Peru Food

Peruvian Food Pictures: The Sky Room At Hotel Crillón

2008-09-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

For decades, the Hotel Crillón, on Lima's once-stately Avenida Nicolas de Piérola, popularly known as La Colmena or The Beehive, was the grande-dame of Lima's hotels.

The Hotel Crillón has been closed for many years now, in part due to family squabbles, as well as the evolving face and demographics of Lima's historical center.

But during its apogée, there was no more a chic address than Lima's Hotel Crillón.

And there was no better kitchen than that of the Crillón's rooftop Sky Room, where a Peruvian food extravaganza, accompanied by the finest Peruvian music, were the delight of locals and visitors alike.

Perhaps, one day in the near future, the Crillón will open its doors again, and the Sky Room will once again be one of Lima's prime destinations.

Until then, we have these pictures to remember the Sky Room's, and La Colmena's, heyday.

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peruvian Food Video: Street Stall Black Clam Ceviche

2008-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Peru is all about the street food.

I admit, I sometimes chicken out, but I promise: if I lived in Peru, I would be less wary (and when I did, I was).

Especially of a Peruvian food stall as tempting as this one.

In this video, elwayqui visits a street stall in the vicinity of the main entry to the Bellavista Market in El Callao (near the corner of Avenida Faucett with Avenida Venezuela), which he assures us "is very hygenic".

If you go there, elwayqui asks we, "tell the lady you saw her on the Internet."

This street stall specializes in black clam ceviche, cebiche de conchas negras, a true Peruvian food delicacy.

The ceviche vendor tells us how she prepares it:

First, the clams are cracked open. She then drops the clams into a dish with lemon juice made from the tart limo limón of northern Peru. She adds salt and ají, after asking: "a lot or a little?"

Next chopped garlic, a spoonful of Ajinomoto, some diced fish, and the calamari-like pota. Next is a bit of onion and cilantro (culantro in Peruvian).

The dish is enhanced with a concetrado de pescado, a fish concentrate, added to "give [the ceviche] a good flavor."

Finally, a good mix, a couple of hearty cackles, a bit of the toasted corn cancha, boiled corn, yuyo or seaweed, and a couple of slices of boiled sweet potato, and the cebiche de conchas negras from the street stall is ready to be devoured.

ceviche de agachadito Parte 1 (01:54)
Video: el wayqui

One in an occasional series of posts with videos of everyday people in Peru filming their Peruvian food.

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía,

How To Eat Ceviche In Lima

2008-09-10T00:56:00.000-07:00

This excellent article, by traveler, writer, and photographer Nicholas Gill, recently appeared at the online travel magazine, World Hum, chockablock with "travel dispatches from a shrinking planet", and part of the Travel Channel family.

World Hum describes itself as a magazine interested "not on destinations, but on the journey; on travel in the broadest sense of the word. [A magazine that doesn't] see travel only as a way to spend a couple weeks' vacation every year [but as] a way to see the world ... abroad, [and] also a way to see the world ... at home."

Ultimately, World Hum believes, "Travel is a state of mind."

In this clever and informative piece, Nicholas Gill gives us a type of primer for eating ceviche in Lima, or in any Peruvian cevichería in the world.

Thanks to Nicholas and World Hum for allowing Peru Food to republish the article here.

Photo: Nicholas Gill @ World Hum

How To Eat Ceviche In Lima
by Nicholas Gill @ World Hum

The situation: It’s Sunday, and after a night out in Lima, Peru, you’ve found yourself in a cevichería. It’s more, you discover, than a mere place to order ceviche. It’s a cultural institution where lime juice abounds, and the events and misadventures from the previous night are discussed, reenacted and celebrated. Here’s your primer.

When to go: While most cevicherías are open daily, Sunday is traditionally their busiest day and visiting one is a weekly ritual for many Limeños. After partying until dawn the night before in Lima’s discos, you might rest for a few hours but still feel like the bottom of your shoe. The act of going to a cevichería is something that can both refresh and revive; a combination of hair of the dog and raw seafood. The experience begins in the late morning and typically lasts all day; the overindulgence may, on a good day, eclipse that of the night before.

The basics: Early, crude forms of ceviche began to appear in pre-Colombian times in the coastal civilizations of South America where fish was “cooked” with a fruit called tumbo. Later the Incas ate salted fish marinated in chicha, a fermented corn drink, and when the Spanish arrived, they added limes and onions to the mix.

Ceviche preparations vary from place to place—in Mexico, finely diced fish in lemon juice is served with crackers and Tabasco; in Ecuador, ceviche includes tomatoes and is much soupier; in the Andes, chefs use trout—but it’s the Peruvian version that’s recently caught on outside Latin America.

In Peru, ceviche is eaten as a first course or appetizer. The dish requires fresh, quality ingredients; precise and lightning-fast execution; and a basic understanding of spices and acidity. The chef tosses fresh chunks of any firm white fish, such as flounder or sea bass, with onions, bits of Peruvian ají peppers, seasoning and—most importantly—lime juice only minutes before serving. Ceviche isn’t exactly raw like sashimi is raw, though. The acid in the lime actually cooks the fish just before you eat it, resulting in an explosion of taste and texture. In the same dish you’ll find a slice of sweet potato, a few sticks of boiled yucca and a small piece of corn on the cob.

Where to go: Pick up Lima’s restaurant guide, “Guia Gastronomica,” for suggestions, or head to the seaside districts of Barranco and Chorrillos, and look for the crowds spilling into the street from restaurants like Punta Arenas or La Canta Rana. For a step up in price and quality, check out dining options in the Miraflores district such as Caplina or the trendster hot spot La Mar, owned by Lima’s outspoken TV chef Gastón Acurio. At either you’ll find local celebrities and wealthy Limeños sipping on pisco-infused cocktails and noshing on Novo Andino (New Andean) foods, including a lineup of ceviches and tiraditos.

