Indigenous Flavors of the World's Highest Desert
An ode to the Indigenous communities that have thrived in Chile's Atacama Desert for centuries.
When our bus rolls into the vast and wild Atacama Desert, in the globe’s deep south in Chile, all we can see is its sun-beaten, rocky, golden terrain for kilometers. A Mars-esque landscape that seems to belongs to another planet. I’m convinced that nothing can grow or survive in its stark, barren, infinite nothingness.
We finally alight in the oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama, which 12,000 years ago, was home to glacial lakes and gushing rivers. The Indigenous Atacameño people arrived here as hunter-gatherers - hunting wild camelids, gathering carob (yes, the superfood!). They gradually began to grow maize, domesticate llamas, build circular adobe houses and settle. Now a thick salt crust covers the landscape, and only archeological evidence of this freshwater life survives. The mystery of how lakes and rivers flourished in a region with hardly any rain in 2.5 million years has no definitive answers.
The town itself, though stunning in its starkness, has turned into a tourist trap. Its unpaved golden lanes, built around an 18th century mud-straw-cactus ceiling church, are abuzz with unrelenting salespeople all selling the same tours - to the salt flats, (not so) secret lakes, geysers, sunset points and stargazing zones. We naively allow ourselves to fall into the trap, then wisen up, fork out money to rent an expensive car, immerse in the geological wonders of the desert in their splendid isolation, and look for ways to connect with the region’s centuries-old Indigenous knowledge.
Our hosts at the locally-owned Terrantai Lodge – a heritage desert house restored with adobe, cactus and stone walls – suggest that we might find what we’re seeking, not in someone’s adobe home deep in the desert, but at the Indigenous-owned Restaurante Ephedra.
Amidst the arid wildflower-filled landscape, under the star-studded skies that Atacama is best known for, Carolina Colque and Sergio Armella - who grew up right here in the desert - have designed a culinary experience to taste its wild flavors and through it, learn about its Indigenous way of life. We settle in for a 5-course vegan tasting menu, featuring wild herbs and flowers foraged from the desert, and native veggies sourced from local desert communities. Think kombucha brewed with the suico flower, a high-altitude citrus herb which grows wild but only when it rains, a rarity in the world’s driest desert; native purple potato chips; and a palette cleansing sorbet made of desert herbs like rica rica. My favorite is the desert-inspired dessert of vegan macarons, textured like the rugged Licancabur Volcano we can see in the flat distance!
We learn that Sergio enrolled in law school in Chile’s capital city, trained as a chef at a Michelin-star restaurant in Denmark, and returned home to set up the region’s first fine-dining restaurant - named Ephedra after a wild desert fruit that also featured in our tasting menu! Every course is sprinkled with Carolina’s stories of the ingredients and dishes, some borrowed from her grandmother’s kitchen and some from her own adventures in co-curating a meal that is much more than a meal.
At a time when climate impacts are forcing local communities out of extreme terrains, Ephedra is a way to preserve precious knowledge of wild and native ecosystems known only to desert elders. It is an attempt to co-create livelihoods with local farmers and foragers. It is a food lab reviving Indigenous fermentation and preservation techniques. It is an opportunity to put Atacama on the world’s culinary map. And most of all, it is an ode to the people that have thrived for centuries in the world’s highest, driest and oldest (non-polar) desert.
Experience a desert-inspired meal at Restaurante Ephedra:
Eat: If you find yourself in Chile’s Atacama Desert, reserve a meal at Restaurante Ephedra (indicating dietary preferences), located a short drive from San Pedro de Atacama.
Website | Instagram: ephedrarest
Rootless and Restless: Book updates
Over the last few weeks, Rootless and Restless has been gaining more momentum than I expected. I’ve had so many readers reach out to say that after reading the book, they’ve bought more copies to gift to friends and siblings. Cafes and homestays stocking the book have been sending me photos of folks buying the book! An independent bookstore in Bangalore told me that it’s frequently been their bestseller in the last few weeks.
Here are some recent updates:
My journey living and writing Rootless and Restless was featured in YourStory!
The book is now available for sale at the Museum of Goa, Terrassen Cafe in Auroville, The Retreat in Bhimtal and Funny Folks Cafe in Bir.
I joined the reading community Read a Kitaab for an author talk, and love the kind of thoughtful questions they asked! Watch the replay here.
The upcycling collective ReCharkha featured the book, available to buy at their lovely Pune store.
The inspiring folks at She The People interviewed me on the ‘female gaze’ in travel, and the themes of the book.
Rootless and Restless got its first 50 reviews on Amazon - a milestone worth celebrating! My heartfelt gratitude all of you who made the effort to share your thoughts. This little act really helps a book find the right readers <3
Conscious recommendations
Meaningful travel ideas, eco-friendly finds and worthwhile opportunities, as well as books and films that’ve inspired me.
Read:
Why mass tree planting may not be the solution Indian cities need: Bangalore recently attempted to create a Guinness World Record for planting the largest number of tree saplings in a single day - with nearly 1.5 million saplings planted! Ahmedabad did a similar drive in July. While it sounds great in theory, this deep dive on Mongabay-India explores why restoration of urban ecosystems is more complex than simply planting more trees.
Silence - The power of quiet in a world full of noise: I find deep resonance with the teachings of the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, and this book is one I always want to keep with me. I’ve been reading it slowly, just a page or two a day, marking lines I want to revisit and reflecting on every word. As someone who actively seeks silence and solitude when I travel, this book is teaching me how we must actually find these within.
Travel:
Czech Republic
I spent a week in Prague, and fell in love with this historic city despite landing up there in the middle of a heatwave!
Pragulic: We went on a tour with the female-founded Pragulic - a small travel outfit that has been working with homeless people in Prague to train them as tour guides. Visiting our guide’s old haunts and hearing stories of his life on the streets introduced us to a grittier and very different side of the city.
India
Goa: I have vivid memories of weeks spent driving around the interiors of Goa on our bike, huddling under old banyan trees with fellow riders during a heavy downpour, spotting peacocks dancing in the lush greenery, cycling on idyllic islands, chatting with farmers in their paddy fields, and celebrating Sao Joao – the well-jumping festival! In my curated guide to monsoon travel in Goa, I introduce you to hidden stays, conscious experiences and a slice of the susegad local life that is a such a hallmark of rainy days in this stunning state.
Check out:
The Bodhi Tree: Applied Buddhist Psychology: Last year, I joined a 6-month course on Buddhist Psychology, facilitated by Dr Nivedita Chalill, and must say it was the single best investment I made towards my mental well-being and inner journey. As someone who knew little about Buddhism and mind training, this course was life-changing. If you’re interested in building a life of compassion and purpose, I highly recommend it. Course details and the application form are available here, and applications close on 15th August.
My stories elsewhere
Stories I’ve written, as well as social media posts I’d love for you to check out.
Blog:
Instagram:
Living a parallel reality as I follow all that’s unfolding in Delhi from afar
How many followers do you really need for international travel collaborations
Restaurante Ephedra sounds incredible. Sad I missed it when I was in Atacama but have passed it on to friends heading that way for their honeymoon!