Meaning
“Chiriuchu” according to my sweet Peruvian landlady, is Quechua for “cold pepper” or “cold dish”. It is a traditional Peruvian meal eaten during celebrations. It combines foods from different areas of Peru and is meant to be eaten cold, with your hands, and with a Cusqueña beer. This year I was invited over on Corpus Cristi (04-June) by one of the local Peruvian families that I work with to eat this dish. It was yummy!!!
What’s In It?
There were ten different ingredients in the plate I ate. I was told by my host that to truly appreciate the flavor of the dish you have to eat all of the ingredients at the same time… easier said than done! They included:
- Cuy – guinea pig
- Chicken
- Alpaca meat
- Sausage of some type
- Cheese
- Toasted corn
- Seaweed
- Fish eggs
- Torreja – kinda like a fluffy corn tortilla
- Rocoto (a local pepper)