Peruvian Cuisine

Peruvian  cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the world and competes with the top popular cuisines in the planet such as the French, Asian (Chinese and Japanese) and Italian cuisine.  In January 2004, The Economist said that “Peru can lay claim to one of the world’s dozen or so great cuisines”, while at the Fourth International Summit of Gastronomy Madrid Fusión 2006, regarded as the world’s most important gastronomic forum, held in Spain, Lima, the capital and largest city of Peru, was declared the “Gastronomic Capital of the Americas”. As of the late 20th century and the early 21st century, Peruvian cuisine has become widely regarded by professionals and the international media as “the best of Latin America”.

Thanks to its pre-Inca and Inca heritage and to Spanish, Basque, African, Chinese, Japanese, and finally Italian, French and Britain immigration (mainly throughout the 19th century), Peruvian cuisine combines the flavors of four continents. With the eclectic variety of traditional dishes, the Peruvian culinary arts are in constant evolution, and impossible to list in their entirety. Suffice it to mention that along the Peruvian coast alone there are more than two thousand different types of soups, and that there are more than 250 traditional desserts.

Let’s go back in history to explore how this came about. First, Peru is located in part of the Andes Mountains, and then flanked by the Pacific Ocean, which all contributes to the vast diversity of the food, culture and climate. There are 28 different climates, all within Peru, which create interesting and diverse crops. Plus, there were geographical challenges that came with so much mountainous terrain that made it difficult to get around quickly, so mountains helped to create protective “pockets” for the indigenous people to live. So protected, that once the invasions by the Spanish and Portuguese did start, some of the invaders refused to go thru the mountains so certain cuisines were kept intact over hundreds of years even though other cuisines, in particular in the communities along the Pacific Ocean, were being developed and altered rapidly because of exposure to new ingredients.

Peru had highly developed cultures, mostly due to its interesting geography. Among them, were the Nasca Indians of Southern Peru, who etched the soil with elaborate geoglyphs so large that their shapes can only be fully appreciated from the air. In the north, the Mochica people built impressive pyramids, while the Tiahuanuco established an empire that ruled Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina for over 1,000 years. Shortly after their collapse towards the end of the 12^th
century, a Quechua tribe, one of many in the mountains, also known as the Incas, began to establish a power base that lasted over 300 years with as many as 15 million subjects.

During this time, the Incas improved terracing and irrigation, cultivating new crops such as cassava and peanuts and corn. The Incas lasted until the Spanish explorer/conqueror, Francisco Pizarro, arrived in this new world. A period of Spanish rule followed until Peru finally declared its independence in 1821.

Because of all this beautiful terrain and variation in climates, Peru is able to grow many different species of commonly used produce, not that all are used or exported, but there are over 200 species of potatoes, over 20 native fruits that are used in cooking, 15 species of tomatoes, squashes, pine nuts, quinoa, tamarillos,sweet potatoes and several types of beans, which are all originally from these mountains. Corn is native to Latin America and the Incas improved upon it and Peru now has over 35 different species of corn.  Peru also produce beef and pork, but they are particularly partial to duck and chicken and also like to eat guinea pigs. Because mountain-bred animals are often tough from all the climbing, their meat is usually chopped into very small pieces, then stewed.  This helps tenderize the meat.

In the 1900’s, the Chinese and Japanese came to Peru seeking financial opportunities, and of course, brought their culinary skills with them (Chinese brought rice and the Japanese brought their approach to preparing raw fish.) Over time, Peruvians developed Ceviche, often spelled “cebiche” in Peru, is marinated fish and shellfish, a good example of regional adaptation. It is the flagship dish of coastal cuisine, and one of the most popular dishes among Peruvians. Ceviche is served with raw onions, boiled sweet potatoes (camote), toasted corn (cancha), and sometimes a local green seaweed yuyo.

Tiradito is a related dish that consists of Andean chili peppers, onions and acidic aromatic lime, a variety brought by the Spaniards. A spicy dish, it consists generally of bite-size pieces of white fish (such as corvina or white sea bass), marinated raw in lime juice  mixed with chilis.

 The chupe de camarones (shrimp cioppino) is one of the most popular dishes of Peruvian coastal cuisine. It is made from a thick freshwater shrimp (crayfish) stock soup, potatoes,  milk and chili pepper. Regarded as typical from Arequipa, Chupe de Camarones is regularly found in Peruvian restaurants specialized in Arequipan cuisine.

The city’s bakeries are quite popular with Peruvians. One may find Peruvians standing in line in almost every bakery waiting for freshly baked white bread from 6 to 9 am and from 4 to 6 pm. The majority of Peruvians tend to eat bread for breakfast along with coffee or tea. Almost all bread in Peru, with the exception of baguettes, is fortified with added fats, such as lard. Whole wheat bread is extremely hard to find. Many bakeries sell white bread sprinkled with bran for health conscious customers as whole wheat flour is extremely hard to find. However, even this bread is often heavily fortified with lard, shortening or butter. Authentic whole wheat bread is imported from Europe and sold at upscale grocery stores. A few coastal cities bakeries produce “bollos,” which are loaves of bread baked in stone and wood-ovens from the Andes.

Also frequently sold by street vendors are  tamales: boiled corn with meat or cheese and wrapped in a banana leaf. They are similar to humitas, which consist of corn mixed with spices, sugar, onions, filled with pork and olives and finally wrapped in the leaves of corn husks. Tamales are a common breakfast food, often served with lima and/or “Salsa Criolla.”

The list goes on and on… Too long for this post. Stay tuned for a separate posts with a list of their more popular dishes and restaurants where they can be found in the NYC area.  Doesn’t it all make you want to get on the next flight to Peru to check it out for yourself???

Happy eating!