Chairo

Chairo has its roots in the highlands of the Altiplano, where the Aymara people developed, long before the arrival of the Spanish, preservation techniques adapted to altitude and intense cold. Chuño, this potato dehydrated through cycles of night frost and sun drying, forms the heart of this soup and bears witness to ancestral knowledge of surviving the harsh climate of the Andean plateaus. This humble dish, born of the need to preserve harvests over long periods, has been passed down from household to household as a nourishing soup capable of bringing several generations together around a single cauldron. Its composition, combining dried tubers, local grains, and dried meat, reflects the ingenuity of subsistence agriculture at high altitude. Even today, chairo remains a living link between the urban kitchens of Bolivia and Peru and the rural practices of Aymara and Quechua communities.

• 150 g chuño (dehydrated potato)
• 200 g charqui (dried llama or beef)
• 100 g wheat or pearl barley
• 2 fresh potatoes
• 1 sliced onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 100 g fresh or dried broad beans
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 handful of fresh coriander
• salt and mild chili pepper to taste

1. Soak the chuño and charqui separately in cold water for several hours, or overnight, to rehydrate them and soften their texture.
2. In a large pot of water, cook the drained charqui with the onion, garlic, and wheat or barley, simmering gently over low heat.
3. Add the rehydrated chuño, broad beans, and celery stalk, then continue cooking until the grains are tender.
4. Add the fresh potatoes cut into pieces and cook for another twenty minutes.
5. Season with salt and mild chili pepper, adjusting the broth's consistency by adding hot water if necessary.
6. Finish by sprinkling with freshly chopped coriander just before serving piping hot.

Chairo offers a dense, slightly smoky broth, carried by the distinctive flavor of chuño which brings an earthy and slightly tangy note. The dried meat imparts depth with its salty, umami character, while the grains and beans naturally thicken the soup to make it a substantial dish. The mild chili pepper and fresh coriander add a subtle warmth to the whole, never masking the rustic simplicity of this highland fare.