Pachamanca

Pachamanca  is a traditional Peruvian dish baked with the aid of hot stones. The word derives from Quechua (the traditional indigenous language of the Incas) meaning pacha “earth”, manka “pot.”

 It is generally made of, lamb, mutton, alpaca, llama, guanaco, vicuna, pork, beef, chicken, or guinea pig, marinated in herbs and spices. Other Andean products, such as potato or chuño (naturally freeze-dried potato), habas (fresh green lima beans in pods), sweet potato, mashua, oca, ulluco, cassava, yacon, plantain, humitas (corn cakes), ears of corn, and chilli, are often included in the baking.

Preparation of pachamanca begins with the heating of stones over a fire, and the meats are then placed on top. The meats are previously seasoned. The earthen oven is known as a huatia. The fire is covered with grass and earth, and the resulting oven is opened up after around two hours. Usually, a large quantity of meat and product  is cooked.