People say that eating out in Bolivia can be hazardous, especially on the streets, and this is one area where travellers should not over-economise; the satisfaction accrued from saving the odd dollar here and there by eating in the markets and on the streets will soon be outweighed by the trauma of spending hours on the toilet. This I don’t deny, but there are just so many tasty local specialities to try that, as long as you’re careful and give your stomach time to adjust, it would be a real shame to miss out.After some research and having asked the locals where is the best place to try each snack, I hit the streets of La Paz and tried the lot... So far my stomach is holding out! From huminta to fricasé to llaucha, choosing was difficult but here are my Top 10 Bolivian Street and Market Foods.

1.SALTEÑA

Avenida Arce, Sopocachi You can’t fail to spot the salteña, a meat or chicken pasty which is sold absolutely everywhere. Mostly eaten as a midmorning snack, you will find salteñas being sold at little side stalls, on almost every street, any time between 9am and noon. These small and incredibly moreish pasties are usually filled with meat (although vegetarian ones are sometimes available), olives, and slices of boiled egg, and are completely irresistible. The trick is to eat them without spilling the copious amounts of sauce all over yourself (not very easy, particularly on buses or on the move).

“It’s food that’s quick, easy and tasty to have on the go” says Doña Cecilia, who now recognises me I’m such a regular customer of hers!

2.ANTICUCHO

Av. 20 de Octubre, esq. Aspiazu As the sun sets on the bustling city of La Paz, vendors set up their stands in anticipation of their hungry patrons on their way home from work. From hamburger carts to lomito and salchipapa stands, there is still nothing quite as tantalizing as the thick, smoky aroma of grilled meat - I am of course speaking of the famous anticucho.

Since I first tried anticucho it has been a favourite of mine, even before I learned what they were made from: anticuchos are small slices of beef heart and boiled potatoes on a skewer cooked over an open grill. The meat, often marinated in spices such as cumin and garlic, and served with a delicious ají de mani sauce, is so tender I found it hard to believe it wasn’t just thin slices of filet steak

The anticucho’s origin dates back to Pre- Columbian times and it was a popular dish among the inhabitants of the Inca Empire too, with scientific evidence and documentation from the Peruvian National Library Archive which shows that the Incas prepared the dish using llama meat as well as other local meats. The name anticucho is an Hispanicised Quechua word ‘antikucho’ (anti = Andes and kucho = cut). It is still popular throughout South America, particularly in the Andean regions of Bolivia, Peru and Chile, with Anticucheras readily found on many street corners.

“It’s a very traditional dish, not just here in La Paz but throughout Bolivia. What makes it special is that it’s cooked over an open grill and not in an oven” explains Doña Bartolina.

3.TUCUMANA

Mercado Rodríguez, San Pedro Also eaten as a mid-morning snack or brunch, a tucumana is similar to a salteña but is deep-fried rather than baked, and has a higher potato content. This crescent-shaped pasty is filled with meat (normally beef, occasionally chicken, or charque), potato, egg, onion and sometimes even olives, carrots, peas and other vegetables. At first I considered the tucumana as just a slightly inferior salteña until I discovered the giant ones at Rodríguez market - my point being that it really depends on where you try these things.

4.CHAIRO

Miraflores Mercado Obrero Chairo - ‘soup’ in Aymara - is a thick meat and vegetable broth typical of La Paz. It consists of Andean vegetables such as chuño and is flavoured with oregano and hierba buena, an indigenous variety of mint. Traditionally prepared and eaten by campesinos in the Andes who walked long distances to work, this soup would provide energy for the day’s work and nowadays you find it served in most markets at lunchtime.

5.CHORIPÁN

Plaza Avaroa The simplicity of this nomenclature is brilliant. Choripán is exactly what it says on the tin: chorizo and bread - a heavily-condimented spicy sausage in a bun. As the caserita selling choripán on Plaza Avaroa told me, “It’s a great snack, whenever you’re a bit peckish, at whatever time of day” she adds “the chorizo is really tasty and it’s not too heavy or fattening.” Also a very popular street food in Argentina, choripán here in Bolivia is usually served with chimichurri - an Argentinian sauce made with garlic, chili, parsley and olive oil.

