Chuño Negro Potatoes
Estimated Inventory, lb : 0
Description/Taste
Chuño Negro varies in size but is typically small, averaging 2 to 4 centimeters in length and 1 to 3 centimeters in diameter, and the overall appearance depends on the type of potato used. The dried tubers range in shape from round, oval, and cylindrical to elongated, and the surface has a textured, firm, rough, and powdery feel. Chuño Negro exhibits variegated shades of beige, dark brown, black, and tan, and the coloring is created from oxidation and sunlight exposure during processing. It is challenging to break open the tuber when dried, but if opened, the interior will have a light brown-grey hue, and the consistency will be hard and dense. Once rehydrated, Chuño Negro develops a soft but semi-firm, slippery, and chewy texture. Chuño Negro is edible once rehydrated and has a bland, neutral, and earthy taste. The tubers are primarily consumed for their nutritional value, texture, and filling nature and tend to absorb accompanying flavors.
Seasons/Availability
Chuño Negro is made from freshly harvested potatoes in March and April. Once freeze-dried, the hardened tubers can be stored year-round.
Current Facts
Chuño Negro, botanically a part of the Solanum genus, is a descriptor for freeze-dried, dehydrated potatoes belonging to the Solanaceae or nightshade family. Chuño refers to a traditional process of drying various potato varieties among indigenous communities in the Andes Mountains. The name Chuño is derived from “Ch’uñu,” a Quechua word meaning “freeze-dried potato.” Chuño Negro is one of two types of Chuño found in markets and is made from amargas, or wild, bitter potato varieties. These bitter varieties were some of the few potatoes that could survive the region’s intense frosts. Despite their hardiness, bitter potatoes also contain toxic glycoalkaloids that must be removed before consumption. Creating Chuño Negro through dehydrating and freeze-drying bitter potatoes was a practical process as it reduced glycoalkaloids and created a more palatable taste. Chuño Negro was also a traditional method to create a preservable food source for sustenance during times of famine and food scarcity. Among Andean communities, Chuño has been called the “eternal food” and is revered for its extended storage properties, capable of lasting for over 20 years. A food of the past and present, Chuño is a treasured ingredient and is still being made as a culinary and medicinal ingredient. Processing potatoes into Chuño Negro is a community event, and families gather each year to make enough to feed their immediate kin and sell the surplus to local markets as a source of income. In commercial markets, Chuño Negro is considered the most common form of Chuño.
Nutritional Value
Chuño Negro is a source of fiber to regulate the digestive tract, potassium to balance fluid levels within the body, iron to develop the protein hemoglobin for oxygen transport through the bloodstream, calcium to protect bones and teeth, vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, and other nutrients, including magnesium, B vitamins, and zinc. In natural medicines throughout communities in the Andes Mountains, Chuño is consumed as a filling ingredient and is believed to help the digestive tract. It is also thought of as a natural source of energy.
Applications
Chuño Negro has a neutral, subtly bitter, earthy, and starchy taste suited for cooked preparations. The dehydrated tubers must be rehydrated before use and are typically soaked in water overnight. During this process, the tubers are squeezed, and the water is changed several times to help reduce bitterness. Once rehydrated, Chuño Negro is typically added to soups and stews. In Peruvian cuisine, Chuño is popularly incorporated into puchero and chupe de patatas con Chuño, different types of soups and stews comprised of vegetables, meats, and herbs. The rehydrated tubers are also added to stir-fries, including variations of saltado, cooked with cheese, or used as a bread substitute during breakfast. Chuño Negro can be cooked whole or torn into pieces, and the ancient ingredient has been transformed through contemporary recipes such as tacos, mashed potatoes, and gratins. In Bolivia, Chuño Negro is combined into side dishes such as phuti, stuffed into empanadas called salteñas, or mixed into chairo paceño, a vegetable and meat stew. Beyond utilizing whole, Chuño Negro can be ground into a powder and used as a thickener in sweet and savory dishes. Powdered Chuño Negro is used as a porridge, rice pudding, and baby food or added to desserts such as mazamorra morada, a corn pudding, cakes, cookies, and candies. The powder can also be folded into purees, sauces, soups, and stews. Chuño Negro pairs well with tomatoes, potatoes, corn, legumes, peas, aromatics including garlic, onions, and chile peppers, meats such as veal, beef, pork, and poultry, peanuts, and spices including cumin, oregano, parsley, mint, and cayenne pepper. The dried potatoes will keep for several years when stored in a cool, dry, and dark place, with some types having been notably stored for 10 to 20 years in the Andes Mountains.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
There are two types of Chuño found in South America, categorized as Chuño Negro and Chuño Blanco. Both types of Chuño are made from potatoes but are processed in slightly different ways. Chuño is traditionally made in the Altiplano region of the Andes Mountains, where the temperature drastically fluctuates between day and night. This temperature variation allows indigenous communities within the mountains to naturally dehydrate items for extended storage properties. Wild and bitter potato varieties are harvested in March and April to make Chuño Negro. The tubers are spread across the ground on flat areas within the mountains known as chuñunapampa, a name derived from Aymara meaning “the place where Chuño is made.” The bitter potatoes are exposed to freezing nighttime temperatures. In the daytime, the potatoes are stepped on to release water from the flesh, remove the skins, and allow the tubers to dry. Despite being rubbed, the potatoes retain their shape, and this process is repeated for 4 to 10 days until the tubers are completely dried. This is how Chuño Negro is made. Chuño Blanco, also known as Tunta, is put through this same process but is typically made in July and August. During the day, the tubers are covered in a blanket to protect them from sunlight and are later washed in streams, lakes, or rivers to create a powdery, white appearance. Between Chuño Negro and Chuño Blanco, Chuño Negro is regarded as a more common, everyday type for culinary use, while Chuño Blanco is considered rarer, utilized for culinary, medicinal, and ceremonial purposes.
Geography/History
Chuño Negro is native to South America and has been produced since ancient times. The process of making Chuño originated in the Altiplano region of the Andes Mountains. Altiplano is Spanish for “high plains” and are grassland areas situated at high elevations within the mountain range spanning across modern-day Peru and western Bolivia. Historically, Chuño Negro was made in indigenous communities as a method to preserve food and reduce bitter toxins from wild potato species. This preservation method was known in pre-Columbian eras and was notably practiced among the Incas. Chuño was also noted in several written records created by Spanish naturalists, especially in Jesuit missionary José de Acosta’s detailed accounts of life in Peru in the 16th century. Acosta mentioned that Chuño was purchased by Spanish businessmen who sold it as a food source among enslaved workers in the silver mines of Postosí in Bolivia. Over time, Chuño was produced by indigenous communities of the high plains and was used as a food source that was traded with communities outside of the mountains. Chuño spread as far as various coastal regions in Peru, and the lightweight dehydrated tubers were valued as food to protect families during times of scarcity. In the modern day, Chuño Negro and Chuño Blanco are still made using traditional techniques in the Andes Mountains and are consumed locally and transported and sold in local markets throughout Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Ecuador. The Chuño Negro featured in the photograph above was sourced through markets in the districts of Surquillo and Miraflores in Lima, Peru.
