The next time you eat mashed potato, pause.
You may just be consuming “Ashes of a Soul” that have been beaten to pulp (and chances are, its not yours!).
Did that French fry give you indigestion?
It could be that the gods are upset that you consumed a “Sacred Mountain”.
Feeling a little bloated?
A “Guinea Pig Fetus” may just be resting within your belly.
No – this is not witchdoctor speak. These are in fact various indigenous varieties of the humble potato, which are native to Peru.
Pink Potato or Blue?
Peru is home to over 4000 potato varietals, several of which have a distinctive cultural significance in Quechua culture – such as the Make Your Daughter-in-law Cry potato (click here to read our facebook post on this exacting tubor).
From yellow and pink to blue and black, From “Puma Paws” to the “Feet of the Lequecho Bird” and even a “Rawhide Whip”, potatoes have a far deeper spiritual and cultural significance for the Quechua that go beyond their culinary use.
Parque de la Papa
To guard the Peruvian potatoes culture and biodiversity, the Parque de la Papa (Potato Park) has been set up in Cusco. A scientific and research oriented data collection center, it works towards protecting and guarding “the critical role and interdependency of indigenous bio-cultural heritage (IBCH) for local rights, livelihoods, conservation and sustainable use of agro-biodiversity.” In addition to the potato itself, the Potato Park also protects the bio-diversity of other traditional Quechua food traditions and native Andean nutrients.
Pachamama and the Peruvian Papa
The potato planting ritual is deeply ingrained in the Quechua tradition. In a ceremony called Quintu, coca leaves of three different varieties are combined with llama fat and placed into the hole where the potato will be sown. Quintu demonstrates the Quechua’s respect for Pachamama or Mother Earth.
Potato Pharma
The Incas held the potato sacred and used it to treat many medical ailments. Raw potato was often placed on broken bones to help them set, and they believed that carrying a potato around helped prevent rheumatism. Potato juice was a common remedy to soothe frostbite or sunburn in the Andes, and a slice of baked potato wrapped up in a stocking and tied around one’s neck helped to heal a sore throat! The park also promotes the study and dissemination of potato research and Quechua and Inca techniques for medicinal purposes and nature pharmacies.
Papa Arariwas, Guardians of the Potato.
The Parque de la Papa plays another critical role as climate changes and bio-piracy in Peru endanger the wellbeing of the native potato species. The Quechua are forced to plant their crops at higher and higher altitudes to combat the onset of global warming in the Andean region. The fourth staple in global cuisine, Potatoes are so intrinsic to Peruvian and indeed, global, culinary traditions, that is hard to imagine a gastronomic world without them. Peruvian street food gives us several delicious examples of how a potato can be used creatively while cooking. The Quechua farmers at the Parque de la Papa believe that their work is to protect the potato species of Peru for generations to come.
