Anticucho / America Street Food

Anticuchos (singular anticucho, Quechua 'Anti Kuchu', Anti: 'Eastern region of the Andes' or 'Eastern native ethnicities', Kuchu: 'Cut'; Quechua for 'Anti-style cuts', 'Eastern-style cuts') are popular and inexpensive meat dishes that originated in the Andes during the pre-Columbian era. The modern dish was adapted during the colonial era between the 16th and 19th centuries and can now be found in Peru.

Anticuchos can be found on street-carts and street food stalls (anticucheras). The meat may be marinated in vinegar and spices (such as cumin, ají pepper and garlic). While anticuchos can be made of any type of meat, the most popular are made of beef heart (anticuchos de corazón). Anticuchos often come with a boiled potato or bread on the end of the skewer. A similar dish, shish kebab, is found in Mediterranean cuisine. In Peru, anticuchos are linked to the procession of Señor de los Milagros.

 

Although Anticuchos are of Pre-Columbian origin, historically Anticuchos can be traced as far back as the 16th century, when they were first encountered by the Spanish conquistadors. It was at this time that European ingredients such as garlic were added, and beef began to replace the traditional llama that was used at the time of the Inca Empire. It was a popular dish among the inhabitants of the Inca Empire, and it is currently popular throughout most South American countries. Americanized versions of anticuchos are sometimes made of non-organ meats.  

According to the text file from the National Library in Lima (Peru),[citation needed] it is believed that the term comes from the Quechua antikuchu (anti: 'East' + kuchu: 'cut' or uchu: 'porridge, mix'). The writer Erika Fetzer mentions[citation needed] that according to tradition, anticuchos were prepared with meat and flame. The Spanish strung the meat on sticks as skewers. The Spaniards also brought enslaved blacks, which were established in Lima and the coast of southern Chico de la Ciudad de los Reyes of the Vice-royalty of Peru. They adopted this dish.

   

In those days the Spanish dismissed offal as food for slaves, using non-offal meats out of the desire to have a dish that was more attractive to them. The presently used recipe, with its traditional flavor, specifically uses beef heart. In Peru, the tradition continues with the traditional name and ingredients; anticuchos are consumed by all social classes of Peru, and is especially popular as a street food. Peruvian Ricardo Palma's speeches, Tradiciones Peruanos were published in 1833, mention the sale of anticuchos at 3 in the afternoon.