Chuño

Chuño is a special kind of potato that grows in the Andes Mountains of South America. The farmers who live there grow these potatoes and then freeze them to make them last longer.

To make chuño, farmers start by picking out the best potatoes from their fields. They carefully wash them and then lay them out on the ground to dry in the sun. Once the potatoes are dry, they gather them up and pile them into a big hole in the ground.

The farmers then light a fire on top of the hole, which heats up the potatoes and turns them into crispy chunks. After a few days, the potatoes are ready to be taken out of the hole. But this is just the beginning.

To make chuño, the farmers need to freeze the chunks of potatoes. They do this by spreading them out on flat rocks in the middle of the night when it's cold outside. The potatoes freeze solid and become very hard.

After the chuño is frozen, the farmers can store it for years without it going bad. When they need to use it, they soak the chuño in water to rehydrate it. Then, they can cook it in soups or stews.

Chuño is an important food in the Andes Mountains because it helps people survive long winters when fresh food is scarce. It's also very nutritious and provides lots of energy to keep people strong and healthy.