South American Cuisine

CHAPTER 14
Prepared by:

Kryzll Jaile C. Patual

BTVTED – FSMT 3
 Objectives:
 Identify the countries that constitute South America
 Discuss the components of South American Cuisine that make it unique.
 Discuss the impact of the colonization and the slave trade on the
development of the cuisine of South America
 Identify which European countries have played significant roles in the
development of South American Cuisine.
 Prepare some recipes common to South American Cuisine.
 Introduction
► South America cuisine, like the cuisines of the rest of the Americas, is a
complex collusion of cultures and ingredients.

► Although there were many different

indigenous cultures in South America,
the Incas are known to have possessed a
sophisticated culture and culinary
traditions prior to the arrival of the
European conquistadors.
COLOMBIA VENEZUELA GUYANA SURINAME

FRENCH EQUADOR PERU BRAZIL CHILE

GUIANA

BOLIVIA PARAGUAY ARGENTINA URUGUAY

¤ The Spaniards and other European nations introduced the Christian faith
to the Native Americans upon their arrival in South America.

¤ As a result, the vast majority of South Americans are Roman Catholics,

although many pagan festivals and rituals have been maintain or
incorporated into the typical Roman Catholic practices.

¤ The Europeans also introduced many new ingredients and technologies

that began a transformation of the local cuisine that is still evolving today.
 Topography of South America

ANDES MOUNTAIN
BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS AMAZON FOREST RANGE

SOUTHERN SHORES OF CENTRAL VALLEY IN VAST GRASSLAND IN

THE PACIFIC CHILE ARGENTINA
¤ As a result of the climatic conditions, this area has become a major cattle
and grazing region.

¤ South America encompasses a huge area that is very dynamic in its

geography, culture, history, and cuisines.
Historic Culinary Influences
I. INCAS/QUECHUA/OTHER
NATIVE AMERICANS
II. SPANISH CONQUISTADORS
III. PORTUGUESE EXPLORERS AND
PLANTATIONS
IV. WEST AFRICAN SLAVES
Incas / Quechua / Other Native American

 Quechua people of the Andes and the vast

advanced Inca Empire, whose influence stretched
from Ecuador to Chile and east to Argentina.

 Before the arrival of the Europeans, these cultures

had developed complicated irrigation and
cultivating techniques that took advantage of the
varied climatic conditions throughout the
different elevations of the Andes.
 ¤ Decades before the arrival of Europeans in
South America, the Inca had developed
scientific agricultural areas in the Andes to
better understand what crop grow and where,
using techniques that rival laboratories today.
TERRACE FARMING
Their main crops would spread throughout
the world, once the European explorers
discovered this continent.

INCA ROAD
SYSTEM
Some of the ingredients that appeared regularly in the diet

PAPAS CHUÑO PAPAS SECA MAIZ AJI

PLATANOS AQUACATE ZAPALLO CALABAZ FRIJOLES

A

QUINUA OCA YUCCA TOMATE TAMARIIL

O
Some of the ingredients that appeared regularly in the diet

POTATOES FREEZE-DRIED POTATOES DRIED POTATOES CORN CHILES

PLANTAIN AVOCADO WINTER SQUASH BEANS

S SQUASH

QUINOA A TYPE OF TUBER CASSAVA TOMATO TREE TOMATO

Meat was not a major part of the diet:

CUY (GUINEA PIGS)

VARIOUS SHELLFISH AND

FISH

CHARQUI (DRIED LLAMA AND ALPACA MEAT

 Spanish Conquistadors
 The Spaniards discovered the Americas in an
attempt to find a shorter route to Asia and later
become obsessed with finding gold in the New
World.

 As a result of many stories of gold discovered in

the Americas, a wave of Spanish explorers
descended on South America and forcefully tool
control of many parts of the continent.
 Native American women were required to cook
food for the initially male invaders.

 The Spanish brought with them many of the

foods to which they were accustomed, and thus
these foods became crops or domesticated
animals on this new continent.

 These early encounters saw the beginning of the

mestizo (“mixed” also called Creole or Crillo).
New ingredients incorporated to the American
Cuisine by the Spaniards

Wheat (Trigo) Rice (Arroz) Onion (Cebolla) Garlic (Ajo)

Lime (Lima) Limon (Lemon) Orange (Naranja) Coconut (Coco)

 Grapes (Uvas)
Sugar (Azucar)

Almond (Almendra) White Pepper

(Pimienta Blanca )

Black Pepper Beef

(Pimienta Negra) (Cane de ras)

Queso (Cheese) Pork (Puero)

♥ In addition to ingredients, the Spanish also introduced a number of methods
and techniques that have been important aspect in the development of South
African Cuisine.

