Travelogue: On Hallowed Ground in a Sacred Valley



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Join chef and Feast contributor Erik Jacobs on the second half of his Peruvian travels.

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Machu Picchu: The City of Lost Incan Civilization

This “lost” city of Incan civilization is hidden in a remote portion of the Andes mountains. Named one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World,” Machu Picchu was constructed around 1400 a.d. then mysteriously abandoned less than 200 years later. Spared from plunder during the Spanish Conquest, these spectacular ruins were based on a system of terraces to best utilize the mountain terrain. The levels of engineering and technology necessary to build such a compound were quite advanced for the time.
Market Day in Chinchero

Coming down from our spiritual high in Machu Picchu the day before, we descend into a dizzying array of textiles, produce, and hand crafted trinkets at the Indian Market at Chinchero.
Spectacular Street Food

For better or worse, I love’s me the street food! Here, I await some deep fried pork nuggets that this market woman just hacked off the raw primal on the ground next to her. It was Mother’s Day when we visited. Notice the confetti sprinkled in the hair of all the moms. Refrigeration? We don’t need no stinkin’ refrigeration!
Drinking a Chicha (Corn Beer)

Shut up and drink your Chicha! This corn “beer” is rumored to begin in the mouths of local women who chew and spit out the corn kernels in order to begin the fermentation process. Quite popular with the locals, we just had to try some. Mantra of the trip? What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger...
Stocking Up on Coca Leaves

Stocking up on Coca leaves (for the benign anti-altitude effects of the tea, of course).
Hiking the Pink Salt Mines of Maras

Hiking from Urubamba up to the Pink Salt Mines of Maras. At an altitude of over 10,000 feet above sea level, these salt plateaus are fed by an ancient salt water spring at the top of the mountain rumored to be the source of an ancient trapped ocean. Individual families own each plot, harvest the salt as it dries in the intense Peruvian sun, and have done so for the past 2000 years. It’s really delicious.
Behind the Circles in Moray

From Maras, we took a taxi to the nearby Incan Agricultural “Laboratory” of Moray. Theories claim this was used by the Incas to develop new seed strains in a controlled setting. Devised as a series of concentric circles dug into natural depressions in the earth nearly 450 feet deep, the Incas were able to study effective irrigation systems and altitude on native vegetation.
Local Girls in Pisac

Adorable little girls at the town square in Pisac.
21st Century Commerce

This high powered market woman sells her natural color pigments while negotiating global shipping rates on her cell phone (author’s interpretation).
Lunch at Mullu Café in Pisac

A memorable lunch enjoyed at Mullu Café in Pisac (www.mullu.pe). This Peruvian/Thai fusion restaurant was a wonderful find after the seemingly endless marketplace in Pisac. Pictured here: Trout en Escabeche (Grilled local trout with pickled onions) with Causa de Congrejo (Layered potato and crab salad) and Leche de Tigre (The spicy/sour marinade leftover from making ceviche…served warm!)
A Guinea Pig Compound

A seemingly fairytale scene of happy guinea pigs (cuy) living lives of pampered leisure in a hand constructed clay compound….unaware that just steps away lies their true fate.
The Foods of Peru

…the wood-fired horno where the Oven Master proudly makes his empanadas, bakes his breads, and roasts his cuy for enthusiastic patrons. Roast Guinea Pig is considered a delicacy in Peru.
A Delicious End to the Trip...

And I concur. Cuy Confit served at one of the best restaurants in the world, “Astrid y Gaston” (astridygaston.com) in Lima. A delicious end to an energizing and enlightening trip to Peru.

FEAST Magazine | Inspired Food Culture/St. Louis

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