Are Chuños Gluten Free?

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Chuños are freeze-dried potatoes, making them naturally gluten free. However, some of the Bolivian and Peruvian dishes they are traditionally used in do contain gluten. They’re a must-try if you’re visiting the region — a unique food item found almost nowhere else in the world.

What Are Chuños?

Chuños are a type of preserved potato that has been produced in the high Andes for centuries. Production takes place at the start of winter, when nighttime temperatures drop to around −5°C. The potatoes are laid out on mats outside and left for five to seven days. They freeze overnight and then dehydrate in the daytime sun.

This creates a natural freeze-drying process, and the resulting chuños can be stored for long periods of time.

The texture and taste of chuños are very different from fresh potatoes. Think firm gnocchi — slightly elastic, gelatinous, or even rubbery. They don’t go soft and fluffy like potatoes. After rehydration and cooking, they remain much chewier in texture.

They come in two forms: black (chuño negro) and white (tunta or moraya). Both are made from the same potato; the difference is that white chuños are prepared from cleaned and peeled potatoes.

What Are Chuños Used For?

Chuño is cooked either whole or ground into flour. It’s commonly used in soups and stews, or served as a side dish. Both fresh potatoes and chuños are often added to the same dishes, but they’re not considered interchangeable — and for good reason.

You’ll find chuños in most Andean markets, sold from large sacks or laid out on sheets on the ground. In their black form, they resemble wrinkled, fossilised potatoes.

Gluten-Free Chuño Dishes

Keen to try chuños? Look out for some of these iconic dishes. For a complete guide to gluten-free Bolivian restaurant food, check out our separate post.

Dish	Description
Jakonta	A beef and lamb soup containing vegetables, potatoes, and chuños.
Revuelto de Chuño	Scrambled eggs with rehydrated chuños.
Chuño Cola	A rich lamb or beef stew with vegetables and rehydrated chuños.

Gluten-Containing Chuño Dishes

Dish	Description
Chairo	A soup made from chuño flour, vegetables, and dried meat. Wheat grains are traditionally cooked in the soup.
Fricasé	Another chuño-based soup that unfortunately contains breadcrumbs.

For more information on eating gluten free in Bolivia, take a look at our Bolivia gluten-free guide.