Typical foods of Huila

HISTORY TYPICAL FOODS OF HUILA

The celebration of the  Festival of San Juan and San Pedro Huila are of Spanish origin, and were introduced in the opita culture during the colonial era.  An important contribution of the Spanish colonizers to the construction of these celebrations was the introduction of the pig and the consumption of its meat as food alternative in the region, as by the characteristics of the terrain was difficult to maintain cattle in addition to the high cost for farmers employed in large farms.

Huila is a Department in which you can find a lot of different types of food. You can find restaurants serving typical meals from other countries. Among these are the roasted among other typical dishes of the region.

ROASTED HUILENSE

Usually in my house roasts in the courtyard, are made since this lies the traditional wood-fired oven where gather the family around as the roast huilense is reason for joy and recognition of the culinary arts, for they are preparations that have transcended from generation to generation and are passed from grandparents to children and grandchildren every year in June gather to celebrate the festivities of san Juan and san Pedro with double brandy anis and dancing until dawn.

The recipes vary according to the tastes of the family but by the generally used for its preparation: pork applies salt to then marinate them with garlic, long onion, basil, cumin, pepper, cloves and orange sour or vinegar, letting it rest for a full day in a clay punt, then roasting it in clay oven.

JUAN VALERIO OPITA

My mama always prepares the Juan Valerio for them breakfast, since are easy in its disposal because the base is the banana and its preparation hard so only 20 minutes. Requires the following ingredients: four roasted plantains, a pound of bacon without skin and well fried, two stems of long onion and salt to taste, its preparation consists of crush with the onion very thin bananas and mixed with the pork, making sure that everything is hot and forming a homogenous mass only serve hot and enjoy.

ASADO HUILENSE

 La Tradición del Asado 

El Huila celebra las fiestas de San Juan y San Pedro, patronos de las cosechas y las lluvias; estas festividades son de origen Español y fueron introducidas en la cultura opita durante la época colonial.  Las primeras celebraciones tenían como eje central los oficios religiosos acompañados de ofrendas que hacían los campesinos con productos de sus cosechas en señal de agradecimiento a los santos, alrededor de estas celebraciones se entonaban canciones alegres y se bebía la popular chicha siempre acompañada de viandas preparadas por las señoras en rudimentarios fogones. Un aporte importante de los colonizadores españoles a la construcción de estas celebraciones fue la introducción del cerdo y el consumo de su carne como alternativa alimenticia en la región, pues por las características del terreno era difícil mantener ganado vacuno además de su alto costo para los campesinos empleados en las grandes haciendas.  De esta forma el cerdo se convirtió en ingrediente principal de la dieta opita a tal punto que cada hogar tenía su porqueriza donde criaban los animales para consumo familiar y eventualmente como forma de negocio para generar ingresos. Los festejos de San Juan y San Pedro coincidían en tiempo con la recolección de las cosechas, eran días en que los campesinos se dedicaban a celebrar, de ahí surge la necesidad de mantener comida preparada que diera alientos para beber (chicha, en principio) por días enteros.  El cerdo como siempre protagonista, comenzó a ser preparado asado en grandes hornos de barro, esta forma de preparación rica en sal, garantizaba una mejor conservación de la carne y podía ser consumido sin mayor problema durante los días que duraran las celebraciones. Así cada familia tenía por costumbre la crianza de un cerdo que era especialmente engordado con miras a ser sacrificado durante las fiestas, de ahí el adagio popular “a cada marrano le llega su San Pedro”. Del mismo modo, en todas las casas era común la construcción de los ya típicos hornos de leña para asegurar la preparación del asado de cerdo, cuya receta ha variado igual que las costumbres pero conserva intacta el mismo espíritu de hacer a la comida parte de la fiesta. De esta manera, antiguamente las celebraciones comenzaban en cada hogar con la matanza del animal, ya en tiempos modernos donde se empezó a dejar de lado la crianza del cerdo en las casas, las fiestas comenzaban con la búsqueda del animal “ideal” en criaderos rudimentarios. Aún es muy común que las familias se reúnan en torno a esta costumbre, a partir de la segunda quincena de Junio el Huila huele a asado, los aromas se perciben en cada esquina e invitan a festejar al ritmo de bambucos, rajaleñas, amasijos y Doble Anís. Los ingredientes y la preparación de este rico plato tipo los daremos a continuación:

