Cancha

Different varieties of dried corn (chulpe is one of them) are used to make the Andean version of popcorn called cancha. Don’t expect anything like the popcorn you’re used to eating at the cinema (which, by the way, is called canchita in Peru). These corn kernels are toasted in a clay pot with or without oil, and as soon as they start to crack open, salt is added to them. The result is a crunchy, starchy, golden kernel that is served at the table to nibble on before a meal, and that is highly addictive!