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Achira
Cultivated since Pre-Hispanic times, achira (Canna indica) produces edible rhizomes and grows from sea level to 2,900 m.
Ahipa
A member of the Fabacea family,
ahipa (Pachyrrhizus tuberosus) flourishes in the tropical lowlands
and on the coast and is cultivated
for its edible tuberous roots.
Aguaymanto
A bush of the Solanacea family (Physalis peruviana) that grows at altitudes from 800 to 2,600 m. Its fruit is used to make jams and compotes.
Aimara
A native Andean language spoken today by 2.5 million people mainly in the Lake Titicaca area, but also in parts of Argentina and Chile.
Ajiaco
A stew made of diced potatoes, beef broth, onions and hot peppers.
Ají
The common name in Peru for hot peppers of the Capsicum genus, native to South America and widely cultivated around the world.
Algarrobo
This tree (Prosopis pallida) belongs to the Leguminosa family and grows in the dry tropical forest. Found up to 1,500 m.
Aluko chop
A traditional Nepalese dish consisting of fried patties of cooked potatoes, onions, pepper and turmeric.
Amaranth
Cultivated since Prehispanic
times, Amaranthus caudatus grains
are highly nutritious. It is called kiwicha or aschis in Peru.
Amancae
A plant of the Amaryllidaceae
family (Hymenocallis amancaes),
which grows wild on the Peruvian coast and is cultivated as an ornamental.
Apu
A pre-Hispanic Andean term for mountain god.
Arracacha
This plant, Arracacia xanthorrhiza, is cultivated for its edible tuberous roots from 600 to 3,200 m.
Atahualpa
Son of the Inca emperor Huayna
Capac, Atahualpa and his
half-brother Huascar were embroiled
in a war of succession on the eve
of the Spanish conquest. Atahualpa
was captured by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro
and executed in Cajamarca,
Peru, in 1533.
Ayni
A Quechua term meaning shared work and communal cooperation.
Bacterial wilt
Also known as brown rot, it is
caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. Bacterial wilt causes severe losses
in tropical, subtropical and
temperate areas but can also occur
in cooler climates.
Belladonna
A plant in the Solanacea family (Atropa belladonna), whose leaves and stems produce substances used by the
pharmaceutical industry.
Bombiderres
A term used for potatoes in North
and West Africa, from the French pomme de terre.
Caigua
A vine-like plant, Cyclanthera sp., produces a large, hollow green vegetable. Cultivated since pre-Hispanic times, it is eaten cooked or raw and is known to reduce cholesterol levels.
Cantuta
The national flower of Peru
(Cantua buxifolia), it produces a profusion of white, yellow or red blooms and grows at altitudes from 2,300 to 3,800 m.
Carapulcra
A dish made from dehydrated potatoes, pork or beef, ají and other spices.
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
A supplementary accord to the Convention on Biological Diversity, adopted by the Conference of the Parties on 29 January 2000. It seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology. It establishes a procedure for insuring that countries are provided with the necessary information to make informed decisions before agreeing to the import of such organisms into their territory.
Capulí
A member of the Rosacea family, the capulí tree (Prunus serotina), produces small, plum-like fruits.
Chacra
A Quechua term for a potato field at lower altitudes than the narrow, terraced family plots on the steep hillsides. The Spanish eventually used the term chacra to describe any field. The term is used widely today in the Andean region for any type of field or small farm.
Chamico
A toxic plant of the Solanacea family (Datura stramonium) that grows up to altitudes of 3,000 m.
Chicha
A fermented beverage made from a variety of ingredients, but principally from maize.
Chiguanco
A bird, Turdus chiguanco, or Chiguanco thrush, found in Andean valleys from Ecuador to Chile.
Chinchircuma
A bush of the Asteracea family
(Mutisia acuminata) that grows at altitudes from 1,800 to 3,500 m.
Chirimoya
A tree, Annona cherimola, cultivated since pre-Columbian times for
its sweet fruit.
Chullo
A conical, knitted and brightly colored cap with flaps over the ears, worn by men in the Andean region.
Coca
From the Aimara koka. A bush of the Erythroxylaceae family (Erythroxylon coca), cultivated in the Andean region, India and Java. Coca leaves are an important offering in traditional Andean religious and magical rites.
Cock-of-the-rock
The brilliantly colored Rupicola peruviana inhabits dense, cloud forest from northwest Venezuela to Bolivia. Its bright red and deep black plumage make it an easy target for birds of prey.
Collao
A plateau in Puno, Peru, home of the Colla, an Aimara-speaking ethnic group conquered by the Incas in the fifteenth century.
Dauphine
A French dish made with mashed potatoes, flour, nutmeg, butter and milk and then fried.
Genebank
Genebanks safeguard genetic
diversity, which is vital to global
food security. The International
Potato Center has the largest genebank of potato and sweet potato in the world. The collection,
featuring thousands of samples of cultivated and wild potatoes, allows the Center to produce better adapted and higher yielding pest and disease resistant varieties.
Gnocchi
A traditional, northern Italian dumpling made of potatoes and flour.
Green Revolution
A term used to describe the large increases achieved in grain
production between the late 1960s and early 1980s in developing countries such as Mexico, India, Pakistan and the Philippines.
The increases were achieved by using high-yielding hybrids, chemical fertilizers and new harvesting methods.
Fructan
Polysaccharide made up of units of fructose with one terminal glucose.
Haicha! haillu!
A Quechua exclamation of triumph.
