Queso de rocas (rock cheese): This is the most common way of making cheese up in the sierra. Someone puts fresh goat milk in a coke bottle and sets it in direct sunlight. After enough time passes for bacteria to grow and the milk has sufficiently hardened, they hang it up on clothes lines in the open air to age. I was told it ages anywhere from three to six months and is covered in flies for the duration. Once finished, the final product is a grayish wrinkled ball that could crack diamonds. After you gnaw on it for about fifteen minutes the center tastes like curdled milk. I ate this for three days straight when I first arrived and payed for it the following week because my stomach was still green. That would soon change though because the queso de rocas was only the start.
Caldo de vaca/oveja (sheep or cow head soup): This is the most common breakfast when you are in the campos. The cow head is usually shared because of its size. The cook places the entire thing in a very large pot where it simmers until ready to eat. Once cooked, each person takes a turn scraping the meat they want off the face. The eyes are reserved for the cooks and each could be a meal in themself. I got lucky with the sheep head soup though because it came to me in full, complete with two succulent eyeballs. The taste of a half-cooked sheep eye is not terrible, I would compare it to fat on a steak but the texture, however, is a different story. The first bite into the eye pops it and releases all of the juicy fluids into the back of your mouth.
Chicha amarilla (yellow chicha): Chicha is one of the most common drinks in Peru and comes in many forms, all derived from different types of maize. Purple chicha is quite tasty and, luckily, the most common. Its yellow brother isn't quite as good. Yellow chicha is the only type which is alcoholic and if I had to describe the taste i would say it is a bit like sour mushrooms. The texture is also that of glue and it doesn't slide down very easily.
La canya (cane alcohol): This is the equivalent of Peruvian moonshine. It is most commonly made in the houses of rural residents by distilling the sugar cane plant to a nearly poisonous level. Canya is by far the strongest alcohol I have ever tasted. It would put everclear to shame. This has earned it the title of agua del infierno (hell water).
El extracto de la rana (frog juice): I saved what I thought was the most entertaining treat for last. The frog juice is unlike anything I have ever seen. A woman works a booth advertising this stuff in most local markets. There is a counter, a bin full of live frogs, and a blender. You choose your frog and it is placed live into the spinning blender. The result is a liquified sludge with the consistency of yogurt and a slight fishy overtone. This was the only food that almost came back up but I managed to keep it down. Apparently it will be good for my mental health and fertility now which is why most people drink it but I have serious doubts.
I currently only have photos of the sheep head soup and frog juice but will try to take some of the other delectables and post them soon.
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