Country 21: Bolivia

Bolivia - my second country in South America (the first one being Argentina!)

Here's an interesting factoid: potatoes were first domesticated in the very northwestern region of Bolivia (and southern Peru) between 8000 and 5000 BC. I think potatoes are great, so I thought this was a fun thing to start off this blog post with, but my partner didn't think it was as riveting as I do.



I used to be a really fussy eater as a kid. My mum was brought up being forced to eat everything my grandparents served, and hated it, so declared that her children would not have to do that. I'm not sure how old we were when she realised her mistake. My brother and I ate nothing, and me significantly less than him. I remember being served a piece of broccoli the size of a thumb nail, and feeling ill at the thought of it. I was the same with basically everything, including potatoes.

I don't know what I was thinking. Potatoes are by far my most favourite carbohydrate these days. The possibilities are endless! If someone asked me if I had to give up potatoes or pasta, which one would it be, my answer would be instantaneous. (Nick would give up potatoes, but I think he's wrong. And ridiculous).

So potatoes do feature in today's menu, as does quinoa. Along with Peru, Bolivia is the world's largest producer of quinoa - it was cultivated in South America and was first used to feed stock, 5-7 thousand years ago. Humans began eating quinoa 3-4 thousand years ago.

My Bolivian menu features:

  • Papas Rellenas - literally, "filled potatoes" and a classic Latin snack.

Comments

Popular Posts