♥ These new methods and recipes were taught to the native cooks, who
incorporated them into their own cuisine and adapted them their ingredients.

Slow sweating of Sauteing Frying Ice Cream

aromatics in oil (soffrito) (Saltear) (Freir) (Helados)
 The Manteca was an important introduction in that it was
used in new cooking methods to make, for example soffrito,
saltear, and freir.

Rendered Fat (Manteca)

Queso is also a
main ingredient in
many
Vinegar Production preparations.
Chess Making
Vinagre and uvas led to the escabeches
(preserved fish or vegetables in vinegar) now
being common in South America.
Portuguese Explorers and Plantations
 The Portuguese had a very similar influence on
South American cuisine; any of the influences
attributed to the Spanish may actually have come
from the Portuguese.

 Portuguese were the main force behind the

introduction of West African slaves to South
America.

 They also introduced their ingredients and

techniques to the Native Tupi who lived in the area
now called BRAZIL.
 The Portuguese were more interested in
developing plantations and another trade
post than finding gold the Spanish were
looking.

 As a result, the Portuguese played a more

significant role in the development of the
cuisine in Brazil, they looked to establish
crops and lay down roots more than the
Spanish did in the other parts of South
America.
 CALDO VERDE BROA FLAN
(soup made from potatoes (Cornmeal bread) (custard with caramel on
and cabbage) the bottom)

COZIDO BACALHAU
(salt cod)
(stew with vegetables)
 West African Slaves
 As the American colonies developed into
agricultural centers for the European powers, the
need for cheap labor increased, and these nations
turned to the slave trade in Africa to meet their
needs.

 The West African Slaves were forcefully removed

from their homeland and shipped on boats to
South America to work in sugar plantations and
other agricultural crops, mainly in the areas of
today’s Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia.
 The arriving West Arficans found their
surroundings similar to their homeland, and
because African women often carry seeds tied into
their hair, they were able to establish many of their
homeland crops.

 As a result of this history and the subsequent

population of West Africa descendants, there are
strong ties to African cooking interwined in the
current cuisine of Brazil.
COLLARD GREEN TARO ROOT OKRA PIMENTO
(Couve) (Inhame) (Quiabo) MALAGUETA
(Malagueta Pepper)

COCONUT DENDÊ FRADINHO

(Coco) (Palm Oil) (Black-eyed peas)
Cuisine with clear African influence is called “cozinha baiana”, or Bahian
cuisine, so named because incoming slaves were brought to the Bahian area at
the port of Salvador in Brazil.

The Afro-Brazilian cuisine features malagueta (chili

peppers), dendê (palm oil), seafood, coconut milk, banana,
and okra. The tops and pointy tips (tails) of okra may be
trimmed using clean scissors or a knife. containing fish,
shrimp, ground peanuts, coconut milk, dendê , and bread.

AFRO-BRAZILAN
FOOD
Unique Components of
South America
 Maiz, Aji, and Papas
 The crops of South American mountain regions includes corns, chiles, and
potatoes, and all three play significant roles in the culture and cuisine of
South America.

 Corn is dependable in South America –

much likely in Mexico – in most of the
highland areas and in many valley.

 It is used to make the dough called masa.

Aji (chiles) and papas (potatoes) are both native in South America
particularly in the Andes, with regard to potatoes; and chiles can be found
throughout most of northern and western South America.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans in South America, the dominant culture of

the western portion of the continent belonged to the Inca Empire, and the
Cuisine of the Incas was in many ways similar to the Mayans and Aztecs in
Mexico; there was a little in fats, and fewer meats than are common in these
places today.

One difference between the Mayan, Aztecs, and Incan diets, was the
prevalence and importance of potatoes in the diet of the Incas.
Chiles
Similar to the traditional cuisine of Mexico, chiles are a major
component of South America cuisine, particularly in the northern
portion of the continent; however, the varieties of chiles used in South
American cuisine often differ from those used in Mexico.

Aji Amarillo / Aji Mirasol

® Very common chili in Peru and Bolivia, where they are
used to make sauce served as condiments for many foods.
® Aji Mirasol dried Aji Amarillo.

