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.

The main sights

• 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.

Good to know

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.