Pachamanca

Pachamanca refer to meat and vegetables cooked in underground ovens. Pachamanca is Peruvian version of a barbecue get-together, which is basically cooking meat and vegetables over coals or hot stones in a hole in the ground. On weekends in the countryside, mostly in the mountains, families still gather around smoky subterranean grills, cooking up pork or beef and potatoes and vegetables. However, in the cities, Pachamanca-style dishes are still available in some traditional restaurants. Pachamanca comes from the Quechua word "Pacha mama", which literally means "mother earth". Pachamanca is baking food underground, for a few hours, using fire heated stones and banana leaves between layers of food. Several types of meat are used, together with potatoes, chopped aji, herbs, cheeses and marmaquilla leaves which provide the flavor. For ancient civilizations that worshipped mother earth, the act of eating food directly from her entrails had particular significance. In this way they honored and gave thanks for the fertility of the earth. The people of Cerro de Pasco still ejnoy the Pachamanca. Cerro de Pasco is a city in central Peru.