Aji Cacho de Cabra

® Chilean chili, thin chiles turn red when ripe and are very hot. They are
used locally to make hot pepper sauces.
Aji Chivato
® Very small, round chili from Colombia, used to make fresh salsas. These
are extremely hot chiles.

Aji Colorado / Aji Panca

® Chili found and used in Peruvian cuisine, often used
dried (called aji panca dried Aji Colorado.)

Aji Verde
® Light green chili found in Chile (also called wax peppers) used to make
condiment sauces in Chile.

Aribibi
® Chili indigenous to Peru, these are very hot and used mainly to make
fresh salsas (also called aji limo).
 Habanero
® Thought to have originated in the Amazon basin, this is one of the
hottest chiles available.

Pimenta de Cheiro
® Small, round chili found in Brazil, with yellow flesh and mild heat.

Pimenta de Cheirosa
® Small, green chiles found in Brazil

Rocoto
® A common chili of the Andes. These are usually very hot
 Potatoes and Other Tubers
® Many varieties of potatoes and other tubers are found only in the Andes or
valleys of South America, and these varieties have been a major component in
the diet of native South Americans throughout their culture. All potatoes
originally came from South America.

PURPLE
RUSSET SWEET PERUVIAN
POTATOES POTATOES FINGERLING

RED BLISS POTATOES YUKON GOLD

POTATOES
 Different Kinds of Tubers:

Arracachav Mashwa Oca Ococuri

Papa Huayro
Papa Amarilla Ullucu
Native versus Mestizo or African
The culture of South America are often quite different in strongly native regions:
I. Natives are such as in many of the high country areas of Andes and the dense
jungle of Amazon
II. Mestizos they are in cities, where much of the population is often mestizo, a
mixture of European and native people,
III. African in northern and eastern areas of South America, where African
influences are strong.
Native South Americans
  In the Andes, the potato and bitter
potatoes still reign supreme and are
consumed in both fresh and freeze-dried
for preservation forms.

 Cuy (Guinea pig) is a regular protein

that is still enjoyed in the Adrean region.
Potatoes
 As in Llama, which can be air dried to
yield charqui.

Cuy Charqui
 The diet differs in the lower elevations and the valleys, with corn some
varieties are grown in the Andes serving as the major ingredient of the native
diet.

 Along with manioc or yucca (cassava) in the tropical regions.

 Corn is typically used to make masa, which appears in great variety of

preparations.

Masa

Corn Corn Tortillas Cassava

  Chiles also are common flavoring component in
the native regions, and they are often used in
sauces or added to soups and stews.
Chili Sauces

 America are still strong and play a major role in the character of the
cuisine; the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese in many cases had little
effect on more remote people of this continent.
 Mestizo – Combination of
European and Native People
 In the Mestizo regions of South America, the cuisine retains a strong sense of
the Native American traditions and foods from the mountains, valleys, and the
tropics, but often combination with European ingredients and methods.

 The introduction of cheeses, meat such as pork, beef and sheep, and other
European and Asian crops brought by the colonists or imported slaves
resulted in an influx of new foods to the diet.

CHEESES PORK, BEEF AND

SHEEP
  Large sections of the highland plains of Brazil,
Venezuela, Argentina, and Uruguay are now
dedicated to cattle ranching, yielding one of the
more European foods – beef – as well as
significant yields of another European mainstay,
CATTLE RANCHING wheat.

 The blending of the products from Europe and

the products that were cultivated in South
America for centuries prior to the arrival of
Europeans on this continent is a major
component of the cuisine that has developed.
WHEAT PLANTATION
West African Influences
 The African influence on the cuisine of South America is mostly
concentrated in the countries of Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil, where
West African foods are common components to the cuisine.

 Some important African introductions to South American cuisine are

coconut, actually from Asia but brought to South America from Africa,
where it had previously been introduced: atare or pimento malaguete, which
is not a pepper at all but a spicy seed; quiabo (okra); and dendê (palm oil),
which provides a red/yellow color and rich flavor to foods cooked in this fat.
 Significant Subregions
South America can be roughly divided into
four regions based on the similarities of the cuisines
within these regions. The cuisines within these regions
are similar for a variety of reasons, with some of the
biggest factors including the availability of local
ingredients, geography, colonial history, the history of
slavery, and the degree to which native traditions have
been retained.
 The cuisine of the northern reaches of the continent are
the most reflective of the cuisine of the native people
prior to contact with the Europeans. Many examples
exist of influences from European countries that
colonized or settled here, but those influences still rest
on a backbone of native traditions.

