Llajwa
Encyclopedia
Llajua or llajwa (ˈʎaxwa) is a hot sauce
prepared from hot chili pepper
s called locotos and tomato
. Sometimes onions are added, and one of two seasoning
herbs cultivated especially for this purpose: kilkiña in Cochabamba
and wakataya in the Altiplano
and other valleys of Bolivia
. It is preferably prepared on a grinding stone
called a batan
, which can be found in most Bolivian households of Cochabamba and Altiplano. In the absence of a batan, it can be prepared in blender
.
It is consumed all over Bolivia.
Llajua is used to season a wide variety of dishes. A traditional use is as a dip
for plain cooked potatoes or bread, or an addition to soup prior to the main course. Food cart
s usually have it available for customers and for take-away food it is dispensed in small hand-tied clear plastic bags.
In the north of Chile (Arica
and Iquique
) the same sauce receives the name pebre
, which in the rest of Chile refers to a completely different dressing.
The name "Llajua", despite being the traditional name
for this recipe, was accorded trademark protection in 2008 by the Bolivian government.
Hot sauce
Hot sauce, chili sauce or pepper sauce refers to any spicy sauce made from chili peppers and other ingredients.-Ingredients:There are many recipes for hot sauces - the common ingredient being any kind of peppers. A group of chemicals called capsaicinoids are responsible for the heat in chili peppers...
prepared from hot chili pepper
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
s called locotos and tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
. Sometimes onions are added, and one of two seasoning
Seasoning
Seasoning is the process of imparting flavor to, or improving the flavor of, food.- General meaning :Seasonings include herbs and spices, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings"...
herbs cultivated especially for this purpose: kilkiña in Cochabamba
Cochabamba
Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...
and wakataya in the Altiplano
Altiplano
The Altiplano , in west-central South America, where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet...
and other valleys of Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. It is preferably prepared on a grinding stone
Millstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
called a batan
Batan (stone)
The batan is a kitchen utensil used to process different kinds of foods in South American Andean cuisine. It has a flat stone and a grinding stone called a uña. The uña is held in both hands and rocked over the food in the batan. Depending on the process wished, the uña's weight is slightly held...
, which can be found in most Bolivian households of Cochabamba and Altiplano. In the absence of a batan, it can be prepared in blender
Blender
A blender is a kitchen appliance for chopping or liquefying food.Blender may also refer to:Media:* Blender , a music-themed magazine* Blender , a free and open-source software program for 3D modeling, animation, and rendering...
.
It is consumed all over Bolivia.
Llajua is used to season a wide variety of dishes. A traditional use is as a dip
Dip (food)
A dip or dipping sauce is a common condiment for many types of food. Dips are used to add flavor and/or texture to a food, such as pita bread, dumplings, crackers, cut-up raw vegetables, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, potato chips, tortilla chips, and falafel...
for plain cooked potatoes or bread, or an addition to soup prior to the main course. Food cart
Food cart
A food cart is a mobile kitchen that is set up on the street to facilitate the sale and marketing of street food to people from the local pedestrian traffic. Food carts are often found in large cities throughout the world and can be found selling food of just about any variety.Food carts come in...
s usually have it available for customers and for take-away food it is dispensed in small hand-tied clear plastic bags.
In the north of Chile (Arica
Arica
Arica is a city in northern Chile. "Arica" may also refer to:Places* Arica and Parinacota Region, Chile* Arica Airport , Chile* Arica, Amazonas, town in Colombia* Rio Aricá-açu, tributary of the Cuiabá River south of Cuiabá, BrazilOther...
and Iquique
Iquique
Iquique is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Atacama Desert and the Pampa del Tamarugal. It had a population of 216,419 as of the 2002 census...
) the same sauce receives the name pebre
Pebre
Pebre is a Chilean condiment made of coriander, chopped onion, olive oil, garlic and ground or pureed spicy aji peppers. Pebre is most commonly spooned on meat, usually from a barbecue. If you add chopped tomatoes it is called Chancho en piedra....
, which in the rest of Chile refers to a completely different dressing.
The name "Llajua", despite being the traditional name
Indigenous intellectual property
Indigenous intellectual property is an umbrella legal term used in national and international forums to identify indigenous peoples' special rights to claim all that their indigenous groups know now, have known, or will know....
for this recipe, was accorded trademark protection in 2008 by the Bolivian government.