6.SILPANCHO

Estadio Hernando Siles, Miraflores Silpancho is a popular Bolivian dish from Cochabamba, mainly served in markets rather than in street stalls. It consists of a thin fried breaded meat (a bit like a schnitzel) on a layer of rice and potatoes, topped with a fried egg and served with chopped onion, tomato and locoto pepper.

Like most traditional dishes in Bolivia, silpancho is a huge and extremely filling meal that certainly doesn’t skimp on the carbohydrates. Definitely not a dish for dieters, but very delicious!

7.CHARQUEKÁN

Feria del Alto Regardless of what the Chileans say, charquekán is a Bolivian dish. You may not be aware of the alleged tendency Chile has to appropriate cultural symbols from other countries; like the Diablada, a folkloric dance originally from Oruro, or pisco, a drink which has been registered as Chilean when in fact it comes from Pisco, Peru. They took the sea from Bolivia, and now they claim charquekán, a speciality local to Oruro, to be theirs!

Charquekán is shredded, cured llama meat (similar to beef jerky) served with choclo (white corn), chuño, potatoes, cheese and a hard boiled egg.

8.CEVICHE

Plaza Avaroa Although technically speaking ceviche is originally from Peru, it is so widely eaten here in Bolivia that even Bolivians often don’t know it’s Peruvian! The basic ingredient is raw fish which is marinated in lemon juice. The citric acid in the juice changes the texture of the fish, without changing its ‘raw’ taste. Ceviche is an old tradition in South America, dating back to the Incas who preserved their fish with fruit juice.

This tasty lemony fish dish is often served from little stalls on the roadside or around the outside of plazas or parks. However, be warned! The lemon juice ‘cooks’ the fish and alters the structure of the proteins, making it appear opaque and firm, but it does not kill bacteria and parasites as well as heat does. So, unless the fish is fresh and prepared in clean surroundings, ceviche can result in an unwelcome case of Atahualpa’s Revenge!

Ceviche is typically eaten at lunch or brunch and, because it is so light and refreshing, it is popular during the warmer months.

9.CHICHARRÓN

Feria del Alto Chicharrón is deep fried pork belly which is first boiled and then cooked in its own fat. It is served with mote, chuño and tunta (another form of freeze-dried potato) and is also an ingredient in other dishes such as Chairo.

10.HAMBURGUESA

Avenida 6 de Agosto
Although not authentically Bolivian, or even South American, these street hamburgers are truly delectable! Made with fresh ingredients, including fried campesino cheese, cooked on the grill, topped with plenty of chips and lashings of picante llajua sauce!

A culture shock, like culture itself, can only be experienced subjectively. But after living in La Paz for two months, I’ve found there are certain aspects of life here that inevitably jump out at the uninitiated. What follows is an attempt to organize these moments and revelations into a list of observations, a “Top Ten” of culture shocks:

1. CHOLITAS’ TRADITIONAL DRESS: possibly the first thing to stand out upon arriving in La Paz. The cholitas maintain a distinctive mestizo dress that includes bowler hats, vestiges of a fashion long rejected by the Spanish who originally brought it over the Atlantic. Their black hair, usually worn in two braids, is said to be a sign of their femininity amidst a life of hard work. But like the rest of Bolivia, the cholitas are changing. “It’s interesting,” Santos Tola, anthropologist and researcher of indigenous garments, reflected, “despite the pride that the cholitas have for their clothes, many of them don’t want their daughters to follow their example. And some daughters reject the traditional outfits as well.”

2. AYNI: when I was first told that Bolivians don’t drink alone, it didn’t strike me as so different from back home. After all, most people in the U.S. would feel a bit awkward if we were found alone in our room polishing off a bottle of Singani. It wasn’t until I actually sat down to drink with some friends in El Alto that I realized traditionally Bolivians don’t even sip their alcohol unless everyone does it together. This custom is part of a much broader system of reciprocity, called Ayni, which has its roots in hundreds of years of Aymara tradition. Possibly the most surprising example I’ve heard about Ayni imposing its restrictions concerns a man who asked his younger brother to help him find a mariachi band for his wedding. Their mother pointed out that the younger sibling would then have to have a mariachi band at his own ceremony - provided by his older brother, of course. In the end, he got off with having them perform at his next birthday.

