Share a San Juan Juane for Family Harmony / 🇵🇪 Peru

A juane arrives at the table wrapped like a little bundle. Open the leaves and you may find seasoned rice around chicken and egg. In the Peruvian Amazon, juanes are associated with the feast of San Juan. They make it easy to give each person a portion and let everyone open it at once. Before you unwrap yours, pick someone you want to thank for bringing people together. It could be the person who cooked, the person who brought you there or the one who made time to come. Say what you appreciated in a few words and wish for another meal together. That is something you can do even if the gathering is small.

1. Prepare the parcels from a recipe you trust or start with cooked juanes. For the style described here, look for rice and chicken wrapped in bijao leaves.
2. Give each person a plate and a parcel. Open the tied leaves carefully and move them aside to eat the filling.
3. Name one thing you are glad to share with the people at the table. Ask each person what they would like to do together again.
4. If you have an extra parcel, set it aside promptly for someone you want to include. Tell them what is inside when you offer it.

The feast of San Juan is celebrated on 24 June and has a strong presence in the Peruvian Amazon. Juane is one of the dishes identified with it. Bijao leaves are crossed to hold the rice and filling, then gathered around them, giving the parcel its shape. There are different preparations across the region. The rice and chicken version is one way to get to know the dish and to see what the leaves do. The leaves hold everything together until the moment you open them. At a table far from the celebration, that moment can still make the serving feel like an occasion: everyone starts with a closed parcel and discovers what is inside together.