Comment on Rare 500-year-old freeze-dried potatoes unearthed at Inca coastal site
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 1 day agoAh yes, the freezing. My ancestors would be disappointed in me for leaving that out(!)
Not sure about the protein content of potatoes vs. grains, but IIRC, the vitamin & mineral content is generally superior. Potatoes are a complete superfood one can live on for long periods, again if I’m remembering correctly.
I suppose if I ever go back, I might try chicha again. Was really unimpressed the last couple times I tried it, heh.
Good catch on the minerals. Potatoes also have vitamin C, but I think chuño loses it (vitamin C is rather fragile, odds are it doesn’t survive the process). Protein-wise I just checked it; 3% in potatoes, 8~12% in wheat.
It’s a lot like grain beer, in the sense taste varies wildly, depending on a thousand things. For example, I had a friend from the region sharing his homemade chicha with me once; it was quite sweet and sour, but barely any alcohol. But when I tried my hand at it, the result was way sharper, and way stronger than grain beer.