PERUVIAN FOOD AND NATURAL PRODUCTS

Here we want to offer you a small guide of tipical products and food of Peru. We also want to show the world, some natural products who grow in Peruvian soil, wich in many cases, are use to cure some medical problems.

The Yacon

It's a herbaceous one that reaches the 2 ms tall. It produces great and extended tube roots, whose pulp is sweet. In our country it develops in the coast, mountain range and high forest. It is cultivated from Venezuela to the north of Argentina.

It is domesticated and cultivated from 1.200 a.C., and grows in wild form in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.

USES:

• Food: The tube roots are consumed crude, been sweet and better if they have been sunny a time; also they are possible to be consumed baked or cooked. The juice by the root like refreshing drink. The leaves are eatable and have a high protein content. In substitution of the sugar the juice of the roots is used, it is boiled and and becomes like chancaca.
• Obtaining of fruitful insulin and: Yacón has a great industrial future for the obtaining of inulina (polymeric of the fruitful one), because it is the plant with greater content of this sugar. The insulin and the fruitful one very are adapted for patients and diabetics.
• Medicinal: For the muscular reumatism and pains. The tea of the leaves is used against stress.
• Forage: The leaves and the roots serve like food the cattle. It is possible to remember that the leaves contain up to 17% of proteins.
• Agroforestería: The plant grows well in the shade.