Still, the best cevicherías are a bit out of the way. Sonia, a ceviche shack near the Chorrillos fish market that has grown a fanatic following, is tucked away in a far corner of the city. Sankuay, aka Chez Wong, sits in an unpretentious part of Lima, but the loyal ensemble of BMWs and Mercedes outside give it away as a culinary gem. Inside, chef Javier Wong takes a look at you and decides what you are going to eat. If you don’t like it, then leave.

Order like an expert: To begin, pick at the toasted, salted corn kernels called cancha serrana already on the table, and make your first order. Start with something to drink, say, Leche de Tigre, aka Tiger’s Milk. It’s like a kick in the face. More clearly defined, it’s the tangy juice left over at the bottom of the ceviche bowl served in a tall shot glass. Sometimes it’s mixed with a shot of pisco, a white brandy that is Peru’s national spirit. Throw in a few 32-ounce beers (always Pilsen or Cusqueña) for everyone to share. If dining after a rough night, opt for a pisco sour. Better yet, make it a double.

Next, move on to the goods: ceviche or tiradito. Ceviche comes in many forms: clásico (the traditional mix), mixto (with fish, squid, octopus and scallops), camarón (with crayfish), black conch (said to increase your sexual prowess), pato (with duck), and champiñones (with mushrooms). Tiradito is the modish, young cousin of ceviche. Created by Nikkei (Japanese) chefs in Lima, it relies on the tradition of dousing raw fish in lime juice, but the slices are paper thin and its makers add a spicy ají-based sauce.

Once you’ve finished your ceviche—another round of drinks, by the way, has likely been put on the table without your asking—you can order the rest of your meal. Your second course will be something hearty, and typically served with rice.

Need more starch? Try tacu-tacu de mariscos: day-old rice and beans refried and stuffed with seafood. Something more filling? Lenguado a la macho: flounder in a zesty sauce of onion, garlic, paprika, cilantro and rocoto peppers. Something unusual? Arroz negro: rice cooked in squid ink with sautéed squid, scallops and crayfish. Something multinational? Camarón saltado: a variation of Peru’s favorite Chinese fusion dish with shrimp instead of chicken.

Bask in the benefits: Die-hard connoisseurs will try to sell you the health attributes of ceviche like a can of snake oil—it will prevent sleepwalking, cure a hangover, and even increase your sex drive. While there may be some truth to their words, a visit to a cevichería will at the very least guarantee good times and a full belly. Buen provecho!

Original article: How To Eat Ceviche In Lima

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Off Topic: Yma Sumac Videos

2008-09-06T00:46:00.000-07:00

THE voice. No more need be said.

A Peruvian Food Story In Quechua: Iskay Hawas Ruruchamanta

2008-09-04T05:57:00.000-07:00

Photo: Mundo Quechua

In Peru, habas are broad beans, also known as fava beans, or in Latin, vicia faba.

Originally from Asia and Africa, this ancient crop traveled to Europe and then crossed the Atlantic during the Columbian exchange, eventually reaching Andean Peru.

In the Andes, habas are now considered a traditional food. They are often boiled in their skins and half the fun is peeling them and finding the flavorful bean inside.

In the earthen-cooked meal known as pachamanca, habas always accompany the meat and potatoes.

At Mundo Quechua, a blog dedicated to promoting the Quechua language, I came across this children's story about habas, in Quechua and Spanish.

Mundo Quechua's author has kindly allowed me to translate this simple story to English and republish his post, in all three languages.

Photo: Wikipedia

Iskay Hawas Ruruchamanta

Huk runapa qipinmantas iskay hawas ruruchakuna urmaykusqaku ranra aqu allpaman.

Chaysi punchaw rupaypi yakumanta yaqa wañusqaku. Tutankunataq chirimanta katkatatasqaku. Wakin punchawkunataq pichinkukuna yaqa yaqa mukurqusqaku.

Chaynas iskaynin hawaskunaqa, unay sinchita ñakarisqaku. Mana para kaptin, mana allpa kaptin, yaqaña wañukusqaku. Chayllamansi hanaqpacha aswan kuyapayasqa parata apachimusqa.

Chay tarpuy killa parawansi, kallpanchakusqaku, chaymantas allpawan qataykukuspa puñusqankupi, qumir yuraman tukuspanku kusisqa kawsasqaku.

Photo: Peru Food

Las Dos Semillitas de Haba

Dice que un día de la espalda de un campesino se cayeron, a un lugar pedregoso y arenoso, dos semillitas de haba.

Dice que con el calor del día casi mueren y en la noches con el frio tiritaban. Otros días los pájaros casi se lo comieron

Se cuenta que ahí sufrieron por mucho tiempo, por falta lluvia, a falta de tierra hasta casi murieron. Pero un día el Dios envió lluvia divina.

Con la lluvia de la época de siembra se fortalecieron, dice que luego se cubrieron con tierra, ahí donde cayeron, y luego se trasnformaron en una planta verde y asi felices vivieron.

Photo: Municipalidad Distrital de San Andrés de Tupicocha

The Two Haba Seeds

One day two small haba seeds fell off the back of a peasant into a rocky and sandy place.

They almost died in the heat of the day and trembled in the cold of night. Some days, birds almost ate them.

The two haba seeds suffered there for a very long time. There was no rain, no soil, and they almost died. But one day, God sent them divine rain.

With the rain from the planting season, they became stronger. Later they covered themselves with soil, right there where they had fallen, and in time, became a green plant, and lived happily ever after.

