Peru - Alpaca Punch

Photo © Rob Jones

So, I bet like me you stay awake at night wondering what the difference is between a Llama and an Alpaca.

I’ll save you the trouble of going online to find out. There are six tell-tale differences apparently.

Alpaca ears are short and pointy. Llama’s ears are longer and bendy.

Alpaca’s stand about a metre tall. Llamas about half as much again.

Llamas are longer in the face. Alpacas look as though they’ve just walked into a wall.

Alpacas are bred for their wool. Llamas draw the short straw.

Alpaca wool is fleecier and they have more hair on their faces.

Alpacas are nervous. Llamas give as good as they get.

The photo is from a mountain Alpaca ‘theme park’ we visited, where you could feed the Alpacas, stroke them, and then watch local people tease their wool into thread and dye the result. Very colourful. I’ve no idea how authentic it was, but I can now tick the box that says ‘Have you fed an Alpaca?’

Back to Cusco - out for dinner. Lovely little restaurant, not far from the main square.

A tense debate as to whether we should order the Alpaca, now that we had met them as friends :-(

Well, we did.

Alpaca meat is very low in fat, high in protein and iron, and is believed to have the lowest cholesterol level of any meat. Saw this on many a menu.

Peruvian Lomo Saltada

Ingredients

500g Alpaca meat
500g Cooked Chips (somewhere between a UK chunky chip and American Fries.)
Half a Red Onion, sliced
I large Tomato
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Tablespoon of Aji Amarillo Paste (Peruvian Yellow Chili Pepper)
Tablesppon Fresh Coriander
Tablespoon White Wine Vinigar
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
Cooking Oil
Salta nd Pepper to Taste

Method

Heat some oil in a large pan, and add the Alpaca, salta nd pepper, cook until brown and then remove from the pan. Add the onion and cook to the pan for about 5 minutes, then adding the garlic and Aji Amarillo Paste. Cook another 5 minutes

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the steak, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned, 5-6 minutes. Remove from the pan. Add the soy sauce and vinigar and stir altogether.

Return the meat to the pan, with the chips and coriander, toss until everything is coated in the sauce

What you serve it with (if anything) is up to you although the Big Four Peruvian tastes are Corn, Potatoes, beans and Quinoa. The Spanish brought rice and pasta.

Cusco is about 3000 metres above sea-level, so the flavours had to be strong.

You might have problems finding the Aji Amarillo - aji means chili pepper and amarillo means yellow in Spanish. Together with the garlic and red onions, it is regarded as the "holy trinity" of Peruvian cuisine. You can make it yourself though - it’s just 2 chopped aji amarillo peppers, a tablespoon chopped onion, 1 chopped garlic clove, pinch of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil.

I did find it quickly online though!

RJ