Forgotten recipes of the Venezuelan Andes
- gamalelfakih
- May 20
- 3 min read
In a remote corner of the world, nestled in the tense silences of the Venezuelan páramos, lie stories unwritten in books and unattainable in resorts. They are guarded by the wrinkled hands of abuelitas, by the warm embers of their wood-burning stoves, and by the slow simmering of memory in their cauldrons. Those who cross into these lands do not seek merely an exclusive retreat, but a reconciliation with time, one’s own, that of the ancestors, that of the earth.
True luxury in Latin America does not dwell in infinity pools or imported fine wines. It resides in a steaming bowl of ajiaco, where arvejas and cambures whisper the ancestral diet of the highland peoples. It is the privilege of tasting a broth of milk and eggs in kitchens where every meal is still preceded by a prayer. It is sitting beside a grandmother who, like an ancient aeda, restores to the word its sacred orality, recounting the origin of an Andean Pizca as one would a legend.
In this horizon where gastronomy becomes a cultural palimpsest, the book “Las Recetas Olvidadas” is not merely a cookbook, but an emotional atlas. It is the poetic restitution of an identity that risked dissolving into the folds of oblivion and progress. Through the patient gesture of transcription and listening, the authors elevate Andean cuisine to the language of landscape, revealing its invisible symmetries between garden and myth, between salted meat and folk song.
As highlighted in the article published by Agroalimentaria, the recovery of traditional food practices means far more than preserving flavors for the peoples of the Andes: it is an affirmation of an ontological right to memory. It is an act of cultural resistance which now opens, gracefully, profoundly, to those arriving from afar, not in search of pre-packaged experiences, but of that which withstands the erosion of time.
The fruit of a project initiated in 1995, Las Recetas Olvidadas is the result of years of fieldwork, during which the author collected 220 traditional recipes and 120 folk remedies, orally passed down by 82 elderly women, custodians of Andean gastronomic heritage. Published in a bilingual edition (Spanish–French) in Montreal in 2010, the work is enriched by the photography of Jean Luc Crucifix, capturing the essence of rural life in the páramos and offering the reader a complete sensory experience.
The value of Las Recetas Olvidadas has received international recognition: in 2011, it was awarded third place in the “Best Photography” category at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, a prestigious competition that featured over 8,000 entries from 154 countries. Furthermore, it was a finalist in the “Best Regional Cuisine Book” category, confirming the importance of this work in preserving and promoting the culinary heritage of the Venezuelan Andes.
For travelers in search of authentic and profound experiences, a stay in the villages of the páramos offers the opportunity to immerse themselves in a culture where cuisine becomes a living expression of identity and collective memory. Participating in the preparation of traditional dishes, listening to stories woven around local ingredients, and sharing meals with local communities represent a rare form of luxury, one composed of human connection and interior revelation.
In an era when luxury tourism is too often synonymous with standardization and sameness, Las Recetas Olvidadas reminds us that the true privilege lies in the rediscovery of our roots, in listening to forgotten voices, and in savoring authentic flavors that recount stories of resilience, love, and belonging.
A new edition of the book is available for sale in e-book, paperback and hardcover format at:
Amazon.com: Las Recetas Olvidadas: Les recettes oubliées des andes vénezuèliens (Spanish Edition) eBook : El Fakih Rodriguez, Gamal, Crucifix, Jean-Luc: Kindle Store
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