Source: Mundo Quechua

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TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peruvian Food Video: Hand-Cranked Cane Juice In Huanta

2008-09-02T00:02:00.000-07:00

El Chillico is a You Tube videographer who films goings-on and events in and around Huanta, in the Andes south of Huancayo and southeast from Huancavelica.

His interesting videos capture the essence of daily life in his community simply, honestly, and respectfully.

Lucky for us, he also films Peruvian food.

In this 00:31 second video, we are transported to a fair in the Andes, in the plain known as the Pampa de Maynay, where we see how sugar cane stalks from Huanta Valley are crushed in a hand-cranked contraption in order to extract the juice, which is then served in glasses. It is a delicious and refreshing drink, believed to have curative properties.

My favorite part is around 00:26 when the young woman selling the drink, in order to attract customers, calls out: ¡Caña ... rica caña! .

huanta maynay jugo de caña pura
Video: El Chillico

One in an occasional series of posts with videos of everyday people in Peru filming their Peruvian food.

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Happy BlogDay 2008! (And The Top Peruvian Food Blog Is...)

2008-08-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

Happy BlogDay 2008!

If you're not sure what that is, you can read about it here.

This is a two-part post: the first has my BlogDay 2008 recommendations; and in the second, I reveal the top voted Peruvian food blog in the 20 Blogs Peruanos, 20 Peruvian Blogs, contest.

To bloggers and blog readers around the world: it's great to have a day to celebrate blogs and blogging. Blogs, and the digital media revolution in which we are living, truly represent a a change in the way people communicate, providing the ability for anyone with access to a computer to be creative and have his or voice be heard. Blogs allow us to read stories, share visions, and obtain perspectives on the world we might otherwise never know. Blogs connect people in the most disparate parts of the world, ultimately fulfilling our ancient need for self-expression.

Today, on BlogDay 2008, I searched for five blogs that interested me and gave me new information and a new window through which to view the world.

This year, I wanted to focus on the global nature of blogs, so I chose one blog each from the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australasia, and Europe. All are in English. All have interesting links worth exploring.

First, right here from home, LA Taco, is a blog "celebrating the taco lifestyle." What does that mean? Mostly, lots of photographs of Los Angeles, ranging from Bruce Lee's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to a low-rider exhibition. It's very much a documentary of urban LA life, street art, culture, sometimes interspersed with posts about tacos.

I found Cuckoo's Call, a blog from India about "journey, enlightenment and song", because I was interested in reading about the Untouchable caste. Thanks to this post, I learned about a new film from India titled India Untouched: Stories of a People Apart. Nila Kantha Chandra also discusses corruption at the Calcutta Zoo, Indian society, politics, and poetry, and has some other captivating blogs at the profile page.

Sukuma Kenya is digital journalism from Nairobi. This blog believes "the mobilisation of minds, hearts and the application of imagination can build out of chaos and destruction something new, transcendent and meaningful." They denounce the salaries paid to the wives of Kenyan politicians; review Coming of Age, a Kenyan film about growing up during the Jomo Kenyetta era, and discuss Kenyan society and politics in general.

Babasiga is a blog about "Fiji stories, Labasa, South Pacific culture, family, migration, [and the] Australia/Fiji relationship". Written by Peceli and Wendy, who currently live in Geelong, Australia, they explain "Babasiga (pronounced bambasinga) is the dry land of the Macuata in northern Fiji - our place in the sun in Fiji. The town is Labasa and our village is Vatuadova and the beach is Nukutatava. We are part of the Wailevu Fijian tribe with relatives in Mali Island and Naseakula village." Recently, they've posted about daily goings-on in Suva, girls taking automotive courses at secondary school, and the Methodist choir competition, all illustrated with photos.

Lastly (but not least), from Lithuania, I recommend Laimikis, which in Lithuanian means "lucky catch" and is so titled because "laimikis is people on the streets of Vilnius [and] street people from other towns and ... countries, a concept of street photography based on three principles: 1) the people of your town are no less exotic than personages from overseas; 2) every of them has his/her own story, which is much more interesting, than the comments of any expert; and, 3) street photography is a communication with passers-by and the way to pay a compliment, overcoming usual urban alienation." I love these type of blogs, with loads of pictures of places far away, where I can once again confirm, despite our outward differences, we really are all just the same.

That's it for BlogDay 2008!

OK.

And now.

Finally.

The winner in the Food Blog category of the 2008 edition of 20 Blogs Peruanos, 20 Peruvian Blogs, is ....... Cucharas Bravas: Inspectores Culinarios!

Cucharas Bravas: Inspectores Culinarios (meaning something like: Intrepid Spoons: Culinary Inspectors) is an attractive, smart, and contemporary blog written in Spanish in which Pierina and Freddy review restaurants in Lima and Peru, and write about the general state of Peruvian cuisine. They have received numerous accolades (in fact, I believe this is the second year in a row they have won this prize) and have been featured in the Peruvian traditional and online media. I voted for them!

This blog, Peru Food, made it to the short list of top three most voted Peruvian food blogs, which was an honor in and of itself. Thank you to all who voted for Peru Food.

Pierina and Freddy have done a great job with their blog and deserve all the credit and recognition they receive.

Kudos and congratulations to Cucharas Bravas!

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Off Topic: Feast Day of Saint Rose Of Lima, August 30

2008-08-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Once again, it is the Feast Day of the first Catholic Saint of the New World: St. Rose of Lima, Patroness of the Americas and the Philippines.

Today in Lima, the faithful will be visiting her sanctuary in colonial Lima, as well as the town of Santa Rosa de Quives, where she spent her teenage years.

Processions in her honor will take place all over Peru.

Procession of Saint Rose of Lima,
as the image enters Santo Domingo Church in Lima, where she is buried.

To read more about her life see this link.

