Andean Snack · Dried Llama Jerky
Charqui de Llama
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The word 'charqui' — origin of the English word 'jerky' — comes from Quechua, and Andean herders here were salting and sun-drying llama meat this way centuries before the Spanish arrived.
Thin strips of llama meat are salted and dried in the intense high-desert sun until leathery, then sold loose by weight in Andean market stalls or shredded into stews. Locals snack on it plain, tearing off pieces by hand.
Why it's made this way: Llama herding sustains Arica y Parinacota's high Andean villages, and charqui remains the region's practical way to preserve meat where refrigeration is scarce.
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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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