Weird eating in Puno, Peru

South America has been a little disappointing so far in only one respect, there has been very little weird food, the only exception to this has been llama (tastes just like deer, see post from Bolivia) but I was hoping that all this would change as we crossed the border from Bolivia into Peru, after all Peru is home of the deep fried Guinea Pig and who knows what else.

Our first Peruvian stop was in Puno, a short (well 3 hours, but we're getting used to it) bus ride and comical border crossing from Copacabana.

As our time in Puno was short we decided to do a couple of organised tours while we we there. The first was the Uros Floating Islands, these are man made islands floating in the middle of Lake Titicaca's Puno bay. The inhabitants are dependant on the 2m high reeds which are native in the shallower parts of the lake.

The reeds are used for so much, their large floating roots are lashed together to make the islands base, dried reeds are laid on top to make a spongey floor, they are also used to build the people's homes and boats and as a food source.

Naturally I felt it was my duty to try the reeds, not least because I felt like pushing my luck, so far I had made it through Chile, Argentina AND Bolivia without a stomach upset! The reed looked a bit like a giant spring onion, but tasted like a strong lettuce, apparently the locals ate it with local fish they caught and sun dried. As a culinary location it isn't that interesting but if you are in Puno I would definitely recommend the experience.

In the afternoon we visited Sillustani, a group of inca and pre inca burial mounds near Puno, these were interesting but the best bit of the trip was on the way back we were offered a stop to see a local farm, the only person interested was my fiancée, although we talked a couple of other people into it (thanks Gemma and Tim, whose excellent travel blog you can read at samesametravelblog.com). This was a great decision.

We stopped on the road side at a small mud bricked farm surrounded with llamas, alpacas and ducks, I think it was fair to say we weren't expecting much, however once inside we got chance to see a guinea pigs being farmed, a bit more about the country way of life in Peru and best of all we got to try a typical set of Peruvian foods.

We ate a quinoa batter deep fried, giant maize corns which had been crisped up somehow (either fried or baked) which we were told to eat with a homemade cows cheese, with a similar texture to haloumi and finally local potatoes which the locals ate with fine grey clay which was mixed with boiling water.

All of this was excellent, the clay I certainly would not have tried on my own but between myself and Tim we talked each other into it. The taste was tricky to describe, the main flavour was minerally, but this is a) not a word and is b) open to interpretation, but for some reason it worked really well with the local potatoes, which tend to be a little dry.

That evening we went to dinner with Gemma and Tim who had spent the last week in Peru. They introduced us to the Peruvian tourist menu, a cheap fixed menu (usually about 15 or 20 soles for 3 courses, which is 4 pounds) that you usually have to ask for. We traded this for info about our time in Bolivia, where they were headed.

It was good to get information from something other than a guide book over a few drinks (more on the Peruvian booze later) and to hear other people's view of a country. It is definitely something we have been missing out on by steering clear or more organised tours and taking a more DIY approach.