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TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

The Most Awaited Restaurant Opening: La Mar Cebicheria Peruana In San Francisco

2008-08-29T02:26:00.000-07:00

For almost two years we've been hearing that Peru's most famous chef, the inimitable Gastón Acurio, was opening a branch of his La Mar Cebicheria Peruana in San Francisco.

I've received countless e-mails asking me, "When will it open?" "When?" When?"

Finally, I believe I have a conclusive answer (fingers crossed).

There is quite a buzz about this restaurant opening, the first time Gastón has opened a branch of one of his unique Peruvian restaurant brands outside the Spanish-speaking world.

Located just steps away from San Francisco's historic Ferry Building, La Mar Cebicheria Peruana will be located at Pier 1½, on San Francisco's Embarcadero.

The property is owned by San Francisco Waterfront Partners, and this project is expected to become the Mecca of high-end Peruvian cuisine in the United States.

The space is huge, a total of 11,000 square feet: 8,000 square feet inside Pier 1½ and another 3,000 square feet outdoors on a patio fronting San Francisco Bay.

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to eat at any of Gastón's venues, whether in Lima, Santiago, Quito, Caracas, Bogotá, Mexico City, Panama City, or Madrid, knows that quality and innovation are hallmarks of his cuisine. He is the consummate culinary perfectionist, and Peru's best ambassador of Peruvian cuisine.

Why call it La Mar Cebicheria Peruana? Gaston's first La Mar opened in Lima's Miraflores district on Avenida La Mar, which dead-ends at the Pacific Ocean, and has since become a prime culinary corridor.

In Spanish, 'la mar' is a poetic way to refer to the sea, which differs from the common appellation of 'el mar'. And, in keeping with the Peruvian spelling, 'cebichería' is spelled with a 'b' and not a 'v'. And although, 'cebichería' is correctly spelled with an accent on the final 'i', in this manifestation, that written accent mark has been dropped.

No one has done as good a job of documenting the progress of San Francisco's La Mar than Eater SF, from which we are republishing the following photographs. At their site there is a wealth of information about the details on the development of this exceptional project.

Oh, and the opening date? According to the property owner's website, the most recent date for the grand opening is September 18.

We can't wait. How about you?

All Photos: SF Eater

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

On The Blogs: Lima Cafés @ Professor Zero

2008-08-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

Photo: etringita

Professor Zero is the nom de plume of an academic living and working in Peru, who explains: "I blog pseudonymously because I want to write in a voice other than my academic one, because I secretly want to be a journalist and memoirist, and because 'journaling' has always seemed solipsistic to me."

Her blog, also named Professor Zero, reads like a collection of essays examining life in Peru, culture, race, literature, among other topics. Her posts are sometimes scholarly, other times more practical, always thoughtful and captivating.

She has kindly allowed us to republish a recent post about cafés in Lima, and between her post and her reader's comments, emerges a good list of places to visit, some with Wi-Fi, others without, where amidst the hubbub of the city, a good cup of coffee and solitude can be had. (For an older post about Lima cafés, click here.)

Feel free to continue to add to this list by leaving a comment, either here or at the original post at Professor Zero.

Note: When Professor Zero mentions Lima 1, she is referring to historic Central Lima.

Fancy Cafés of Lima: Open Thread

We already know that of things one can have done to oneself at low prices in Lima, I prefer acupuncture over beauty services. We also know that I almost never go to restaurants, and that when I do, they are cheap ones, that I like Lima 1, and that I shop in the central market although the rest of my household is afraid to go in.

I have also nearly given up on the bus system, in favor of cabs, until further notice (i.e. until they finish the current obras [construction projects] which cause so many main arteries to be torn up and incapacitated) - because it just takes too long to ride buses around all the detours and through the congestion, because I am too lazy to re-learn all the road maps so that I can be an efficient taker of buses in these circumstances, because I can, or am willing to walk further than people from Lima can or are, and because, when faced with the choice of taking two buses at 1 nuevo sol apiece or one cab for 5 nuevos soles, I go for the cab, saying, “It is just a dollar” (really it is a little more, and over time these dollars add up, but still [and notice, I think in dollars because it is in dollars that I am paid]).

The other extremely bourgeois thing I do is sit in fancy cafés, the topic of this post.

I want to know about more of them since I currently only go to three and a half on a regular basis. (I used to go to various others in Lima 1, but I do not live there now. There are other cafés I go to occasionally, but which I think of more as bars or restaurants and suspect it would be invasive of me to use as offices). Because I only go to three a half and want to go to more, we are having an open thread on fancy cafés of Lima (good and bad).

Disqualified from the outset are Starbuck’s, the McDonald’s café (yes, it serves espresso), any café in a mall, and the café of the bookstore CRISOL. This last café looks good but is ultimately too flashy, and the wait staff appears never to have been customers in a café, so they do not know what they are doing. Now I will review the cafés I like.

Photo: Steve Burt

The HAITI on the Parque Kennedy is the most traditional and is probably everyone’s first choice. It’s an old fashioned café like those in Spain, with a professional wait staff and a varied restaurant menu too (expensive). Café con leche is currently $2.25 here and, give or take a few cents, in all other cafés of this level. This café is good for conversation and for reading, for study groups, and for writing in notebooks. I do not think it would look right there to set up a laptop, and I have not seen people do it; for me it is too noisy and busy there to be writing on a laptop, anyway. Maybe one could at a back table, late at night. It might be possible to hook into the wi-fi hot spot that is the park. The HAITI always gives change in brand new coins, which is fun.

