Chuno

The chuño, product not subjected to the whitening, has less value on the market than the You fool. (or white chuño).

The chuño, chuno, a voice originating from the central Andes (aimara, Quechua: ch'uñu, which is potato processed) or tunta, is the result of dehydration (usually by freeze-drying) of potatoes or other high-altitude tubers.

The manufacture of chuño is the traditional way of preserving and storing potatoes for long periods of time, sometimes for years. This product is one of the central elements of indigenous food and, in general, of the gastronomy of the highland region of South America, particularly in the Andean and southern areas of Peru, the region from which this product originates, in addition to the Andean zone of Bolivia. It is also consumed in northern Argentina, northern Chile and southern Ecuador.

In Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Chile it can also refer to potato starch (and some products made with it), obtained by grinding the tubers and decanting the starch granules that remain floating in the juice. Desserts that are similar to flans are occasionally prepared with him in Argentina; on the coast of Peru it is used to make mazamorras.

Origins

Chuño originated among the ancient inhabitants of the Andes, who used dehydration methods to preserve potatoes. The oldest evidence of its consumption has been found in an archaeological piece found in Peru, a fulling mill that still kept remains of ground chuño.

Indigenous communities of the Central Andes have traditionally dried tubers for preservation since pre-Columbian times. Chuños have been found in archaeological sites of the Tiahuanaco culture, which flourished around the Lake Titicaca plateau and disappeared in the 12th century. This gives an idea of the continuity of traditional chuño making through a long period in the Andes.

Colonial records also mention the existence of the chuño, Bernabé Cobo's text from 1608, talking about certain vessels from Peru mentions:

Of the ordinary bread that I used to use saidya... be corn, quínua and chuño or dried and green potatoes.They have the corn in a casserole clay casseroles and bread syrveles and it is the most used slaughtering they carry when they walk, particularly a flour they make. They roast a kind of corn until it re-lives and opens, to which they call an intercall and have porcolation and also confection.

Crafting

The drying method of the tubers consists of exposing them to cycles of freezing and sunlight alternately. In each repetition, the tuber loses water until, finally, the heat of the sun and some pressing on foot finish the job. For this reason, the manufacture of chuño is seasonal and is subject to weather conditions that guarantee the presence of intense frost. This frosty season is usually characteristic of the months of June and July after the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.

Once the tubers are harvested, they are classified by size, with preference for those with a small diameter. They spread out on flat ground, covered with straw or dry grass, leaving them to freeze due to frost for approximately three nights. The entire process takes around 20 days and is done on a community basis. Once they are frozen, they are removed from the place where they were frozen, left in the sun and we proceed to "step on them", a method that seeks to eliminate the little water that the already frozen tubers still retain. After this they are frozen again.

In the process, at least 80% of the weight of the potatoes is eliminated, facilitating their transport, storage and conservation.

Varieties

Tunta is the result of whitening the chuño.

From the basic process, two varieties are obtained: the black chuño and the white chuño.

Chuño or black chuño

The black chuño, is one that is obtained directly from freezing, treading and refreezing. The product is not subjected to water: once the freezing has finished and the tread is dried in the sun, in order to turn the frozen tuber into chuño. Certain substances present in it, in contact with air, oxidize giving it a characteristic color that goes from dark brown to black.

Tunta or white chuño

The tunta is obtained by freezing the potato overnight in the open in winter frost: June-July, the next day it is dehydrated by pressing with the feet against the ground (squeezing) and put to river or lagoon water in permeable plastic sacks. This procedure is performed at sunset to maintain the white color; Potatoes are normally light in color but when they come into contact with the sun's rays they turn black.

The final step consists of extracting the water after approximately fifteen days, peeling and drying in the sun. The result is the tunta, which in some parts of Peru is known as chuño blanco, in northwestern Bolivia it is known as tunta. In Peru it is also known as moraya.

Conservation and consumption

A wet sucker position in a Andean market.

Corn plate with tunta and pepper of meat, served in Potosí, Bolivia.

Dried the chuño, and with minimal storage requirements, the product can last a long time, even years.

Its consumption is varied, from desserts to elaborate dishes, including chuño flour, which is an essential ingredient in various dishes of high Andean gastronomy.

It should be noted that these are not the only products that are frozen for preservation, there is also the caya, which is a frozen version of the oca.

During World War II, nutritionists from the allied armies discovered the value of chuño and from it they invented the now-so-common instant purees.

For its preparation, the pieces are rehydrated by soaking them in water for several hours, then they are subjected to different types of firing and preparation. Among the dishes that include chuño as the main ingredient is chairo or chuño pasi.

Cultural influence

In the Andean region of Bolivia it is common to use the word chuño to refer to the muzzle of pets, more specifically, of dogs.

In 2018, the Autonomous Municipal Government of La Paz launched a campaign called "the rule of Chuño" to implement Municipal Law 239 on responsible pet ownership.

In 2020, the character "Chuñoman" became famous on social networks, a youtuber who lampooned false information about COVID-19, stating that he was immune to the coronavirus for consuming chuño. In 2021, & #34;chuñoman" He was praised by the Minister of Government Carlos Eduardo del Castillo for his reactionary position against the transitional government of Jeanine Áñez.