 

INGREDIENTES

8 libras de carne de cerdo (pulpa, no muy gorda)
2 cervezas
½ taza de vinagre
2 cucharadas de jugo de naranja
4 tallos de cebolla larga picados
8 dientes de ajo majados
1 cucharadita de albahaca
1 cucharadita de cilantro
1 cucharadita de yerbabuena 1 cucharadita de orégano
4 hojas de laurel molidos
1 cucharadita de tomillo
1 cucharadita de nuez moscada

Sal, comino y pimienta al gusto 

PREPARACIÓN

Es un plato imprescindible en la celebración del San Pedro y considerado clásico del Huila. Se pueden usar todas o cualquier combinación de las hierbas, sin omitir el orégano, el tomillo, el laurel, la hierbabuena y la nuez moscada. Se chuza la carne y se pone a marinar en la salmuera de los ingredientes que se prefieran (mínimo 24 horas), sobándola cada 6 horas y asegurándose que también penetre en los huecos. Se saca y se pone en un tiesto de barro y se lleva al horno precalentado a 250° por 4 horas; se sirve con insulsos, arepa y yuca cocida.
(articulo periodístico La Nación)

TRANSLATE


The Tradition of the Roasted one  

The Huila celebrates San Juan's parties and San Pedro, bosses of the crops and the rains; these festivities are of Spanish origin and they were introduced in the culture opita during the colonial time.  The first celebrations had as central axis the religious occupations accompanied by offerings that made the peasants with products of their crops in sign of gratefulness to the saints, around these celebrations cheerful songs they were intoned and he/she always drank the popular chicha accompanied by viandas prepared by the ladies in rudimentary vents. An important contribution of the Spanish settlers to the construction of these celebrations was the introduction of the pig and the consumption of its meat like nutritious alternative in the region, because for the characteristics of the land it was difficult to maintain bovine livestock besides its high cost for the peasants employees in the big country properties.  This way the pig became main ingredient from the diet opita to such a point that each home had its porqueriza where they raised the animals for family consumption and possibly like business form to generate revenues. San Juan's festejos and San Pedro coincided in time with the gathering of the crops, they were days in that the peasants were devoted to take place, of there the necessity arises of maintaining prepared food that gave encouragements to drink (chicha, in principle) for whole days.  The pig as always main character, began to be prepared roasted in big ovens of mud, this form of rich preparation in salt, guaranteed a better conservation of the meat and it could be consumed without more problem during the days that the celebrations lasted. Each family had this way for habit the upbringing of a pig that was specially put on weight with an eye toward being sacrificed during the parties, of there the popular adage “each pig receives its San Pedro”. In the same way, in all the houses it was common the construction of those already typical firewood ovens the preparation of the roasted one of pig whose recipe has varied to assure the same as the customs but intact preserve the same spirit of making to the food leaves of the party. This way, formerly the celebrations began in each home with the slaughter of the animal, already in modern times where you began to leave aside the upbringing of the pig in the houses, the parties began with the search of the animal “ideal” in rudimentary hatcheries. It is still very common that the families meet around this habit, starting from the second pay period of June the Huila smells to roasted, the aromas are perceived in each corner and they invite to celebrate to the bambucos rhythm, rajaleñas, mixtures and Double Anisette. The ingredients and the preparation of this rich plate type will give them next:

INGREDIENTS

8 pounds of pig meat (pulp, not very fat)
2 beers
½ cup of vinegar
2 spoonfuls of orange juice
4 shafts of onion long dives
8 pounded cloves of garlic
1 basil spoonful
1 cilantro spoonful
1 spoonful of yerbabuena 1 oregano spoonful
milled 4 laurel leaves
1 spoonful of thyme
1 spoonful of nut moscada
Salt, cumin and pepper to the pleasure

PREPARATION

It is an indispensable plate in the San Pedro's celebration and considered classic of the Huila. All or any combination of the grasses can be used, without omitting the oregano, the thyme, the laurel, the mint and the nut moscada. You chuza the meat and he/she begins to marinate in the brine of the ingredients that you/they are preferred (minimum 24 hours), kneading it every 6 hours and making sure that it also penetrates in the holes. It is taken out and he/she puts on in a flowerpot of mud and it is taken to the oven preheated at 250° by 4 hours; it is served with insipid, round maize loaf and cooked yucca.