 The reliance on potatoes, cassava, beans, and corn is

still the basis of defined largely by the culture that has
developed in the land of mountains and tropical forests,
and it has a history of cultivating crops at various
altitudes to yield a wide variety of produce used in the
local cuisine.
North and Northeast:
 It was in this region that the great Inca Empire thrived just before the
Spanish arrived, and that the Inca had developed agricultural experiments
and testing methods that rival those used by scientist today.

 The Inca had a deep understanding of the crops of the Andes, those who
lived in these sections today reflect this traditions.

TERRACE FARMING INCA ROAD SYSTEM

 In contrast to the people of Andes, those who
lived in the western coastal areas are subjected
to a very arid climate for the most part have
long relied on ocean for seafood and on crops
that are grown along the shores of the rivers
that run down the Andes.

In these regions, cassava is the main food source, and the people also rely on
fishing the rivers and hunting throughout parts of the jungle.

Many tropical fruits and nuts are common in

this part of the South America, as well as
plantains, avocados, papaya, cashews and
coconuts.
 In the northern part of this area, in the countries of
Venezuela, and Colombia, are sections of hills and
grasslands that are a significant source of cattle and
other grazing animals for the more European
populations of these two countries. Both countries have
significant mestizo populations, who influence the
cuisine.

 Some of the common ingredients used in the cuisine of

this region are papas, arroz, manioc or yucca, maiz,
frijoles, calabaza, quinua, aguacate, coco plá tano, carne
de res, Puerco, cuy, pollo, camarón (shrimp),
huachinango (snapper), pulpo (octopus), calamar
(squid) and lenguando (sole or flounder).
 ARROZ YUCCA MAIZ FRIJOLES CALABAZA
PAPAS

AGUACATE COCO PLÁTANO CARNE DE RES PUERCO

QUINOA

POLLO
CAMARÓN HUACHINANGO
CUY
PULPO

CALAMAR LENGUADO
 Some of the common products and recipes from this region are:

CEVICHE
CAUSA ANTICUCHOS - Seafood mixed with
- layered potato “cake” - skewered and onion and lime
grilled foods

TAMALES
- filled corn
dough wrapped
CHUPE CHICHARON in corn husk
- fish stew/chowder - fried pork skin
Some of the common products and recipes from this region are:

TIRADITO
ESCABECHE - thinly sliced and
- vinegar-preserved seasoned raw fish
foods

AREPA
- corn dough disks, TACU TACU
often filled with - filled rice and beans
other ingredients “loaf”
Some of the common products and recipes from this region are:

PACHAMANCA
- foods cooked buried in
PICARONES a pit
- fried pumpkin donuts

PAPAS A LA HUANCAINA
- potatoes with spicy cheese
sauce
Brazil
The cuisine of Brazil draws from
many cultures and has resulted in one
of the most dynamic cuisines in the
world.
While Spain and Portugal secured colonies
throughout the world in the sixteenth century,
a plea was made to the pope to decide who has
the rights to what lands, and the resulting
decision created a line of demarcation that split
the continent of South America in half, -
roughly separating present-day Brazil from the
rest of South America and giving the rights to
the area of Brazil to Portugal, and the other
portion of the continent to Spain.
 As a result, Brazil became a colony of
Portugal; the drive of Portuguese to create
plantations of sugarcane and other crops
for export to Europe, and the subsequent
introduction of slaves in West Africa to
work in field, helped a triangle of cuisine
converge and blend to create a new cuisine.

 This new cuisine draws on ingredients and

techniques native to South America,
Portuguese ingredients, and a number of
ingredients and techniques brought with
West African slaves.
 Brazil is a very large country.
 Parts of the northwest are covered by the
dense Amazon rain forest, and fertile
highlands known as Planalto Central
(Brazilian Highlands and Pampas cover
the eastern and southern regions.