Huarango
A tree (Acacia macracantha) with a broad canopy found on the coastal desert and in arid, highland areas up to 3,000 m.
Huáscar
A son of the Inca emperor
Huayna Cápac, Huáscar was overthrown and killed by his
half-brother, Atahualpa.
Ichu
A grass (Stipa ichu) that grows in the highland plains of the Andes and is used as pasture and for thatching roofs.
Kañiwa
A highly nutritious grain, Chenopodium pallidicaule has been cultivated since pre-Hispanic times in the Andean highlands from 3,800 to 4,400 m.
Kikuyu
Half of Kenya’s population belongs to this tribe, which inhabits the central part of the country and whose main language is Bantu.
Kiswar
A small bush-like tree, Buddleja sp., with a twisted, knotted trunk. It grows high in the Andes at between 3,400 and 4,500 m.
Knishes
Small, baked pastries made from mashed potato or from wheat flour
and filled with potatoes, onions, eggs and beef sausages.
Late blight
A disease caused by the pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Easily spread by wind-borne spores or infected tubers, a late blight attack first shows up as a few grayish spots on the plant’s foliage, followed by a cottony film. The leaves show signs of necrosis and the plant dies within a few days.
Lúcuma
A tree, Pouteria lucuma, which bears a green-skinned fruit with a deep yellow, creamy pulp.
Maguey
A member of the Agavacea family, Agave americana grows throughout Central and South America up to 3,400 m. Fibers from its leaves are used to make rope and bags.
Maca
Cultivated since pre-Hispanic times, maca, Lepidium meyenii, is grown
for its edible roots and leaves in
the high Andean plains from 3,500 to 4,500 m.
Manco Cápac
The legendary founder of the Inca Empire.
Manioc
A shrubby tree, also known as
cassava or mandioca, cultivated since pre-Hispanic times. A staple of
tropical forest peoples’ diets, it also grows in coastal areas. Cultivated
for its edible roots, manioc
(Manihot esculenta) is used to
prepare farina (manioc flour) and masato (a fermented, mildly
alcoholic beverage), and is also the basis for tapioca.
Mashua
A member of the nasturtium
family, Tropaeolum tuberosum is grown in the Andean highlands for
its edible tubers.
Mauka
This edible tuber, Mirabilis
expansa, thrives in the highlands
from 2,200 to 3,500 m.
Molle
This tree, Schinus molle grows on
the coast and in the Andean
highlands up to 3,000 m. Its fruit is used to make chicha.
Native potatoes
Potatoes native to the Andes,
which – through domestication and local selection – have developed highly valuable traits such as taste, disease and pest resistance and adaptation to a range of climatic conditions.
Oca
Cultivated from 2,800 to 4,000 m, oca (Oxalis tuberosa) is grown for its edible tubers, which are also prepared as chuño.
Olluco
Ullucus tuberosus is cultivated for its tubers and edible leaves and is also prepared as chuño.
Pachamanca
A traditional, festive way of cooking
in the Andean region. A hollow
in the ground is lined with hot
stones on which potatoes, sweet potatoes, maize and meats are placed in layers that are divided by herbs and leaves, often sprinkled with chicha, and then covered with more hot stones and left to cook.
Pheromones
A substance produced by animals to attract others of the same species.
Pisonay
A tree (Erythrina sp.) native to the high areas of the Andean region. It grows up to altitudes of 3,000 m.
Pukka
The Hindi term meaning “of superior quality,” also used to refer to the culture and lifestyle acquired by the British after they colonized India.
Puya raimondii
The world’s largest bromeliad,
named after the Italian explorer Antonio Raimondi. It flowers
in a spike that towers to about
10 m and is made up of
several hundred branches, each carrying some 50 greenish-white flowers.
Qiwña
An Andean tree (Polylepis sp.),
found in dense forests at altitudes
of 2,800 to 5,000 m.
Qolle
A bush (Buddleia sp.), which grows on the high plains between 3,400 and 4,500 m.
Quechua
A native Andean language adopted by the Incas as their lingua franca and spoken today by some 7.5 million people in Peru and by five million inhabitants in neighboring Ecuador and Bolivia.
Quena
An Andean flute.
Rösti
A Swiss dish composed of slightly boiled potatoes that are then grated and fried to make a sort of hash brown.
Tahuantinsuyo
The Inca name for their
empire, which flourished from
around 1450-1532. The largest
empire in the New World, it
included southern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and parts of Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.
Tarwi
A plant of the Fabacea family. The edible seeds of Lupinus mutabilis are highly nutritious and used in stews and soups.
Tiahuanaco
A pre-Hispanic culture that
flourished around Lake Titicaca
from AD 300 to 900.
Totora
This acuatic plant of the
Cyperaceae family (Scirpus totora)
is a relative of papyrus. It grows
from 2-3 m above water level.
Totora fiber is used to build
homes and boats, as well
as in basketry; its tender
shoots are edible.
Tupac Amaru II
The name assumed by
José Gabriel Condorcanqui
(1741-1781) when he rebelled
against Spanish colonial rule in Peru in 1780-1781. He was drawn and quartered in Cusco.
Varayoq
The maximum authority of an
ayllu or traditional Andean
highland community. The term,
a mix of Spanish and Quechua, literally means “the one who
holds the staff.”
Yacón
Cultivated for its edible tuberous
roots and its leaves, (Smallanthus sonchifolius) grows in the
tropical lowlands, on the coast
and in the highlands. Also
known as jicama.
Yareta
This plant, Azorella compacta,
clings to rocks on the high,
treeless grasslands at over 4,000 m.
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