It is quite likely that you are sitting down to meals that comprise ingredients that originated in Peru every time you eat. With over 84 of the possible 118 microclimates that exist in the world, almost any type of food crop can be grown in Peru. Some of the common foods that originated here are potatoes, tomatoes, maize (corn), peanuts, many types of beans, sweet potatoes, and pineapples. According to Dr. Fernando Cabieses of Lima´s scientific university, even the strawberries we eat today are a hybrid of the Andean and Virginian strawberry.

There are also many lesser known and highly nutritious and/or medicinal crops that the world is just waiting to discover. Along with recent efforts to step up the exportation of Peruvian products, scientists have performed studies that often prove the nutritional and medicinal values of foods that are still largely unfamiliar to the western world. This article will briefly explore some of the current information on of a few of these ¨¨Andean Superfoods,¨ in order to whet the reader´s interest and lead to further investigation on the amazing potential of these ancient food plants of Peru and the Andes.

Maca (Leypidium Meyenii) is a tuberous plant related to the turnip and the radish. It has been consumed in Peru and the Andes for more than 2,000 years and is considered an important food and medicinal plant. It is only recently beginning to become known in the world market and has been touted for its stamina-producing properties as well as its aphrodisiacal and nutritional properties. Recent studies have substantiated some of these claims, as it has been shown to affect human hormone levels and increase mating behavior in mice and rats.

Maca has a very high nutritional value, containing 60% carbohydrates, 10% protein and a variety of minerals. The tubers are eaten boiled, and it is also ground into flour, eaten as a cereal, and pulverized and combined with a variety of other ingredients to create a hot breakfast beverage. It is also said to be good for colds and digestive problems, and helpful for women during menopause. Maca only grows in poor soils at high altitudes with cold temperatures.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is a species of goosefoot. It is not a true cereal, since it´s not a grass, although its seeds are harvested and treated as a grain. The leaves are also edible. Quinoa was of in great demand as a food crop in early Andean civilizations, and it was second only to the potato in popularity. It has a very high protein content and contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, making it one of the most nutritionally complete foods from among the entire range of grains and cereals. It has no gluten and is highly digestible; and is also a good source of fiber, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Quinoa is grown in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Thanks to the enormous demand for organic food products, organic quinoa is in high demand and becoming more amd more popular in the US and world consumer markets. Nowadays, it is mainly exported from Bolivia.

Camu camu (Myrciaria Dubia) is probably the least known of the plants discussed thus far in this article. It is a jungle fruit that grows in the Amazon rainforest, and has recently come to light as the fruit with the highest Vitamin C content in the world. One hundred grams of the fruit pulp contains 2.7 grams of Vitamin C.

It also contains other phytochemicals and constituents, and is thought to be far more effective than synthetic Vitamin C in enhancing health and energy levels.

Camu camu has been popular in Japan for some time but is almost unknown in the United States. It is known to be antioxidant and strenghtening to the immune system, and has been reported to have applicability for a variety of illnesses, including certain types of cataracts, herpes virus, colds, depression, and periodontal disease. It is exported as a powder, as there are restrictions on its export as a fruit by the Peruvian government.

Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is another Peruvian product that has, until recently, been virtually unknown to the rest of the world. It grows all over the Andes,  and, due to its very high inulin content, is used as a sweetener and boiled into a candy. Its sugars are mostly non-assimilable by the body, and it therefore shows promise as a sweetener suitable for diabetics.

The yacon is a member of the Sunflower family. Its name means ¨watery¨in Quechua. As a  tuber, the underground part is cut up and used in fruit salads and desserts, in teas and marmalades. Its leaves are used in a tea, as they contain essential acids that have prebiotic (encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria) and antioxidant properties.

Yacon was once the subject of experiments by Italian scientists in the development of new vegetables, as it can be grafted onto dahlias, sunflowers and Jerusalem artichokes, This research, which halted during the Second World War, has been recently re-initiated.

These are just four of the Andean Superfoods that have been valued for centuries in Peru and the Andes, and are just now becoming known to the western world. The proper cultivation, ecological management and exportation of these and other crops can play a vital role in improving future living conditions in some of the poorest regions of the world.