What does «achacana» mean in Spanish?
- Bolivian artichoke species, widely cultivated in Potosí (Bolivia). It is an edible plant, fleshy root, with a yellowish egg-shaped fruit. Genus Coreus cactacea or cynara. Its plant is thorny. It is a tuber very rich in fiber and vitamins, which must be cooked by changing the water several times because it is somewhat bitter (in fact it is sold in the market half cooked). This procedure makes it possible to make the so-called aji de achacana. It is usually consumed during the feast of All Saints in commemoration of the dead or the feast of San Bartolomé in the city of Potosí.
♦ Used in: Bolivia - Peru - Argentina, south of Brazil, Uruguay. Great variety of plants grouped under the scientific name cereus spp, also called Céreo, Cirio, Acacana, Achacana or Tunilla. It is a type of cactus.