PERU
Lima beans originated in Peru (or possibly Guatemala). They have been cultivated in Peru since 6000 B.C., and their common name comes from Lima, Peru's capital city.
Ancient inhabitants of the Andes had more culinary options than previously thought. Botanical remains recovered from grinding stones at a 4,000 year old house on the western Andean slopes include arrowroot, a tuber that can only grow in the rain forest. The ancient Peruvians must have traded with people living in the Amazon basin to supplement their diet. Evidence for corn processing at the same site pushed back the date for the earliest cultivation of maize in Peru by 1,000 years.
Archaeology magazine (May-June, 2006)
Large Lima Bean are large and flat with a greenish-white color. It has a buttery flavor and creamy texture. This bean is named after Lima, Peru, and is extremely popular in the Americas, both in its natural state and dried.
Cinchona was named after the wife of an obscure viceroy of 17th century Peru, the Countess of Chinchon. It was at one time believed, erroneously, that the countess discovered its properties. In the 17th century Swedish botanist Carolus Lannaeus named the plant after her but misspelled her name.
The fig leaved gourd was one of the earliest plants cultivated in the Americas. There is archaeological evidence that it was cultivated in Peru around 3000 B.C.
The llama is a South American member of the camel family, domesticated from guanacos of the Andean Highlands of Peru some 5,000 years ago. They are one of the oldest domestic animals in the world. They are used mainly as beasts of burden, but the females are also raised for their flesh and milk. Llama flesh tastes similar to mutton. Llamas are also a source of wool, leather, the long hair is used to make rope, and the dried dung is used as fuel.
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