A Brief Guide to Kichwa Cuisine

Tahdah!!! Here it is friends and family feast your eyes upon the delicious.....CHONTACURO!!!!  I will explain this exquisite little grub in more detail but first!

I must introduce the basic Kichwa foods and that is starch starch starch in the form of....Yucca!! Yucca or 'Manioc' as I think it's known in the States, is a potato like food that is a huge staple in the Kichwa diet.  Its usually boiled and eaten with some salt or mashed, fried, made into flour (for bread), or put in soups.  Pictured on the right is a typical breakfast you might find of fried yucca with guayusa or lemon grass tea.

Pictured here is yucca after it has been boiled and is then put it on this big wooden plate and mashed with a big rock or a mashing stick. This is how they make Chicha...which i will explain in more detail.

Another important staple starch here in the communities is Platano or Plantains as you may know them.  This banana like fruit/starch is usually boiled as well and mashed and sauteed with onions, garlic, etc for added flavor.  Also it can be thinly sliced and fried to make plantain chips or cut into thicker slices, fried, mashed, then re-fried to make patacones...Delicious!!










So we've covered a few starches and there are many many more but these are the two main ones.  Some other examples are: Papa chinos (or "elephant ears" as you might know them) the bulb at the base is boiled and eaten and is really really scrumptious; Palmitos or "heart of palm" are like those bamboo shoots you find in your fancy salads; Patas are this nut like starch and so delicious too....That's all i can think of for now.

And now on to my favorite Kichwa foods....Maitos!!!  So Miato is a type of leaf that is used for cooking things like fish, chicken, grubs, cheese, beef, vegetables....you can basically cook anything with maito leaves...it's like natures tinfoil.  Cooking food in maito gives food this added burst of flavor (to me its like a peanut flavor) as well as bringing out the natural flavors of the food you are cooking.

Pictured here is your typical tilapia maito with some yucca and tomato-onion "salad".

So about those grub worms....Chontacuros!  These grub-like worms live in the trunks of the chonta trees and are considered a delicacy with many medicinal qualities.  They say that if you have a soar-throat, cough, or congestion to eat these worms and they will help in a speedy recovery.  They certainly don't look very palatable but they are actually quite tasty...like salty bacon.  I've watched many faces of new comers trying chontacuro for the the first time and the usual phrase after eating is...'hhrrmm it's not that bad'.

Now last but certainly not least, we have come to one of the most culturally important beverages in the Kichwa diet....Chicha.  Chicha comes in many forms depending on if you are in the mountains or the jungle.  Sierra chicha is usually in the form of corn while in the jungle you find yucca and chonta as the main forms of chicha.  Chicha is a big staple point in their diet.  It makes you strong, gives you energy, and fills you up.  It's usually drunk throughout the day as farmers machete their plots, prune their cacao trees, or harvest their crops.  It can also be made into a fermented beverage and drunk during festivals and family celebrations.  Pictured above are chonta fruits.  Like the photo pictured earlier of the mashed yucca, 'chicha de chonta' is made in the same way.  The fruit is boiled then peeled; the seed is removed; and the fruit part is mashed (or chewed depending on if you are making an fermented form or not) into a paste and then stored.  The paste is mixed with water and voila!! You have your chicha! I know I mentioned 'chewed' earlier and in some communities (from my experience I've been told it's been done more often in the communities further into the jungle than closer to rural areas) they chew the chonta fruit or yucca into a paste and the bacteria from the saliva ferments the chicha and makes it into an alcoholic beverage.  I think now they have other ways of fermenting chicha apart from chewing but I'm not sure how.  Now I'm not saying its the best tasting drink out there but it certainly fills you up and gives you energy.

Well that about wraps up our basic guide to Kichwa food!  Next week:  Traditional garments and dance!

Napo: Where Am I?

So in the time that I've lived in Ecuador I don't know that I've blogged too much about the part of Ecuador I live in; who I live around; what they eat; and Kichwa culture.

Here we go!

First off I live in the Province of Napo in the Amazon (el Oriente) of Ecuador.  The capital of the Napo province is Tena, about 15 minutes south from where I live (Archidona).

(Photo below of Sangay, pronounced 'San-guy')

I am not the most travel savvy or adventurous .  Most of my vacations and traveling growing up consisted of family outings to Disney World or beach trips to the Atlantic, and the most I had seen of the jungle, great plains or desert consisted of what was shown to me on National Geographic, Animal Planet, or Planet Earth.  I can't say much but I can say this.... 

I live in a f***ing badass place...