A friend always goes to the CAFE DE LA PAZ on the other side of the Parque Kennedy. Having obviously been named after the CAFE DE LA PAIX in Paris, which is somewhat right bank, shall we say, this café appeared too expensive to me for years. However, it is superior to the HAITI in that its infusions ($1.85) are made of real herbs and grasses, not tea bags. It has a lot of tables outdoors that are well enough covered with umbrellas so that you can really sit there in the rain, and these tables are pleasant at night with candles. To go by myself or to read or work, though, I still strongly recommend the HAITI. The CAFE DE LA PAZ, although good for what it is, is the least useful to me of the cafés under review here, although perhaps the inside seats, during the day, could be useful for my purposes. I am rating it third, and its neighbor right next door whose name I forget but which is very similar, fourth. Both, I am assuming, are able to catch the public wi-fi.

The HAVANNA, on Miguel Dasso in San Isidro, has the very great advantage of being next to the LIBRERIA VIRREY bookstore. This, in addition to its wi-fi and its comfortable chairs, place it second, as a marvelous place to study, read and write, despite (or perhaps because of) the overly bourgeois aspect of the neighborhood which truly forces one to concentrate on one’s book (although they also have a good set of current newspapers and magazines on a rack for you to read). This café, however, is part of an Argentine chain and shows worrisome signs of Starbucksification. The wait staff is semi professional, trained by HAVANNA to push the addition of caramel syrup and other things like that to your coffee, or to supersize it. They want you to order their pastries and chocolates, or a four dollar tray of chocolates, juice, and coffee. Unlike the other cafés reviewed here, they do not have a full restaurant waiting behind the scenes, but they do have expensive breakfast and merienda [tea time] sandwiches, and they want to sell them. Whenever you order, numerous suggestions for additions to your plan will be made. You have to negotiate and insist, no, I really only want an espresso (or whatever it is you want).

Photo: Guillermo Ruiz de Loizaga

Because of the areas they are in (RITZY), a lot of foreigners go to all of these cafés, but most of the clientele is still local. I may be overly suspicious but I think I have seen some rendezvous related to discreet, very high class sex tourism take place at the HAVANNA. And as I say, I used to have various haunts in Lima 1, but I have lost them (and wish to restore them). Perhaps I should buy an old building, restore it as a marvelous café, and live upstairs.

Comments:

Jon, August 18, 2008 at 2:20 pm:

I like all the three you mention, for different reasons. The Café de la Paz is the place for a pisco sour, I reckon. (At least in Miraflores.) The Haiti is the place for people-watching. And Havanna is the place to look over the books you’ve just bought at the Virrey.

You’ve missed out the ritziest of all: The Tiendecita Blanca, opposite the Haiti.

The good thing about the Haiti is that you can snag the free Wifi from the McDonalds next door.

The place I like most to work (and I sometimes spend hours and hours there) is Café XXI, on Larco (I think it’s called… a few blocks away from the Haiti). This is quiet, the waitstaff don’t bother you. The only thing is that it doesn’t have wifi.

There’s a new, trendy place further towards the sea, the Café Zeta.

And don’t forget Café Café.

In San Isidro, the News Café.

I made a habit of doing a tour of the fancy cafés once a week, book and/or laptop in hand.

profacero, August 18, 2008 at 10:30 pm:

Jon, thanks a million!!! Café Café, I keep forgetting, Tiendecita Blanca, I walk by constantly and never figured it out, News Café, I keep hearing about but never go, Zeta, I’ve never even seen … obviously there are reasons to hang out more in Miraflores and S.I. !!! I’m obviously bourgeoise BUT not the type of bourgeoise for my current neighborhood, I need to get café busy!!! XXI, that sounds like the #1 best - there are good reasons to exile oneself from wi-fi part of the time.

Peruvian food seems to be everywhere these days. On The Blogs is a feature here at Peru Food in which I comment and link to what other bloggers are writing and posting about Peruvian food.

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Kotosh At Kamiyama Peruvian Food & Sushi In Lomita.

2008-08-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

Lomita is a small town tucked between the Harbor Freeway and the Palos Verdes Penninsula in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County, and a place I had only passed through prior to visiting this unique Peruvian Japanese restaurant.

A Nikkei Peruvian friend of mine, who knows I love seafood, first told me about Kotosh At Kamiyama, and insisted I had to check it out.

One of the defining features of Peruvian food is the fact it is a fusion cuisine, borrowing and melding elements from native pre-Columbian, Spanish, African, Italian, and Asian traditions. Peru is home to a large community of Nikkei Peruvians, Peruvians of Japanese descent.

Having said that, it is no surprise that Kotosh (named after the temple of the same name in the Huánuco region of Peru, which at 5,000 years old is among South America's oldest) offers both traditional Peruvian cuisine as well as Japanese sushi.

One of the hallmarks of this restaurant is the quality of the ingredients used as well as the friendliness of the staff, many of whom are Japanese Peruvians. Despite being a compact space, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming.

On both occasions I visited, Kotosh was full. There must be a reason so many people make the trek (or should I say pilgrimage?) to the unremarkable, and a bit hard-to-find, mini-mall where it is located.

Quite frankly, if Kotosh were not so far from where I live, I would be a regular customer, and eat my way through the entire menu.

I'm not Kotosh's only fan.

In a recent review, The District Weekly, says, "Even if you were to erase one country from its cookbook, Kotosh would function just fine—better, in fact, than other restaurants that focus on a single cuisine. More remarkable is that the restaurant truly does work best with both, easily breaking the boundaries of typical fusion food."

Circle of Food writes, "It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve been to Kotosh and the food memories are still floating around in my head." At Insider Pages, reviewers call Kotosh, The Best of Two Worlds.

Finally, if you prefer the Japanese side of the menu, Jonathan Gold, one of Southern California's most well-known food critics, calls Kotosh, "a cheerful South Bay sushi mecca."

