An Iranian man plays with a firework celebrating Chaharshanbe Souri, or Wednesday Feast, an ancient Festival of Fire on the eve of the last Wednesday of the Persian year, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
65 grams (½ cup) slivered almonds71 grams (⅓ cup) white sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest163 grams (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour57 grams (⅓ cup) semolina flour or 48 grams (⅓ cup) fine yellow cornmeal
½ teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon table salt
85 grams (6 tablespoons) salted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, room temperature
For the filling and finishing:People eat pork cracklings at a street food stall in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
The menu highlights local favorites, such as the baked potato stuffed with savory minced meat stew, a downtown La Paz staple. Another signature dish prepared by Llusco is “anticucho,” a popular Peruvian street food dish of grilled beef heart fillets served with potatoes and yellow chili pepper sauce.Chef and food researcher Marko Bonifaz said Bolivia is undergoing an interesting movement that involves integrating haute cuisine with street food, and it is no longer just an attractive option for tourists, but for Bolivians themselves.
Llusco’s cuisine, deeply rooted in the teachings of her mother and aunt, who sold food on the streets of Bolivia, embodies this movement.“These simple dishes reconnect us with our culture,” she said. “They make me very happy.”