Seriously, I have the Sumaco volcano towering over me from the north; the Sangay volcano to the south of me; the fingertips of the Andes mountains coming in to settle to the West; and to the East a vast expanse of rainforest filled with sounds, smells, textures, and emotions one could never imagine. 

It really is one of the most beautiful places in Ecuador...and dare I say it...On Earth?

(Photo above of the volcano Sumaco)

Ok well there is a little bit about where I am; what is around me; and what I see on a daily basis.  Next week...FOOD!!!  And pictured below is a sneak peek of some of the foods I'll be talking about....Enjoy!

YUMMY!!!!!

Santo Domingo COMPLETED!!!

Santo Domingo:

Well it was fun but as with all things it must come to an end...Actually, it came to an end a few weeks ago.  We completed our 8 week curriculum with the kids covering topics such as:

• Soil and Soil Types
• Trash (both organic and inorganic) and Composting
• What's a seed?
• Gardening Maintenance
• How to Make Natural Pesticides
• Nutrition
• AND SO MUCH MORE!

The end result:  A lovely greenhouse with lots of little plants just growin' growin' growin' away and an almost compost pile that was burned up on accident....Whoopsies!

Lessons Learned:

• Children have the attention span of 5 minutes (and that's only if you have an entertaining/interesting subject)
• They are nice to you before you start class and want to be your friend then they RIP YOU APART as soon as you stand up infront of the class.
• Children love digging holes
• DON'T touch chili peppers with your bare hands while making natural pesticides....I learned that the hard way
• Patience. Patience. Patience.

And now on to a new school in the community of......ALTO TENA!!!!!

So now we are starting this project in Alto Tena a community about an hour outside of the lovely city of Tena.  One of the Global Citizen Year girls is working with that community and I thought it would be a good opportunity to start a new Gardening/Environmental Ed class with the children.  We've got the structure up and on Friday we are putting up the roof and making the beds and building a fence.

Photos:

A few of the kids from the Alto Tena school

A Giant Worm!! Yes they exist...

Me (very tired) and the kids

Lady with a birds nest

All the kids LOVE Clare's hair!!

That's all for now on the gardening/Environmental Education side.

I have decided to set a new goal for myself on this blog.  I'm going to do weekly updates no matter how boring and I want to incoporate more facts and history about the culture here and in Ecuador in general.  What do you guys think??? 

Chaoooooo!!!

Class 3: Planting reality one seedbed at a time!

Class 3:  Seeds and Seedbeds



What's in a seed I ask?  And how is it that such a tiny thing can grow into such a huge plant such as a watermelon or tomato?? Trying to convey this thought and enthusiasm to a group of eight-year-olds who would rather be watching WWF wrestling than listen about gardening is certainly a feat but I think poco a poco the kids are starting to get more and more into our gardening classes.

This week we talked about seeds and seedbeds and then had the kids make their own seedbeds.  We planted watermelon, tomato, cucumber, cauliflower, and some herbs and the kids were really into it.  The best part of these classes have been the transition of the teachers participation.  The first class the teachers were very in the back of the class and not really helping us control the kids but now on our third class the teacher were participating with the kids and even going out and looking for container for seedbeds and taking the initiative to go and pass out seeds to the kids and help plant!  The director of the school also asked Helen and I if we could make a manual/document of all the classes we have done and classes we are going to do so she can use the information for future classes!  So all in all a very good 3rd week!

 Helen and I making seedbeds out of egg crates and bottles

Two heads are better than one!!

Filling up our seedbeds

The directora and teachers helping pass out seeds

Kids helping gather soil for their plantitas!!!

Day 2: Trash and Composting!

 Class 2 with the kids we identified the difference between organic and inorganic trash and started a compost pile.

  So we had our second class in Santo Domingo working with the kids.  This week we talked with the class about identifying the difference between organic and inorganic trash.  This class luckily coincided with the Municipio de Archidona giving the school 4 sets of trashcans labeled for organic and inorganic wastes.  So we used them for one of our games with the kids.

Helen and I explaining our "race to get the trash in the right place" game.  This is one of new trashcans donated by the Municipio.

Helen showing the difference, to the class, between the 'red' trashcan for inorganic wastes and the 'blue' trashcan for organic wastes

Me attempting to wrangle up the kids and get them into lines to start the game.  Success?!

  The game went more or less successfully and after we separated and disposed of all the trash we talked to the kids about the benefits of using organic waste for composting.  We talked about starting a composting pile out behind the school to use for the vegetable garden.  The kids seemed pretty enthusiastic about it and in no time at all we had our pile up and ready! 

The kids and I throwing the organic wastes together with leaves, sticks, etc.