3. CULINARY ORIGINS: Drinking aside, Spanish will only get you so far in Bolivia’s culinary landscape - many of the dishes take their names from Aymara and Quechua. Although empanadas can be found all over Latin America, here when they are large and fried they go by the name of Tucumanas (see p.XX). The ají is called llajwa and that yummy sweet purple drink? Api. At the same time, there are some surprising juxtapositions, such as the popular breakfast chain Api: Happy. Yes, English has infiltrated Bolivia’s food vocabulary alongside Aymara and Quechua traditions. “Pizza” joints populate the streets, and hamburgers and hotdogs are mainstays of the early evening and late night snack hours.

4. DANCE: Even after the diabladas are over with and Carnaval has been packed up, Bolivians have a distinctive vocabulary of movement that can in part be traced back to indigenous dances. At the dance clubs around La Pérez in La Paz Andean music pours from the windows, and inside the men and women pick up napkins from their tables to dance cueca. It would be wrong to describe Bolivia’s entire Andean dance repertoire as falling into one genre: Afro-Bolivian and indigenous groups, La Paz and Oruro - each region and community has its own particular style.

5. PROTESTS: Offices, schools and mid-week travel plans can be brought to a screeching halt by Bolivians’ preferred method of political participation. While it has been a few years since the intense conflicts and demonstrations of 2003-2005, under President Morales citizens continue to express their opinion in the streets. Last month’s Greater University of San Andres protests in La Paz cost two days of school, and were in response to financial and administrative infringement from the government on the University’s autonomy. Evo’s choice to raise petrol prices a few months ago (which itself elicited a violent reaction in the streets) has had a ripple effect on other prices, and the University employees have not been alone in marching down El Prado in hopes of getting a commensurate increase in their salaries.

6. LA ZONA SUR: One of the biggest culture shocks might be finding something so similar to home (depending, of course, where you’re coming from). So those from the States or Western Europe may be a bit confused when wandering through Zona Sur, an enclave of Western culture within La Paz. The people look less indigenous, you can find your favourite neighbourhood Burger King and they pronounce their “r’s” in a distinctively American accent.

7. BOLIVIANISMS: Bolivians may be known for having the clearest, slowest, easy-to-understand Spanish accent in all of South America (although it would be wrong to say there is just one Bolivian accent). Nevertheless, their speech is not without its idiosyncrasies. Echoes of “yaaa!” ricochet along the valleys of La Paz on Saturday nights, as groups of young friends react to each others’ jokes with this preferred affirmation. More startling, at least for this writer, is being asked “de qué?” or even “por qué?” in response to thanking someone. After a short time though, I’ve learned to resist the impulse to explain to my cab drivers why I am grateful for their service.

8. MOVIE CULTURE: Don’t wait to buy the latest new release until you leave Bolivia. The DVD black-market is teeming with the latest blockbusters, art-house classics and cutting edge documentaries. You may be surprised when your Bolivian friends break out trivia about Christopher Nolan’s independent directorial beginnings before he did Dark Night. This reflects the fact that, without too much thought or expense, personal DVD collections here can easily grow to include hundreds of titles - all thanks to a developed pirating industry which brings in movies fast and, byand- large, in high quality.

9. MERCADOS: Bolivia’s buzzing informal markets are a nexus of such vastly different types of contraband, food goods and traditional medicine that they can be hard to absorb in one hit. Anything from HD cameras to peanuts can be found sprawled out among these street markets, and all for a (suspiciously) reasonable price. La Paz’s Mercado Rodríguez blends into Max Paredes, which, depending on whether you follow it up or down, splits into Huyustus and Mercado Lanza. And walking down certain parts of Calle Buenos Aires it’s easy to be fooled that you’ve found another hidden centre of commerce, but despite all the vendors this market is so informal that it doesn’t even have a name.

10. TRAFFIC: Meandering amid these busy streets, it’s easy to become paranoid. But despite the appearance that all the cars are trying to run you down, they’re really more indifferent towards the existence of pedestrians than anything else. With so much traffic normally blocking up the cities’ arteries, the acceleration pedal is just too tempting on the rare occasion when drivers are presented with a street empty of other cars. Most frustrating is that the few intersections to actually have stoplights have them situated so that they are impossible to see from the sidewalk. The solution? Do as Bolivians do, and walk slowly.

