Risking death for a special ceviche in Peru

Business Insider

Shellfish collectors in Peru make a living harvesting a special mollusk called the barquillo, a primary ingredient in a world-famous ceviche dish. But hunting the elusive seafood comes at a deadly cost.

Transcript

00:01Here in Peru, the search for a seafood delicacy

00:05begins with a motorcycle ride through the desert.

00:12Just a handful of people in the whole country

00:15are skilled enough to scale the towering cliffs.

00:24They're hunting for a special mollusk called barquillo,

00:28found inside coastal rocks where the waves crash.

00:49Barquillos are the main ingredient in a special kind of seafood ceviche

00:54that's made only in the remote town of Warmey,

00:59which has now become a go-to destination for foodies from all over the world.

01:04But what's in it for the men who put their lives on the line

01:09hunting for this elusive sea creature?

01:11About a five-hour drive north of Lima is the small fishing town of Warmey.

01:21Every day, Arminio Lobato de la Cruz

01:25packs up his climbing gear and hits the road.

01:28He's learning from his mentor, Juan Le Gormes,

01:41who has nearly 20 years of experience as a shellfish collector or mariscador.

01:47He's known as El Grande.

01:48Together, they bike for 25 miles till they reach this coastal desert.

01:54I, for example, the first time I went to the acantilado,

01:59I felt a little hot, right?

02:02But my body was a little scared.

02:05I had a little fear around there.

02:08But with time, El Grande says he overcame his fear.

02:12You're independent of yourself.

02:15It's not like a job.

02:16A job that tells you,

02:17come back at the time,

02:18and at the time you're going to go.

02:20They prefer to scale the cliffs the way their ancestors did,

02:25without any formal rock climbing gear.

02:31The men wear hand-woven mesh shoes that don't retain water.

02:35You're literally holding it, right?

02:45They don't try to fall out.

02:49El Grande ties the rope around an iron rod that's hammered into the rock.

02:54This is the only thing that anchors them to these cliffs

02:57that are as high as 1,000 feet.

03:00a thousand feet.

03:02At the beginning, I was a little scared.

03:06I thought I would not return.

03:09Look at this.

03:11But now, I have a habit.

03:15Lobato goes first.

03:18The two men take turns,

03:20rappelling down, using each other for support,

03:23like a pulley system.

03:25You do a lot of strength in the soga.

03:27You have pain in the arms.

03:34The hand hurts you a lot.

03:38You burn the soga.

03:40For several opportunities, I'm going to break my fingers.

03:43Falling rocks and debris make the descent even more challenging.

03:48You don't have to be worried about anything.

03:50Because sometimes, if you're worried about something,

03:53you can have a bad heart.

03:58You have to have your mind closed.

04:02El Grande starts to descend once Lobato stops

04:05at about 300 feet down.

04:09I almost remember it.

04:12That's the amount.

04:16The rope isn't long enough to reach the rocks in one shot.

04:20So they carry more and tie it at different points along the route.

04:31The entire descent takes them about 40 minutes.

04:41Finally, El Grande meets Lobato at a ledge near the ocean.

04:45The water temperature, even in the summer, is around 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

04:50So they put on a thermal suit for insulation.

04:56These cost them about 1,000 Peruvian soles, or about $270.

05:01But they're an essential investment.

05:04December to March are the best months to harvest the barquillos,

05:08because the ocean is relatively calmer.

05:12So when the water retreats during low tide,

05:15they try to pluck as many barquillos as they can.

05:19As you go!

05:21As you go!

05:22When you come to the ground, you get the dirt better than anything else.

05:25Yes!

05:27When you come to the ground, you get the dirt better than anything.

05:29Yes!

05:30And if the water doesn't come with strength, you cover it under the stone and the water passes on you.

05:43So you're protected there and you keep working.

05:47Saludos to me.

05:55Corre, corre, corre.

06:00The barquillos thrive off the algae and seagrass that cover the slippery rocks.

06:08They're just two inches long and blend in.

06:11But the men know exactly what they look like.

06:14They use their hands and sometimes a piece of spring iron to get them off.

06:19Here in Peru, mariscadores were harvesting barquillos as far back as 680, using rafts to reach them.

06:33The exterior shell is made of eight plates that overlap slightly, allowing it to curl up into a ball.

06:41Inside, it has a radula or tongue covered with sharp, tiny teeth that help it eat the algae.

06:45They can live up to 20 years and are a natural source of food for birds, crabs, starfish and more.

06:51Species of this mollusk are also found in Alaska, California, Chile and the Great Barrier Reef.

07:01But today, there are only a dozen mariscadores left in and around Warme who collect the barquillo this way.

07:11Others, like Juan Obet Logimet, rent boats to get to nearby tidal pools.

07:32But that's expensive and much slower.

07:36Mariscadores also say they can access more locations by climbing up and down the cliffs.

07:45But Juan can no longer do that.

07:48Last year, a wave thrashed him on these rocks, permanently injuring his knee.

07:53I turned my body, fell, and I threw it.

07:57I wanted to stop, but the pain was unsupportable.

08:02He uses a different technique to catch the shellfish with special bamboo sticks or kanias.

08:09He attaches an iron hook on one stick to scrape off the barquillo.

08:14And a mesh net on the other to catch it.

08:19This helps him reach deep into the rocks while staying away from the waves.

08:25In the mar, you have to know the currents in which it is in that moment.

08:32Today, the water can be very good.

08:35And tomorrow, it can be a lion.

08:40The accidents that I have had have been strong.

08:47The rotors of bones, the skulls, the tendonitis, the esguince.

08:55Accidents like his are all too common for Mariscadores in Peru, which is one of the world's top five fishing nations.

09:18But the majority of incidents go unreported since the fishing sector is mostly informal.

09:25Today, Lobato and El Grande plucked about 350 barquillos in three hours.

09:50And even ate some of them fresh.

09:54If they're in the shell, they can stay alive for a couple of days.

09:58But Mariscadores often de-shell them so their load is lighter.

10:04Pulling themselves up after a whole day of fishing is exhausting.

10:09And takes the most stamina.

10:11Once the men are back in Huarme, they try to sell the barquillo right away to wholesalers.

10:34It's delicious.

10:35It's a little salad.

10:36It's the flavor of the sea, right?

10:37Juan also delivers barquillos to local fish markets.

10:51He can make up to 500 soles a week, or about $136, depending on his haul.

10:57In this part of Peru, that could pay for a week's worth of groceries for a family of four.

11:04Juan's family also runs a seafood restaurant that serves ceviche, the national dish of Peru.

11:15It's usually a mixture of raw seafood and fish with onions and citrus juice.

11:21But restaurants in Huarme are known for making it with only shellfish.

11:29Foodies from all over the world travel here to try the famous version of ceviche.

11:36And while this is a local treat found in every corner of Huarme, mariscadores like Juan,

12:05feel forgotten.

12:19There are other jobs in the area in mining and agriculture.

12:23But El Grande and Lobato say shellfish hunting is the most lucrative for them right now.

12:29I don't care about the danger, right?

12:31What I care about is that my children are professionals.

12:35My job is to wait for me and make money so that they can study.

12:41I have to hold myself strong and that I don't have to do anything, right?

12:45Because I have to get home well.

12:47well, I don't know because of ten to this day.

12:53I haven't seen some ignorant 걸로 for but because I know,

12:55I have to take three hours back then.

12:57I am always нашем GPS.

13:00I like that so much knowledge.

13:01I like that so often.

13:03I like that so often, as I am sorry.

13:04So this is where people want it to be.

13:06I like that right now.

13:08I am the Catholic court already.

Category

Transcript

Recommended