Charque

Charqui, meaning "dry and thin" in the Quechua language, is a traditional meat product hailing from the Andean region, consisting of thin strips of skinned meat that have been cured with salt before being hung to dry outdoors in the sun and wind for about two weeks or more.

The finished meat product is highly appreciated for being very low in cholesterol and fat, but high in proteins and many other essential nutrients. The tradition of preserving meat by drying it in the open has long been practiced by people living in Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, and Uruguay.

When prepared from sheep meat, the product is typically referred to as chalona, while charqui is usually used for dried beef meat. Although beef and lamb are the most common meat types for charqui and chalona, other types of meat have also been used in the preparation of this meat specialty including the flesh of llamas, alpacas, horses, and deer.

Charqui can be eaten as it is, or used in a great variety of traditional specialties such as olluquito con charqui (ulluco tubers with charqui), chairo (a type of stew), majadito and lentils with charqui.