In the Aymara culture names are very important as they symbolize personality traits; the name is the expression of parents´ ambition for their child. Approximately 70% of Bolivians have Aymara or Quechua roots, the highest percentage of indigenous population of all South American countries. However the indigenous Aymara culture is astonishingly badly known, due in part to the legacy of the devastating colonization by the spaniards. Cultures around the world affirm and maintain their cultural identity by continuing a legacy of names given to daughters and sons, but here in Bolivia it is very rare to meet a person with an Aymara name. Wilmer is one paceño who decided, with his wife, to research and find Aymara names for his children; he shared with me ten better-known aymara names and their meanings.

GIRLS

1. Nina in Aymara means “fire which will never be extinguished”. This name denotes a strong character, positive energy, vivacity, but like all Aymara names, it can also have negative connotations: stubbornness, excess.

2. Nayra = Eye. Nayra has a capacity for clairvoyance, sees things and can analyse and resolve problems with great clarity.

3. Rina Aymara = Aymara path. This unusual name is also quite controversial as it clearly shows the desire of the parents to reconnect with indigenous roots. It also denotes a pragmatic and ambitious personality, a life which will follow a clear path.

4. Sartaña means “to lift oneself up”; this name has deep spiritual significance, linked to the Quechua world vision of three planes: the kay pacha, this world, the janaq pacha (world of above) and the ukhu pacha (world of below). Sartaña has the capacity to communicate with janaq pacha.

5. Kantuta is a sacred flower for the Aymara, and the national flower of Bolivia, also known as “flower of the Incas”. This name is linked with Inca nobility, and denotes beauty and purity. The colours of the specific “Kantuta tricolor” are red and yellow, which along with the green of the leaves reflect the colours of the Bolivian flag; thus the name affirms Bolivian as well as Aymara identity.

BOYS

1. Inti = Sun. The sun is a crucial deity for the Aymara; part of the sacred couple of Sun and Moon who, together with the Pachamama (Mother Earth) created the world. To be called Inti is an honour, and Inti has a responsibility to guide others; he has to work from the earliest hours of the day!

2. Amaru = Snake. The snake is also an important Aymara deity, and the name is quite popular throughout the Andean region, has roots in the Quechua culture. The spiral shape of the snake is iconic of the Andean vision of the world in which the idea of cycles is very important; the symbol represents the cycle of life and death as well as agricultural cycles.

3. Katari means viper. Katari has a different representation than Amaru, and the name has more political significance for the Aymara. Tupac Katari was a great Aymara leader famous for his uprising against the Spaniards in the 18th century. The name thus carries great historical weight and is greatly respected. Katarism is the name given to the model of society in which the Aymara lived in pre-Hispanic times: the ayllu.

4. Tunupa is the name of a volcano in the Salar de Uyuni, the great salt flatlands of the south of Bolivia. Sacred to the Aymara, its bright red colour and towering presence explain the belief that Tunupa was a supreme god and father of Aymara civilization, as well as god of volcanoes and lightning. The cult of Tunupa is thought to date back to pre-Tiwanaku times. Tunupa would be a natural leader with great influence.

5. Illapa is the name of the god of climate; thunder, rain and lightning. A boy named Illapa has a powerful relationship with nature; he can have medical powers, the ability to cure physical as well as spiritual ailments. In pre-Hispanic times many sacrifices were made to Illapa in periods of drought, to invoke rain, which Illapa was believed to pour out of a jar from the Milky Way.

It is not so much the meanings of Aymara names which are important, but rather the decision some Bolivian parents are making to relinquish the names of the Catholic calendar in order to better know and make known their indigenous roots. In Wilmer´s case it was not easy for his decision to be accepted by his family. He tells me that in jailón circles it is acceptable to have a name of Aymara origin, and sometimes gringos or expatriates will give their children Aymara names for the sake of eccentricity (often not understanding their significance), but in the majoritarily indigenous lower social classes it is shocking to give children Aymara names. Wilmer talks of a sense of shame attached to them and at school his daughters would receive strange looks from teachers. According to him “education is the problem”; since colonial times Bolivians have been pushed to “get rid of the Indian part of [their] identity”. Are things changing today? There is hope that Morales´ government will develop a fairer education system, in which proper attention is given to Aymara history and culture. A process of reaffirmation of Aymara identity has started, Wilmer tells me, and continuing the legacy of Aymara names is the first step to recovering a cultural identity as descendants of the great Aymara people.