Numerous reviewers at Yelp sing Kotosh's praises. I particularly enjoyed this:

"I've stayed away from this place for a long time. Peruvian and sushi? It just sounded like all kinds of wrong.

"Not so," a coworker of mine informed me. In her foodie ways, she went on to describe the delicious dishes. Still, the idea of this combo scared me.

Finally one night, I was in the mood for something different. So, to Kotosh I went. And waited. And waited. It seemed like an excruciatingly long time before I got to put my order in on a Saturday night.

That's when a patron approached me. "Give this place a chance," he said. He went on to say he probably would have left if he were me, but that I should stay because "the food is rockin." Then he recommended the tallarin saltado (spaghetti with sauteed onions and tomatoes) and the Peruvian Slur (crab asparagus roll, topped with salmon, avocado and the tasty Peruvian green sauce).

Fair enough. At his enthusiastic recommendations, I ordered them. Then, in time, I devoured them. There was not a scrap to take home to enjoy later. I was that greedy and it was that good! The patron had been absolutely right: The Food is Rockin!!!

Since then, I have been back and have enjoyed other delights. The Peruvian food makes my taste buds dance in joy. The sushi is also very good and fresh. The staff is friendly, and even when super busy (like my first Saturday night experience), they will greet you with a smile.

I've just learned to order ahead..."

Leche de Tigre
On our recent visit, I had to order leche de tigre, which is off the menu, but the staff was more than willing to prepare. Literally, Tiger's Milk, this is a glass of the juice in which the ceviche is marinated, a tart and spicy marriage of lime, garlic, and the Peruvian hot pepper rocoto that explodes in the mouth and opens up the taste buds.

Tiradito de Lenguado
We also sampled the sashimi-like halibut Tiradito de Lenguado (at our initial visit we tried the almost sinful Tiradito de Atún, with tuna sliced so finely it melted in our mouths).

Tiradito de Atún
Photo: Rosheila Robles at The District Weekly
The Ceviche de Pescado is excellent, the fish is fresh and firm, and not too spicy. In case you want to tart it up a little, there is Kotosh's version of the ubiquitous ají verde, Peruvian green hot sauce, which is a bit milder and creamier than at other Peruvian restaurants in the Los Angeles area.

Ceviche de Lenguado
We also ordered the classic Lomo Saltado, which itself is a fusion of Peruvian and Chinese cuisines. It was a solidly prepared dish and the meat was a bit better quality than in many other local Peruvian restaurants.

Lomo Saltado
The crab-stuffed Spider Roll was the perfect complement to the Peruvian dishes. And there was an Arroz Chaufa de Mariscos, mixed seafood fried rice, that was so good it disappeared before we had a chance to take a picture.

Spider Sushi
People rave about the Peruvian Slur roll, which is a crab and asparagus roll, topped with Norwegian salmon, and a dollop of Peruvian green hot sauce, as well as the Tallarín Saltado, which is stir-fried spaghetti with onions and tomatoes and your choice of chicken, fish or beef.

They're on our list for a future visit.

Photos (unless otherwise noted): Canelita

Kotosh At Kamiyama Peruvian Food & Sushi
2408 Lomita Blvd., Suite #C
Lomita, CA 90717
(310) 257-1363
Website: Kotosh

Off Topic: BlogDay 2008 On August 31

2008-08-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again to celebrate BlogDay, the brainchild of Nir Ofir who started this global blogging event in 2005.

In an interview, Nir explains he started BlogDay because he "noticed ... that blog readers usually stick to their regular blog reading list and don't go and search for new blogs to read. The overflow of information is the main cause for that - it is just too hard to find new good blogs to read [so] I decided to create a day ... for bloggers to recommend other blogs to their blog visitors."

If you're a blogger, or a reader of blogs, it's easy to participate. Here's some further information and what you have to do:

What is BlogDay?

BlogDay was created with the belief that bloggers should have one day dedicated to getting to know other bloggers from other countries and areas of interest. On that day Bloggers will recommend other blogs to their blog visitors.
With the goal in mind, on this day every blogger will post a recommendation of 5 new blogs. This way, all blog readers will find themselves leaping around and discovering new, previously unknown blogs.

What will happen on BlogDay?

One long moment on August 31st, bloggers from all over the world will post recommendations of 5 new Blogs, preferably Blogs that are different from their own culture, point of view and attitude.

On this day, blog readers will find themselves leaping around and discovering new, unknown Blogs, celebrating the discovery of new people and new bloggers.

BlogDay posting instructions:

1. Find 5 new Blogs you find interesting.

2. Notify the 5 bloggers that you are recommending them as part of BlogDay 2008.

3. Write a short description of the Blogs and place a link to the recommended Blogs.

4. Post the BlogDay Post (on August 31st).

5. Add the BlogDay tag using this link:

http://technorati.com/tag/BlogDay2008

and a link to the BlogDay web site:

http://www.blogday.org

Peruvian bloggers are celebrating BlogDay 2008 on August 29 with an event that hopes bring together as many Peruvian bloggers as possible, further information about that event can be found at this link.

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peruvian Food Video: Even Nerds Like Peruvian Food

2008-08-24T03:00:00.000-07:00

We've been having some major problems with our OS in these last few days, so many it might be time to ditch this CPU for a new one.

Given that fact, we can certainly appreciate a nerd tekkie geek right now, someone like Chris Pirillo, Internet nerd personality if ever there was one.

A few months back, Chris read an e-mail from Peruvian geek Arturo Puente, who turned him on to his top five Peruvian food dishes.

Watch Chris read and discuss Arturo's list in his own inimitable style, weird accent, hiccups, and all.

And, if this blog disappears in the next few days, now you know why. Sigh!

