PERUVIAN "BOTIJA" PURPLE OLIVES.

The olive fruit is one of the oldest foods known, and the trees are one of the longest living trees on earth growing between 200 to 2,000 years.
There are many different types of olives and they are all unique to different regions of the world, having diverse colors, shapes, and tastes, that distinguish them apart.
The most popular worldwide are: Botija - Peru;  Kalamata - Greece;  Hojiblanca and Cacerena - Spain; Nicoise - France;  Ponentine, Gaeta, Lugano, Liguria - Italy;  Sevillano - California.
During the colonization period, the greed of the newcomers trying to make themselves rich, were expressed in the cultivation of extensive olive groves with presses to make oil, and grape vineyards for producing large quantities of wine. The cultivation of Andean traditional products were disrupted in this areas and the Valleys suffered and enormous contraction creating a disruption in the Andean social and economic organization. Obviously this fact benefited the increase in products benefiting the foreigners.
Since nature always finds a way to restore equality, the products obtained from the Inca land were the best of the best around the world, making it be noticeable because of its unique size and flavor.
With a very dark purple color, and complex flavor, olives produced in the Inca land of Peru named 'botija' olives, claim a world of their own, being better than the finest olives produced anywhere in the world.
Most of the country's 'botija' olives are destined for internal market, primarily ripe, cured, and tangy, some as dried olives, and  a smaller group as green ones.
Olives trees are found in much of coastal Peru and especially in the Southern region of Tacna. The olives trees produce fruit in the months of April through July and in those months the Peruvian markets are filled with abundant supply.
Olives are distributed in large vat like containers 'bidones' in which the olives are packed in a brine to preserve them. They are generally sold by grams or kilos. The price varies according to the quality of the olive.
Peruvians like them for their taste, but also because of the nutritional value they have. They contain minerals such as calcium and iron. The high monounsaturated fat content has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
One of the commonly overlooked health benefit is that they are excellent mucus dissolvers helping to break up flem and clearing out the sinuses relieving brain fog and respiratory health. Also lowers blood cholesterol levels, beautifies the skin and hair, assists in balancing metabolism, helps preven oxidative stress, promotes the development of bones and marrow, and acts as anti-inflammatory.
The fat content of olives insulate nerve tissue, lubricate and ground the body yet are easily broken down by the liver. The olive oil in olives is a monounsaturated fat that have one double-bonded carbon and has to be consumed raw because of its structure. Never cook with it. Olives are considered the most powerful of any fruit, next to figs.
Olives are a fundamental ingredient for a range of Peruvian dishes. Peruvians use them for the 'tamale,' to make 'causa,' stuffed potatoes, 'aji de gallina, and the 'escabeche,' among others.

MEMBRILLO, AN ANCIENT FRUITS OF THE ANDES.

Membrillo (Quince) is an ancient fruit that grows on small trees in a manner quite like apples and pears, but it lacks their immediate edibility and appeal.
The tree grows in rocky slopes and woodland margins and in mild and cold climates. The height of the tree is 5 to 8 meters / 16-26ft and 4 to 6 meters / 13-20ft wide.
Membrillo (Quince) is knobby, ugly and tough fruit, with an irregular shape and often a gray fuzz, especially when the fruit has been picked under ripe. If the fruit is smashed accidentally it turns red in the bruise area. The ripest, nicest quince will have a golden-yellow tone and smooth skin, but even ripe it is an acid-tasting and a astringent hard fruit to eat raw, and with a spongy flesh which is difficult to cut up. The phenolic chemicals in the flesh of the fresh fruit coagulate proteins in the mouth, causing the fruit to taste astringent.
But not everything is negative about the fruit.
The first clue that quince hides is its aroma. If you leave a quince on a sunny windowsill it will slowly release a delicate fragrance of vanilla, citrus, and apple . It is a heady, perfumed scent that is completely at odds with its appearance.
Then, when you peel a quince and hack it up, then cook it, those scents blossom into an indescribably wonderful perfume, and the fruit itself magically turns from yellowed white to a deep rosy pink.
Then, when you stew quince in sugar and a little wine, it becomes not just edible but delicious sweet, delicate, and fragrant.
The quince is popular and commonly used in the mountains of Peru for its high pectin making it ideal for making jams and jellies. Also it is used to make preserves and poached for compotes. It can be added to apple or pear jams, in small quantities, to enhance the flavor and used to make wine, and a sweet paste called 'machacado' that often is paired with cheese as a snack.
The carotenoid molecules that give quince its yellow color break down into compounds, notably those rose-scented ions, that impart the fruit's pungent floral aroma. When cooked for a long time, heat and acidity convert its phenolic compounds into antho-cyanins, so the pulp loses its astringency turning into a pleasant pink.
To make the delicious Purple Corn Drink (Chicha Morada), the fruit is paired with pine apple to make it very tasty.
The 'emoliente,' Peru's popular street vendor's medicinal infusion is made from stewed fruits that includes quince, lemon grass, and clove, that make up the liquid base, then fresh aloe vera extract , flaxseed and lime juice, are added to make it layered, slimy, and thick, assisting our microbiome and healing the gut.

GARLIC AS A HEALING PLANT.

Garlic is a specie in the onion family. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, and chive. With a history of consumption and use of over 7,000 years, garlic has long been a staple in the Andean Mountains Region of Peru, as well as a frequent seasoning in the Coast Region. It has been used both for food flavoring and traditional medicine.
Garlic is effective in lowering the bad cholesterol if taken for longer than two months. It has a very positive effect and is well tolerated with very no side effects.
The effect of garlic on blood pressure is clearly positive and there is sufficient evidence to determine that ingesting a couple of garlic cloves in the diet lowers the cardiovascular rates in people with hypertension.
Also epidemiological studies found that fresh garlic consumption is associated with lower risk of stomach cancer and prostate cancer. You just need to prepare a fresh salad every day including two garlic cloves grounded and the juice of one lime, salt and pepper.
There is sufficient evidence also regarding the effect of garlic in preventing or treating the common cold. You just need to prepare a fresh chicken soup using organic chicken boiled with leeks, potatoes and cabbage and two chopped garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Drain and serve with lime drops.
Garlic can be used as a fish and meat preservative, and displays antimicrobial properties at temperatures as high as 120 degrees Celsius. It is very convenient when you go camping and the meat is already marinating with chopped garlic, vinegar, paprika, lime juice, cumin, salt and pepper.
Garlic is known to cause a bad breath (halitosis) and body odor when used in excess. You just need 2 cloves of fresh garlic in your diet for the whole day. When it is in excess the body try to get rid of it by sweating it out. The sulfide content of it is absorbed immediately into the body during the metabolism of garlic-derived sulfur compounds. From the blood it travels to the lungs and from there to the mouth and skin pores. If you know that your consumption of garlic was in excess just zip milk to neutralize the effect and do not consume again until you know that the body got rid of that excess. Plain water, basil, parsley, and mushrooms also neutralize or reduce the excess and the odor.
People who suffer from garlic allergies are often sensitive also to onions, chives, leeks, shallots, garden lilies, ginger, and bananas. Symptoms can include irritable bowel, diarrhea, nausea, breathing problems and mouth and throat ulceration.
In the spiritual realm the garlic is regarded as a powerful force able to connect to both good and evil. It is proven by the fact that the abundant sulfur compounds in garlic make it turn green or blue during pickling and cooking. Ring structures absorb particular wavelength of light and thus appeared colored. The same process is acted in the spiritual realm cleansing energies that are not beneficial in the place where it is placed. Garlic is hung in the entrance of the room or in windows.