Overview
Background
Dating back to Inca times, Huatia is one of the oldest known Andean cooking traditions. It predates the Pachamanca and shares its essence, a meal prepared directly in the soil. Everything about the Huatia reflects life in the Andes: its ingredients come from the harvest, and its oven is built from the dry earth itself. Its enduring presence across generations speaks to its simplicity, accessibility, and profound connection to the land.
Huatia is traditionally prepared between May and September, after the rains have ended and the ground has dried. Farmers form clods of earth into a rustic oven, which is heated and sealed to cook the meal underground. When the soil is too wet, the oven cannot be built, meaning the dish can only be made when the earth allows- natural rhythm that ties people to the seasons.
Region
Collana, Maras, Cusco
The community of Collana, part of Collana Alta in the district of Maras, lies in Peru’s Sacred Valley, about 32 km from Cusco. Facing the serene Huaypo Lagoon, this Andean farming community continues to work its fields collectively, preserving ancient traditions of shared labor, reciprocity, and communal harmony.
Cook
Victoria Illa Florez
Victoria learned to make Huatia as a child, watching her mother and grandmothers prepare it on the family farm. She recalls tending her sheep at age ten and making small Huatias for herself in the fields. Today, her entire family gathers each harvest to cook together -from collecting potatoes to building the earthen oven. Though everyone contributes, it is Victoria’s seasoning and care that give their Huatia its unmistakable flavor.
Recipe
Vegetables & Legumes
- Potatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Fava beans
Protein
- Fava beans
Herbs & Spices
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Huacatay (Peruvian Black Mint)
- Mint
- Spearmint
- Rocoto (Peruvian Chili)
Others
- Peanuts
- Salt
- Ceticio wood stick (for Skewering)
Step 1
Gather dry soil clods from the fields and build an oven by stacking them carefully, starting with a solid doorway supported by stones.
Step 2
Fill the oven with firewood (dry eucalyptus branches work best), and light it. Allow it to heat for about 10 minutes.
Step 3
Skewer the seasoned cuy with a ceticio stick and rest it near the oven entrance to roast slowly, basting it with water and oil until golden.
Step 4
Once the oven is hot, remove the embers and begin placing the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and fava beans inside.
Step 5
Seal the oven with earth and place the cooked cuy on top to keep warm. Traditionally, a small cross of branches is laid on the mound for good fortune. Let it cook for 30 minutes.
Step 6
While it cooks, make uchucuta- a sauce of huacatay, mint, spearmint, rocoto, and peanuts ground with a stone batán until smooth.
Step 7
Uncover the oven carefully, remove the cooked ingredients, and serve with the uchucuta. The earth itself has flavored the meal.