ABSTRACT
Food and ideas about food are entangled with broader spheres of power and influence; consequently, an examination of Andean foods ineluctably reveals much about Andean history and society. Even as the multiple environmental zones of western South America gave rise to a wonderful culinary array, many indigenous cultigens have been subject to disparagement rooted in the exigencies and preoccupations of the colonial era and reinforced through the agendas and practices of development. Rippling through national and regional food systems, these ideological trends brought about a food pyramid that reflected social hierarchies. In recent decades, food hierarchies have to some degree altered, processes illustrated in the stories of alpaca meat and quinoa. Although the current Peruvian gastronomic boom, with its celebration of native foods and regional foodways would seem to auger well for Andean small-holding farmers and food-processors, its implications remain uncertain.
