, street food it is: the very staples that keep me alive and functioning as an eccentric vagabond.
Street Food: Maize (Part I)
Maize, or corn as you English speakers will more surely comprehend, is the most widely grown crop in the Americas. In fact, humans worldwide produce more maize than rice and wheat in any given year. Currently the top culprits are the United States, China and Brazil, with other nations such as South Africa and Romania vying for spots in the top ten.
In my numbered years, I’ve seen corn used as food, alcohol, synthetic fibers, plastics, medicines, decorative centerpieces, backgrounds for bone chilling thrillers, and more recently, I have even seen corn utilized as Halloween costume. Apparently, corn always has an even number of rows on each ear. Thrilling.
Maize is indigenous to Mesoamerica, and is still used widely throughout the New World. In Peru, it is an invaluable staple of the highland diet, and I’m quite pleased to announce that corn season, after a brief stint, is back. Peruvian street corn dishes are endless; nonetheless, I’ve picked out a select few for you to contemplate.
Tamales
Often, I wish I lived in a larger town with greater street food alternatives and availability. Tamales, both sweet and salty, are one of those things I crave daily and search for vehemently within Ollantaytambo’s lackluster plaza de armas. When the tamale lady is there, poised to take my money, it’s a good day.
Made of a corn, egg, milk and butter dough, then wrapped back into the corn husks to be steamed til perfection, tamales are fairly easy to make yet hard to master. They can be served as a main dish, dessert, accompaniment, and can include raisins, cinnamon, beef, vegetables, virtually anything.
Chicha
Chicha: Peruvians very own home brew. A fermented corn beverage, slightly milky in color, slightly bitter in flavor and sometimes crafted with strawberries for special occasions, chicha is consumed daily by many individuals to provide the energy needed to continue their arduous work on fields and construction sites. Every time I enter a chicheria, I am reminded by the owners and patrons that chicha is better for you than beer, and that it doesn’t contain any or much alcohol. Great! I find, however, that the overwhelming feel of bodily intoxication might argue otherwise. Nevertheless, despite vacationers’ fears that it will inevitably cause travelers’ diarrhea, or worse, this individual thinks that it makes for a healthy alternative to the more frequented pisco sours and Cusqueñas.
Contrary to popular belief, the process of making chicha does not involve repeatedly chewing and spitting out corn in order to promote fermentation. Instead, it is brewed through an ever so simple and shockingly sterile process of boiling and reboiling. Although lacking in popularity in the northern Americas, Dogfish Head brewery did once make an attempt at chicha beer with limited success. Apparently they’ve made some modifications and had a go at it again in 2010 (Dogfish Head chicha). If you ever get a chance to try the real thing, please do. But if you can’t get to Peru, then at least get yourself to Delaware and try some of Dogfish Head’s concoction.
Choclo con queso
Unlike the yellow corn of the northern Americas, the corn here is drastically larger in size and only mildly sweet. A slab of salty cheese makes for an obvious and stellar accompaniment.
Despite numerous individuals’ claims that corn provides little to no nutritional value, choclo con queso currently reigns supreme in my current street food diet. A delectable cob of corn served up with a slice of cheese goes for approximately 72 US cents. And my mom still wonders how I could possible live off of so little a day.
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