Food Culture in South America (Food Culture around the World)

205 Pages·2005·6.24 MB·English

by  Jose Rafael Lovera

Food Culture in
South America
JOSE RAFAEL LOVERA
Translated by Ainoa Larrauri
Food Culture around the World
Ken Albala, Series Editor
GREENWOOD PRESS
Westport, Connecticut - London
Library of Congress Cataloging^in-Publication Data
Lovera, Jose Rafael.
Food culture in South America / Jose Rafael Lovera ; translated by Ainoa Larrauri.
p. cm. — (Food culture around the world, ISSN 1545-2638)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-313-32752-1 (alk. paper)
1. Cookery, Latin American. 2. Cookery—South America. 3. Food habits—South
America. I. Title. II. Series.
TX716.A1L68 2005
641.598—dc22 2005005501
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2005 by Jose Rafael Lovera
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2005005501
ISBN: 0-313-32752-1
ISSN: 1545-2638
First published in 2005
Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.greenwood.com
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Illustrations by J. Susan Cole Stone.
The publisher has done its best to make sure the instructions and/or recipes in this book
are correct. However, users should apply judgment and experience when preparing reci
pes, especially parents and teachers working with young people. The publisher accepts no
responsibility for the outcome of any recipe included in this volume.
Contents
Series Foreword by Ken Albala vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
Timeline xv
1. Historical Overview 1
2. Major Foods and Ingredients 39
3. Cooking 77
4. Typical Meals 93
5. Eating Out 127
6. Special Occasions 137
7. Diet and Health 153
Glossary 165
Resource Guide 167
Bibliography 175
Index 177
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Series Foreword
The appearance of the Food Culture around the World series marks a
definitive stage in the maturation of Food Studies as a discipline to reach
a wider audience of students, general readers, and foodies alike. In com-
prehensive interdisciplinary reference volumes, each on the food culture
of a country or region for which information is most in demand, a remark
able team of experts from around the world offers a deeper understanding
and appreciation of the role of food in shaping human culture for a whole
new generation. I am honored to have been associated with this project
as series editor.
Each volume follows a series format, with a chronology of food-related
dates and narrative chapters entitled Introduction, Historical Overview,
Major Foods and Ingredients, Cooking, Typical Meals, Eating Out, Spe
cial Occasions, and Diet and Health. Each also includes a glossary, bibli
ography, resource guide, and illustrations.
Finding or growing food has of course been the major preoccupation of
our species throughout history, but how various peoples around the world
learn to exploit their natural resources, come to esteem or shun specific
foods and develop unique cuisines reveals much more about what it is
to be human. There is perhaps no better way to understand a culture, its
values, preoccupations and fears, than by examining its attitudes toward
food. Food provides the daily sustenance around which families and com
munities bond. It provides the material basis for rituals through which
people celebrate the passage of life stages and their connection to divinity.
Vlll Series Foreword
Food preferences also serve to separate individuals and groups from each
other, and as one of the most powerful factors in the construction of iden
tity, we physically, emotionally and spiritually become what we eat.
By studying the foodways of people different from ourselves we also
grow to understand and tolerate the rich diversity of practices around the
world. What seems strange or frightening among other people becomes
perfectly rational when set in context. It is my hope that readers will
gain from these volumes not only an aesthetic appreciation for the glo
ries of the many culinary traditions described, but also ultimately a more
profound respect for the peoples who devised them. Whether it is eating
New Year s dumplings in China, folding tamales with friends in Mexico or
going out to a famous Michelin-starred restaurant in France, understand
ing these food traditions helps us to understand the people themselves.
As globalization proceeds apace in the twenty-first century it is also
more important than ever to preserve unique local and regional traditions.
In many cases these books describe ways of eating that have already begun
to disappear or have been seriously transformed by modernity. To know
how and why these losses occur today also enables us to decide what tradi
tions, whether from our own heritage or that of others, we wish to keep
alive. These books are thus not only about the food and culture of peoples
around the world, but also about ourselves and who we hope to be.
Ken Albala
University of the Pacific
Writing this book has been a challenge and a pleasure at the same time. A
challenge, because great efforts were necessary to compress the vast infor
mation represented by the food culture of more than 12 countries. And a
pleasure, because for years I have been dedicated to the study of this topic
and because, as a South American, I am pleased to be given the opportu
nity to spread this culture in the United States. Many people have made
contributions to this book. It would be impossible to mention them all,
but I want to refer to some of them either by name or in a general way, to
all of whom I express my most sincere gratitude. Both the editor of this se
ries, Ken Albala, and the acquisitions editor of Greenwood Press, Wendi
Schnaufer, not only allowed me to be the author of this book, but also
patiently read each of the chapters, making suggestions and encouraging
me constantly throughout the work. I particularly want to express my pro
found appreciation for the contribution of the numerous friends—experts
on the gastronomy of the different South American countries—who have
conversed with me during the journeys I have undertaken for a number
of years to the different zones of the continent. I must also express my
gratitude to two persons who worked as my research assistants, namely
Cordelia Arias Toledo and Marilyn Sivira, who were also involved in the
transcription of the manuscript. Similarly, I need to mention Ainoa Lar
rauri, whom I hired to translate the manuscript—a task she performed to
my satisfaction. I had fruitful long talks with her aimed at guaranteeing
X Acknowledgments
that the English version accurately expressed my ideas and the informa
tion I had gathered. I also want to thank Graciela Valery de Velez, among
other people, for help with recipes. I hope I have fulfilled the objective
of spreading the South American food culture, while I assume the entire
responsibility for any possible defects of my work.
Introduction
Giving a detailed account of South American food culture is a challeng
ing task. This continent comprises more than 10 countries, its inhabitants
do not all speak the same language, and the food traditions of the different
societies vary in some ways. People's diets are not only the result of certain
traditions—cultural heritage, cooking techniques, and so on—but they
are also strongly related to the geographical environment. The vast South
American continent can roughly be divided into four large zones, taking
into consideration geographical and cultural characteristics: the Andes,
the Llanos and Pampas, Amazonia, and the coastal areas.
The Andean region starts from western Venezuela and runs in a southerly
direction along Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina,
down to Tierra del Fuego. The Andes can be considered South America's
backbone. They feature a great number of mountains, plateaus, hillsides,
and valleys. Countless rivers run from their highlands, while perennial
snows cover their summits. Almost all climates can be found in this elon
gated region, from hot to cold. It was the cradle of the only urban cultures
that existed in the region in pre-Hispanic times and, traditionally, the
place where the largest number of inhabitants would settle. Headquarters
of the most developed agricultural systems in ancient South America, the
Andes are the birthplace of the potato, which is a staple food of the con
tinent, and the place where corn and beans were grown—two key foods
that were never totally displaced despite the transculturation process that
took place with the arrival of the Europeans.