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

On The Blogs: Puno Restaurants @ Audre & Dimitri's Traveling Love Affair

2008-08-20T01:43:00.000-07:00

Audre and Dimitri continue their love affair with traveling, which they document at their blog, Audre & Dimitri's Traveling Love Affair.

They, and their unique story, were originally featured at Peru Food at this link.

Currently living in Cuzco, they recently posted about their culinary adventures in Puno, the Peruvian city known as the jumping-off point to explore Lake Titicaca.

Their restaurant reviews are always very detailed and highly informative.

These excerpts are about one of their favorite restaurants in Puno:

"We were in Puno for about a week and ate out for every meal. While Puno is not the gastronomic capital of Perú, we had some very nice meals.

Our Favorite: Casa Andina Private Collection Puno

We went to this restaurant twice and had two good meals.

It's a little out of town, but the taxi ride is only S/.8 at most. The room is lovely, with 2 fireplaces, and the service is quite good.

We shared everything and ordered a Peruvian Tacama Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc + Vigonier (S/.50) that was surprisingly good.

At one of our meals, our starter was the Raviol de ragout cordero con gelatina de menta - Muña y jugos del cocción (S/.30). It was one big lamb ravioli and it was delicious. The reduced sauce was very good.

For our main dish, we shared the Trucha de lago en chutney de recotos y manzana sobre mini tacu-tacu de pallares (S/.38).

It was very good even though the trout was too dry for our taste. The tacu-tacu de pallares is a purée of pallares, which is a delicious white broad bean.

I really like pallares and have started to make a dip of pallares at home as an aperitivo.

Wikipedia translates pallares as lima beans or butter beans but I'm not sure that's correct.

The chef came to our table (which we love) to ask us about our meal. That makes a meal quite special for us.

For dessert we shared the Caneloni rellenos de mousse de caramelo y castaña camotes confitadoes en miel y gelatina de Bailey's (S/.25). The dessert was unusual and we liked it.

We had one agua (S/.7) and one tea de muña (S/.14). Tea de muña is made with a local herb that looks and tastes like oregano."

Audre and Dimitri discuss some of their other favorite restaurants in Puno, as well as restaurants that were barely passable, and their do-not-go list.

They even post a recipe for Sopa Incaica, an Inca-derived soup, as served at one of their favorite restaurants.

To read the full Puno restaurant review, visit the Puno post at Audre & Dimitri's Traveling Love Affair.

Peruvian food seems to be everywhere these days. On The Blogs is a feature here at Peru Food in which I comment and link to what other bloggers are writing and posting about Peruvian food.

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peruvian Food Photos: A Visit To Chala

2008-08-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

In all of greater Lima, perhaps the most romantic spot is the Bajada de Baños, the natural ravine that leads from the main square of the Barranco district down to the Pacific Ocean.

Chala is located in the Bajada, in an historic adobe house with a wide wooden veranda that sits along the cobble-stoned pedestrian walkway which leads from the plaza down to the water. Overhead crosses the most famous bridge in Peru, El Puente de los Suspiros, The Bridge of Sighs.

These photos, courtesy of Peruvian food fan Rich Friedman, are from his visit to this Peruvian coastal fusion cuisine restaurant that blends traditional flavors with a contemporary style.

Rich photographed two dishes at Chala.

The first is of sesame seed-covered ají de gallina croquettes, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and served with an ají panca sauce.

The main dish is an asparagus-stuffed, pepper-seared tuna steak served over a bed of tomato concassé and diced avocado marinated in ají limo, with yuca chips on the side.

More information about Chala at their website.

Photos: Rich Friedman

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peruvian Food Video: Food And Fashion At Cuy Festival

2008-08-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Caution: This post not recommended for the squeamish.

Yesterday's post about the Amazonian grub suri, reminded me the Third Annual Cuy Festival had just been held in the town of Huacho, about 150 kilometers north of Lima.

Or, maybe I just have bizarre Peruvian foods on my mind.

We've posted about cuy many times before at Peru Food. Shhh! It's the lowly, yet cuddly, guinea pig.

But this video of the Third Annual Cuy Festival held recently in Huacho takes cuy to a whole other level.

We must say the festival got a lot of publicity: it was picked up by ITN, The Telegraph, Anderson Cooper, and Sky News, among others.

Yes, it was billed as both a Fashion Show and Cook Off by the town of Huacho, and ... well, why don't you see for yourself:

Video: ITN via LiveLeak

Personally, I like cuy but I don't want to see it dressed up before I eat it.

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Amazonian Grub: So ... Suri

2008-08-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Photo: Brava Ragazza

News Flash: Suri is not just the name of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' daughter.

In Peru, suri is the name for the larvae, or grub, of Rhynchophorus palmarum, a palm weevil commonly found in the Amazon.

You probably thought the most bizarre food eaten in Peru was cuy.

You were wrong.

In the Amazon, people love to eat suri, those Amazonians grubs, and having had them myself, I can tell you why: they're both delicious and nutritious.

Photo: Platillos Trovadores

Grubs are eaten in many parts of the world, particularly in the tropics

In Malaysia, people eat the sago worm, in Central Africa grubs are a highly-prized source of protein, and here in California any wilderness survivalist will tell you to search for grubs if you're ever lost and hungry in a forest.

In fact, many experts feel that grubs, and other insects, are one way to combat world hunger.

While grubs may not make an appearance at local restaurant near you anytime in the near future, they're certainly available in Peruvian Amazonian cities like Iquitos.

The reason is simple: they're very prevalent because their main food source is prevalent as well, the aguaje palm, Mauritia flexuosa.

Photo: Wiki

In the Amazon, there are countless aguajes. In fact, because of their ubiquitousness on the Amazonian landscape, the aguaje is often considered one of the symbols of the Amazon, which is why there are so many Amazonian restaurants called El Aguaje or El Aguajal.

