Theobromas, Wild Herbs & Freshwater Fish of San Martín

Cultivated and wild foods from the high Amazon and river valleys in central Peru.

The department of San Martín in Peru is where the eastern foothills of the Andes roll down into lush, green Amazon rainforest. The jagged topography is marked by higher elevation tropical and cloud forests that reach 3,000 meters, home to Cordillera Azul and Río Abiseo national parks, and lower altitude agricultural valleys formed by the Río Huallaga, which runs into the Marañón, and eventually Amazon, rivers.

Historically, this has been a place of food. The sunny climate and plentiful water supply is combined with areas of flat land to grow yuca, chiles and countless fruits, as well as plenty of game and fish. Access to salt, such as the deposits on the shores of the Huallaga at Pilluana, allowed proteins to be preserved, allowing Kichwa, Shawi, Awajun and other native communities could trade upland with Chachapoyas. Wild fruits, mushrooms, herbs and insects helped supplement diets and imbue additional flavors.

Today, the department is a hotbed of gastronomic activity, based in the capital of Moyobamba, and largest city Tarapoto, easily reached via multiple daily flights from Lima. It’s here you will find iconic traditional Amazonian restaurant La Patarashca and its network of culinary projects, plus innovative cacao farms, sustainable aquaculture projects focused on Amazonian fish and endeavors around ancestral knowledge and medicinal plants.