11 ‘FOODS’ YOU WILL FIND IN THE BOLIVIAN ANDES AT 5 700M (+/-) ABOVE SEA LEVEL

BUCKET CHICKEN

Looks like chicken, must be chicken. Found in every village square in a plastic bucket, marinating in something orange.

KETTLE CHIPS

Poke a hole in the bag to let the air out, then smash ’em, crunch ’em, and compress ’em for a lightweight and savoury snack.

LOCOTO

Tongue-melting powder that’s great on almost anything.

REGIA

Congealed salt and oil; the ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!’ of Bolivia.

AJI-NO-MEN BEEFFLAVOUR RAMEN

Noodles and powdered beef. ¡Qué sabor!

MAYONESA

This is sort of mayonnaise, in the same way that apple Fruit Sparkles are sort of apples.

TUNA

Labelled ‘tuna’; pungent and gross; a Trojan horse of dietary vengeance. Do not eat!

COCA-COLA

Move over Michael Jackson! Everyone knows Coca-Cola is the King of Pop.

EGGS

They can’t help but be organic and free range.

PEPSI

Fake, knock-off, wannabe Coca-Cola; bought in haste; whatever you do, do not make this mistake.

‘THAT LEAF’

Bolivian wizards, shamans and adventurers have used the coca leaf for eons (it’s said to aid in altitude sickness, digestion, circulation, headaches, and ‘regularity’). True, when it’s put through a chemical process it becomes cocaine, but that’s not how most Bolivians use it. Like them, we stuffed the raw leaf in our cheeks and chewed on it all day. Important: don’t ‘eat’ eat it.