The Finished Product!! 

  Next week we will take a peek inside and see how our compost is doing and hopefully add more too it.  We are also going to have class next week on seeds and how to make seed beds!  Stay tuned! 

Santo Domingo: Day 1 Soil and Diggin'!!

The time has come! The walrus said. To talk of gardening and children! 

 My fellow PC volunteer, Helen, and I have started doing gardening classes with the kids from Santo Domingo.  A community nestled about 30 minutes outside of Archidona in the jungle.  Over the summer there were 2 girls from Duke,working with Fundacion Runa, and living in Santo Domingo trying to promote proper nutrition and gardening with the kids at the local school.  They were there for two months and while they did an awesome job setting up the nursery garden and giving nutrition classes; two months is just not enough time to really accomplish what the girls had set out to do.  Sooo....with the help of my counterpart, I decided that Helen and I should take over the gardening and nutrition classes with the kids since we are still here for 6 months and some change (me hopefully longer).

  Kids are funny is all I have to say.  We have only done two classes so far with them and it is certainly an art trying to keep there attention but I think that we are doing alright with them.  Our first class was about soil; identifying good types of soil and how to figure out if you have good soil drainage in your garden.  The best part for them being the hole digging while we were trying to do a drainage test.  Everyone wanted to dig holes and put water in them!  You would have thought we had made some amazing new discovery called 'the hole'!

Helen doing her soil test

Lets dig!

Drainage Test: Yep that's a hole there!! 

Sometimes you just gotta say "Whoopsies"

I am not going to apologize and again and again for my lack of entries....just gonna say whoopsies :).

So here we are with about 6 months to go and I am thinking about extending...Yes sir you heard it right!  After all the tough times, tears, and silly moments I want to stay and do it again for another year!

Life back Home
Things have been going well at Runa and Archidona. I went home for three weeks for my best friends wedding the beginning of October.

Thar She Blows!!!
Before that I went to Puerto Lopez with the lovely Elizabeth Glass, Oscar Veloz (my new fella), Helen mujer, and the Omn bus 105 clan (well some not all).  It was AMAZING to say the least.  I've never seen a whale, aside from Animal Planet, and to be literally 5 feet away from a group of them was an unbelievable experience.  I will never never forget it.  The beach was amazing and Puerto Lopez is a lovely little laid back community on the beach where one can lay back in a hammock, drinking overpriced beer, and relax to your hearts content (or until your money runs out).  I hope to go back for another visit in the near future.

Me and Elizabeth at La Isla De La Plata

Oscar taking in some sun

La Isla de la Plata

Blue-footed Boobies!

We found star-fish!

Work and Ecuafamily Life
Before that I finished my big project with Runa in August.  I don't know if you followers remembered but I was head leader of the needs assessment surveys for the Fundacion. Basically it was like CAT Tools on steroids.  I went into over 50 communities and interviewed over 300 farmers since August of 2011 to August of 2012.  Thanks so much to all you Runa Interns out there by the way for all your help, input, patience, laughs, and humor.  You made it much more pleasant and adventurous experience!  Anyway we presented the data (whooo it was a lot!) to the CEP (Comite Ejecutivo de Productores de guayusa).  It felt like such an accomplishment to have finished after going out to all those communities and talking to all those people and finally being able to put it all together and hand it to the CEP and say here are the voices of your fellow members this is what they want.  Well, whether they really looked it over seriously or not it was still a great feeling for me.
Now I am hoping to work more on agroforestry projects with the local farmers and the Fundacion.  I really am going to get on the ball and make an effort to do this at least once or twice a month.  Helen and I are also starting gardening charlas with the kids in a community near archi.  Hope that works out as well.

As for family and friends here in Ecuador they are pretty darn awesome!  Days off are just awesome spending time with fellow volunteers, going to the river, seeing monkeys, feeling comfortable enough in our own surroundings to really get out there more and explore.  It only took a year and a half!  Although where I live its hard to leave...I'm pretty much a site rat.

Baby BBQ time!

Oscar and Elizabeth trying to figure out the 'baby' BBQ

This little guy was a real sweetie!

Aby, Oscar, y Yo and of course our little friend Alex!

A Tigre!

Spider Monkey

Me with the Tarpirs family!

Oh my birthday was awesome this year too!  Elizabeth made me a cake! So far I like being 27 and I still have a ways to go with it but I am curious to see how 28 treats me on year three.  I guess you guys will just have to wait a year to find out!

Aliana and Oscar at my Birthday!

Cake and singing are the best parts of Birthdays!

And the second best is getting your face smashed in your cake! Yay!