Papa a la huancaína

Papa a la huancaína is a Peruvian appetizer of boiled potatoes coated in a creamy sauce of fresh cheese and yellow chili pepper. It is one of the most popular and representative dishes of Peruvian cuisine, and it is also prepared in Bolivia.

History

The name points to Huancayo, a city in the central Peruvian highlands, but the dish's origin is disputed. The best-known account places its creation during the construction of Peru's Central Railroad between Lima and Huancayo, when women from Huancayo reportedly served boiled potatoes with a cheese and chili sauce to the workers.

A more recent account says the dish was sold at the railway stations along the same line as a light snack, and that the name "potatoes eaten on the way to Huancayo" gradually shortened into papa a la huancaína. Both stories are traditions rather than documented facts.

Cheese, potatoes and yellow chili are grown both in the highlands and on the coast, and yellow chili has been cultivated mainly in coastal areas for thousands of years. The olives served with the dish also come from the coast, a reminder that the recipe is not specific to Huancayo.

Culture

Served cold, papa a la huancaína is a common choice for picnics and trips. It is presented on lettuce leaves, with black olives and sliced hard-boiled egg.

The sauce has many uses: it accompanies tallarines noodles, chicken and rice, causa limeña, corn or boiled eggs. In many coastal cities it is served with red noodles or ceviche, and it is one of the dishes in plato siete colores. In the north, especially in Chiclayo, a variant shapes mashed potato seasoned with chili and lime into balls topped with the sauce.

In southern Peru, in Cusco, Puno and Arequipa, the dish is served with ocopa, a sauce of toasted peanuts, yellow chili and huacatay. In Bolivia, especially in La Paz, it is made with toasted peanuts instead of milk and is traditionally eaten during Holy Week.