La Comida

Pacenos eat a wide variety of foods, but most often they eat simple meals of rice and potatoes. One favorite dish is something called chuño (it is pronounced choon-yo). Hundreds of years ago the incas and other indigenous andeans survived on chuño. Its a little bit like a freeze dried potato. The potatoes are set out in the sun during the day and then buried in the ground and frozen at night. This is repeated several times and the result is a blackened potato that can be stored for over 100 years. Most outsiders don't like chuño at all. Definitely an acquired taste.