On the Wild Potato. 261 



and Mestizos there make what they call Chiipe, that is, small 

 pieces of potato boiled in water, with the addition of pepper, 

 and generally seasoned with bullock's fat ; this dish they par- 

 take of two or three times a day, and it forms their chief food. 

 Its great cheapness and satisfying quality reconcile the natives 

 to its tastelessness and less nourishing property; and the Mes- 

 tizos of the mild valleys would rather live on Chupe six days in 

 the week, than be obliged to work hard two days together. The 

 inhabitants of Punas are well skilled in preserving potatoes to 

 keep to any length of time, which methods are not generally known 

 in Europe. They give the name of Chunu Chuno to the best- 

 tasted preparation, which consists of potatoes left spread 

 out in the open air for several nights, and exposed to the frost; 

 during the day, however, they are put in a cold place, and pro- 

 tected from light and heat, so that they neither rot nor have a 

 bad smell. They are then laid between layers of straw, and 

 the small degree of moisture they contain pressed from them 

 by treading and pressure, so that they at last form a mass 

 of a whitish, wrinkled, light substance, and which, when boiled, 

 forms a gelatinous liquid of a light grey colour and a not un- 

 pleasant taste. This preparation is brought from Sierra to the 

 coast, and also to the warm forests towards the east, where it is 

 in great repute. It keeps good for several years together in the 

 climate of the Andes, and it even suits better the moist heat of 

 the ancient forests than any other vegetable preparation. I 

 found this provision very useful to me during my journey to 

 Huallaga ; and it did not a little excite the astonishment of the 

 inhabitants of Brazil, as on the banks of the Maranon no kind 

 of dried provision will keep one year. 



The second preparation is called Morai, and only differs from 

 the preceding in the potatoes being pared, and otherwise ma- 

 naged with greater nicety. 



A third way of preserving the potato consists in cutting them 

 in thin slices, and fastening them on a string. They dry well 

 and very quickly in this manner in the atmosphere of the Andes. 

 The potatoes of the Sierra are not much larger than a large 

 kind of walnut, which we in Germany call Wdlsche Niisse, but 

 they have a particularly good flavour, and, like those in Europe, 

 consist of a great many varieties. In the forests of the warm 

 regions of the valleys, which reach as far as Huanuco, the inha- 

 bitants cultivate a very excellent variety, probably a peculiar 

 species, as it is very sensitive of cold, and produces tubers every 

 three months. When it is once planted, it requires no more 

 care, but continues to flourish. I found it common also in 

 Cuchuro and Cassapi, and the flavour was very good. {Poppig's 

 Iteise^ vol. ii. p. 81.) 



