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Anderson Porta
English 1010
Recipe Memoir
M. Szetela
November 17, 2014
Pachamanca (Pit Roast)
Ingredients:

2 legs of lamb

20 pork chops

4 chickens

6 guinea pigs

20 humitas which is liquified corn, salt, sugar, and milk wrapped in a corn husk.

20 potatoes

20 sweet potatoes

20 ocas

Fava beans

10 corn ears cut in half

10 green bananas

2 cups sundried red aji (chili)

Pepper

Salt

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2 ponds cheese

Banana leaves

Preparation:
1. Dig a hole in the ground where the Pachamanca is going to be prepared.
2. Make a fire and heat stones. Once they are hot, carefully transfer a layer of stones
covering the bottom of the hole.
3. Place, on top of the stones the potatoes sweet potatoes and ocas. Place some hot
stones on top (not very close one from the).
4. In the second layer place the meats seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and aji (optional:
paprika). The most common meats used in the Pachamanca are: lamb, baby goat, pork
and chicken. Sage and Paico leaves can be scattered on top of the meats to enhance
flavor.
5. Place a larger amount of stones on top of the meats, as they take longer to cook.
6. Cover all with banana leaves, to protect food and avoid contact with dust.
7. Place humitas, fava beans, guibea pigs, cheese in pieces, bananas and corn. Cover again
with banana leaves and a close-woven blanket to keep the temperature. On top seal the
Pachamanca with dry soil.
8. Usually a cross is placed on the top. This cross will be removed from the Pachamanca by
the "godfather" who will start opening it.
9. Cooking time for the Pachamanca varies from 2 to 3 hours. (20 servings approximately)
This recipe means a lot to me because it brings me back good memories of my country, friends,
relatives and childhood. One of the memories that I can remember because of this recipe is when my
grandparents invited my family to his house which is located on The Andes Mountains to cook my

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familys favorite food Pachamanca. The reason why my grandparents invited my family was because in
about two weeks my family and I were going to move to the United States for the first time. When we
arrived at my grandparents house we realized that some of my cousins, and aunts were there and they
were ready to prepare Pachamanca by using a cooking technique. You can cook Pachamanca any day
by using your oven, but only on big holidays like Mothers day, Fathers day, Labor day and Christmas
and special occasions like birthdates or when you are welcoming or saying good bye to someone you
use the technique in which the Pachamancas ingredients are placed underground with very hot stones
and slowly roasted. To be more specific instead of using your kitchen oven you make an earth oven.
After 2 long hours the Pachamanca was ready, we were all excited, our mouth were watering.
My little cousins and I were running around the house looking for our grandfather so he can remove the
stones and leaves from the earth oven. I helped him by removing some stones and leaves. While I was
removing then I could smell the odor of the burned herbs and banana leaves we used to cover the meat
and vegetables. Also while we were taking away the stones we were placing the different kind of meats
in a big steel pot and the potatoes, sweet potatoes, humitas (steamed fresh corn cakes) and fava beans
in different pots. My aunts and my mom served the food to my cousins and me. We ate the dish around
the earth oven, sitting on the floor and eating our meal like our ancestors The Incas.
The chicken and pork meat were very tender, and the legs of lamb were dry, the fava beans
were juicy and salty and the potatoes, sweet potatoes and humitas were sweet. Everything tasted
amazing. Also the ingredients had the smell of cilantro for the reason that in Peru we love the fresh
aroma of it. I think the cooking technique we used helped the meats and vegetables to have a smoky
smell and taste.
This recipe makes me remember the good times I had with my family and I know that in the
future it will create me more memories.