Facts About Charquicán
Charquicán is a stew dish that is popular in Chile, Peru, Bolivia and other countries in the Andean region.
Charquicán is made with ch'arki or beef, potatoes, pumpkin, white corn, onion and sometimes peas and corn. It was originally made from dried and salted llama meat or beef. The modern Chilean version of Charquicán is made with minced beef and topped with a fried egg.
Origins
The word “charquicán”, from charquikanka, is thought to be a Quechua word meaning "stew with ch'arki (jerky)", though some have claimed that the word is a mix of the Quechua word ch'arki and the Mapudungun word cancan (dried roasted meat). This dish was commonly eaten by merchants travelling between the port of Arica and the mines of Potosí and by peasants travelling with herds of livestock. Later, in the times of the Chilean War of Independence, the Charquicán cuyano was a frequently eaten by the soldiers of the Army of the Andes.
Variation
- Tomatican: has added tomatoes.
- Charquicán of quchayuyu, or Cochayuyicán: Meat or jerky replaced with quchayuyu seaweed (Durvillaea antarctica).
Paraguay