Pan Chuta of Oropesa

Oropesa sits on the road east from Cusco and has been declared the national capital of bread, which for once is a title with something behind it: dozens of bakeries work in the village, many of them family operations with wood-fired clay ovens, and they produce the chuta - a round loaf up to forty or fifty centimetres across, lightly sweet, enriched with lard or butter, anise, sugar and sometimes cinnamon, with a soft crumb and a dark crust. It is bought whole, torn rather than sliced, and eaten with cheese, coffee or on its own; it keeps for days. Bread from Oropesa is sold across Cusco and is taken to families in other regions as a gift. The bakeries work overnight so the bread is out in the morning, and buses on the Urcos road stop while sellers come aboard with armfuls of it.

What you actually see

• The wood ovens - clay ovens in family bakeries throughout the village.
• The chuta - a round loaf up to fifty centimetres, lightly sweet with anise.
• The overnight baking - ovens working through the night for morning bread.
• The road sellers - vendors boarding buses on the Urcos road with armfuls.

When to go

Year-round. Morning, when the overnight bake comes out. One hour in the village; or simply buy from a seller on the Urcos road.

Honest expectations

The village itself has little else for visitors. Loaves are large - a whole chuta feeds several people. Bakeries are homes and workshops, not shops set up for tours. Quality varies; ask which bakery locals rate.

Nearby

Tipón and Piquillacta are further along the Urcos road; Cusco is west.