More edible products of earliest origin in Peru now found in Singapore

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, Author of ASIA.PERU Exports

Published by:  KUCINTA SETIA

Distributed to Everyone

I am very glad that my second book ASIA.PERU Exports has in a way stimulated trade between Peru and Asia. Besides the quinoa dish that I mentioned on this web-site one year ago and Five Loaves' multigrain bread that use quinoa as one of its key ingredients in my book, consumers can now find quinoa products in packets and packs at Cold Storage branches in Singapore. The above quinoa chips and quinoa grains have been on sale at Cold Storage since last year. 

Quinoa is the mother grain of Peruvians and Andeans that has a cultivation history of more than 3011 years. Its first place of origin is in Moray, Peru.  In Singapore Chinese, it is known as jingnuo (精糯), meaning the finest grain. To find out more about quinoa, please refer to my book ASIA.PERU Exports which is available only in the National Libraries of Singapore, Australia and Embassies of Peru in Asia.

Also featured in ASIA.PERU Exports is maca, meaning 'wild radish' in Quechua (the Inca language). It is a Peruvian herb for medical and common consumption. Maca (known as makar in Malay) first originates from the Chinchayocha Plain of Junin, Peru with Asian cultivations in Nepal, Bhutan, India and most recently in China. The packs and tin products that I found at Velocity today are introduced from China with emphasis on its earliest country of origin, Peru. The real maca is also featured.

Maca made its first product appearance as maca capsules in Singapore at Vargas & Associates, located at 20 Oxford Road, #03-17, Singapore ten years ago.

In Peru, maca is found in biscuits, bread, beverages, jam, capsules and is a sex stimulant. It has fertility and aphrodisiac qualities and overcomes sexual depression.

To find out more about edible products in Asia that have Peruvian origins, please refer to the heritage book ASIA.PERU Exports.