 The majority of people live in the eastern

and southern portions of the country,
where highlands are the source of the
world’s highest production of cana de
acucar (sugarcane), mamão (papaya),
mandioca (cassava), and laranga
(orange).
 Some of the common ingredients used in the cuisine of Brazil are:

QUIABO PIMENTO
BACALHAU Okra MANDIOCA COCO
Salt Cod
MALAGUET
A

CARNE DE FEIJÃO
FEIJÃO PRETO ARROZ
RES Beans DENDE
Black Beans
Palm Oil

AMENDOIM
CAJU
Peanuts BANANA Cashew
 Some of the common products and recipes from this region are:

FEIJOADA CARNE SECA

COZIDO - Stew of black beans and - dried beef
- Meat and vegetable stew smoked meats

VATAPÁ
- thick sauce made
from dried
shrimp, peanuts,
FAROFAS cashews, coconut
- cassava meal browned in and palm oil.
butter
PIRAOS
- cassava flour porridge
Some of the common products and recipes from this region are:

PUDIM FLAN
- pudding or custard with
caramel base

COUVE A MINEIRA
- collard greens with
onions garlic

BROA
- corn bread
 Chile
 Chile is unique in both its climate and
geographical element, as well in the
settlement of a large number of German
immigrants in the country along with
mestizos.

 In between the huge Andes range and the

ocean is a valley with a temperate climate,
and this is where the majority of crops are
grown.
 The Andes are very steep in this part of South America and thus not
cultivated as much in the north; as a result, there is more reliance on the
products of the temperate valley and the sea.

 Chile has a large industry that supplies seafood to the population.

Some of the ingredients common in the cuisine of the coastal portion of this
region include:
CONGRIOS
- conger eel
ERIZOS
- sea urchin MEJILLONES
UVAS - mussels
- grapes

Aji Cacho de Cabra

- local red chiles

OSTRA
- oyster
MACHA CAMARON
- shrimp
- razor clam
CARNE DE
RES
In the Andes Mountains, the diet is more likely to include grains such:

AVENA TRIGO
- oats - wheat QUINOA

MAIZ PAPAS TOPINAMBUR LENTEJA

- corn - potatoes - sunchokes - lentils
 Some of the common products and recipes from this region are:

CHUPE EMPANADAS
- fish stew/chowder CURANTOS SAPAIPILLAS - fried filled
- shellfish or meat stew - small fried pastries pastry
with potatoes eaten with syrup

PASTEL DE CHOCLO
- fresh corn pie CAZUELAS
PEBRE
- soup with meat,
- sauce made from herbs,
onions and chiles potatoes and corn
 South: Argentina, Bolivia,
Uruguay and Paraguay
The Southern third of the continent has a
cuisine that mostly resembles that of the
European people who settled in this region –
primarily Spanish, Italian, and German, with
smaller groups of French, Swiss and Eastern
Europe.

This area includes the largest percentage of

immigrants, and these immigrants have left an
imprint of the cuisine.
Bolivia is the one country within this
section that still has a larger population
that lives as the people did prior to the
arrival of the European; Bolivia has many
high-altitude population, as in the case of
Peru, Ecuador, and Chile.

In Bolivia, the Andes again dominates the

landscape, and the culture and diet of
Bolivians have many similarities to those
of the northern countries that include the
Andes within their borders.
This region includes the countries of
Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, and
Paraguay and is known for the local
gauchos (cowboys) who tend the large
herds of cattle that fill grassy plains in the
heartland of Argentina.

This area is mostly temperate in climate,

and the main agricultural product is the
field of feed for the cattle (and in Uruguay,
sheep industries).
 Many of the gauchos who settle this area have either Spanish or mestizo
heritage, while the more urban areas have significant populations of Italians
or German immigrants.

 Much of this area is also suitable for growing wheat and thus serves as the
main wheat-growing region of South America.
 Some of the common ingredients used in the cuisine of Brazil are:

CARNE DE RAS
TRIGO beef CARNERO BORREGO MAI
wheat mutton lamb
Z
corn

UVAS PERA
grapes MANZANA
pear MELOCOTÓN CEREZA
apple
peach cherry

CALABAZA PAPAS TOPINAMBU FREJAS

squash potatoes R strawberry Banana
sunchokes
 Some of the common products and recipes from this region are:

QUESOS EMPANADAS MATAMBRE

FLAN - fried filled - rolled and stuffed
- custard pastry beef

ASADO
- fire-charred meat SALTENÃS ALFAJORES
served with fries and - juicy meat-filled pastry - cookies filled with
chimichurri dulce de leche
Some of the common products and recipes from this region are:

HUMANITAS
- corn dough with fillings and POLENTA
wrapped in corn husk - cornmeal porridge

CARBONADA
- meat and vegetable MATÉ
stew - a drink made from
yerba maté
END OF PRESENTATION
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