25/09/2015
The next stage of our Inkaterra culinary journey takes us to Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, nestled high in the Peruvian Andes, between the rolling green ribbons of the Sacred Valley’s hill peaks. The traditional farmhouse style Hacienda plays home to an organic plantation, where guests of Inkaterra can immerse themselves in the local farming community, harvesting their own produce through the ‘Earth to Table‘ initiative.
The brainchild of Executive Chef, Rafael Casin, Earth to Table has a strong focus on using the produce of the fertile land of the Urubamba Valley, giving guests a unique taste experience that is exclusive to Inkaterra. The ingredients guests don’t harvest for themselves are purchased from the Inkaterra Association’s Andean Farm Project, where cutting edge agro-ecological techniques are used to grow organic produce and medicinal plants.
Traditional Incan culture is at the heart of the Earth to Table concept, cultivating the farming methods once used centuries ago by the fascinating ancient civilisation. Crops such as Quinoa, Potato and Corn are grown on the land, plucked using techniques and tools indigenous to the area. Foot ploughs, known as a taclla, were developed by traditional farmers to prepare the soil for planting, using the farmer’s weight to turn up the ground. Animals native to Peru, such as Oxen and Llama, are also used on the farm instead of modern machinery to transport the crops.
From the moment guests arrive at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, the Earth to Table concept is prevalent, with a chicha morada welcome drink, made from the purple corn of the 100 acres of land that surrounds the hotel. Created from the Urubamban corn, the pastel de choclo starter sets guests up for the rest of their meal, prepared by Chef Rafael Casin.
Rafael claims the cuisine of the region was the main inspiration behind the Earth to Table concept, using as much local produce as possible, and utilising the organic production of the native farm. He said, ‘Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba has a large store of food with its three hectare farm and we have enough local produce which we share with our Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel’.
