Chawlla thimpo

Chawlla thimpo is a fish broth from Lake Titicaca. The traditional fish is the carachi, small and native to the lake; today mauri, another native species, and pejerrey or trout, introduced to the lake, are also used. The fish are cooked whole with muña, an aromatic Andean herb. Potato and chuño, the potato dehydrated by the high-altitude cold, are cooked separately and added at serving time.

Peru’s tourism inventory groups the names chawlla thimpu and chawlla wallaque on the same record but describes regional presentation differences. In parts of Puno, the fish, potato and chuño arrive on the plate and the broth is served separately; in the version called wallaque, the ingredients and the broth may come together.

In Puno, by the lakeshore, the broth is everyday food, sold at the city markets, and is known as "levantamuerto," the broth sought after festivals. By Ordinance 021-2024-CM/MPP, of October 31, 2024, the Provincial Municipality of Puno declared November 5 the Day of Chawlla Thimpo and Chawlla Wallaque, and the preparations were included in Peru’s National Inventory of Tourist Resources.

Carachi is a fish with many bones. Eat slowly, separating the flesh carefully, and have the broth separately, as is customary.