Aguajes thrive in flooded soils, forming a dense gathering called an aguajal. Of course, they're susceptible to many types of insects, mainly the palm weevil, called a cocotero in Peru.

The cocotero bores deep holes in the trunks of the aguaje, where it lays its eggs. When the egg hatches, the grub, suri, appears and starts eating its way outward through the spongy wood. The more palm bark it eats, the fatter, and oiler, the suri becomes. The suris are then harvested, and cooked, usually roasted.

If the suri is not harvested, it reaches adulthood and becomes a cocotero, starting the whole process over again. However, aguajes are now being grown as a a cash crop since their fruit is highly marketable. So, in a way, eating suri is a way of helping the Amazon and its economy.

Photos: Brava Ragazza

In Iquitos, suri can be eaten at the Mercado de Belén, as well as the port of Nanay. Often they are prepared like anticuchos, brochettes on a skewer, and grilled over hot coals. Many tourists who come to the Amazon enjoy sampling suri.

So, what do they taste like? They're very rich-tasting, soft, mushy, and simply delicious.

It doesn't surprise me considering palm oil is also very flavorful as well as being rich in beta carotene. I've been told suri has curative properties, as well.

Photo: Globalizado

Usually, suri are served anticucho-style, but in conducting research for this post, I came across another recipe for suri.

If you have any grubs around, this may be a way to wow your guests at your next dinner party with this dish from Recetas Ricas de la Selva Ucayalina:

Chicharrón de Suri

Ingredients (feeds 6)

1 kilo of suri
1 tablespoon of garlic
1 cup vegetable oil
5 green plantains
Salt to taste

Preparation: Wash the suri well and season with the crushed garlic and salt. Let rest 20 minutes. Fry in hot oil. Separately, boil 4 green plantains (can also be fried plantains). Serve suri with the plantains and a cocona salad.

Finally, what would this post be without a video showing suri in all its facets, alive, grilled, and ready to eat?

The following is from Enlace Nacional, and lasts just 01:40, but gives you the full effect. My translation of the transcript appears below.

Rematan Suri - Iquitos
Video: Enlace Nacional

Anchor: In Iquitos, a traditional food with great nutritional value is suri, a larvae found in the aguaje trunk, which due to its overpopulation is being sold by residents in the lower Belen zone. The normal price is 50 cents [of a Peruvian sol] for each one.

Reporter: Are you familiar with suri? Do you know its nutritional value and where it comes from? This morning, our cameras in Loreto [Iquitos] went to the Belen Market in search of this delicious regional food. Suri looks like a worm and is found in the trunk of the aguaje. Suri is one of the tourist attractions of Amazonian cuisine.

As we see here, we have suri prepared an anticucho, here we have fried suri ready for sale; and here,. we can see them live. This is a type of sawdust in which they can stay alive for a number of hours.

Suri is also considered helpful in fighting bronchial infections in children.

Man with child: Yes, after cooking them, you take out its fat and give it just like that, they told me to give it like that.

Reporter: We talked with Cristina, a young suri vendor whose parents have been in the suri business for a number of years.

Cristina: Yeah, there are probably 200, 250 suri here.

Reporter: 200, 250 suri. But, there are a lot of people who eat them live, aren't there?

Cristina: Yes.

Reporter: Have you ever eaten them live?

Cristina: No.

Reporter: Why not?

Cristina: Because I'm afraid to eat them alive.

Reporter: Do they bite?

Cristina:Yes, they bite.

Enjoy suri! And remember, eat suri, save the Amazon.

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Off Topic: Peru At The Beijing Olympics

2008-08-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

Photo: RPP

Despite any controversy about the Beijing Olympics, I admit I've always loved the Olympics and will be glued to the television in these next two weeks.

Peru has a small delegation of just thirteen lucky athletes. At the opening ceremonies in Beijing today, the Peruvian team was dressed in the traditional clothing of northern coastal Peru, with large hats typically worn by the chalán.

Here is profile of each of the 2008 Peruvian Olympic athletes:

Peter López, Tae Kwon Do

26 years old. A Peruvian American, he participates in the under 68 kilo category. For six years, he represented the United States. This is his first appearance representing Peru. He is the first Peruvian tae kwon do athlete to classify for the Olympics.

Sixto Barrerra, Wrestling

23 years old. He competes in the 74 kilo category. He began wrestling at age 13. Currently, he studies Physical Education at San Marcos University, and classified for the Olympics after winning a gold medal at the Pan American Games.

Valeria Silva Merea, Swimming

22 years old. She began swimming at age seven at the Lima Club Regatas. Her parents, Javier Silva and Luisa Merea, are also athletes who were on the Peruvian national volleyball team, and her brother Matías is a professional tennis player. She is the only Peruvian athlete at these Games who was previously an Olympian, having represented Peru at Athens 2004.

Louis Tristán Panizo, Long Jump

24 years old. In school, his teacher convinced him to switch from basketball to the long jump. He is currently one of the favorites of the Peruvian team.

Marco Matellini, Skeet Shooting

36 years old. He has been shooting since age 14. He is currently one of South America's top-ranked skeet shooters.

Maria Doig, Fencing

16 years old. She has been fencing since age five. Despite not being able to compete due to an injury at the classification meet in Mexico earlier this year, her prior record earned her a place on the Peruvian team.

Maria Portilla, Marathon

36 years old. From Apurímac, she currently lives and trains in the United States. She classified for the Olympics thanks to her placement at the Salt Lake City Marathon at 2:40 hours.

Paloma Schmidt, Sailing

21 years old. From Lima, she obtained a spot on the team thanks to her placement at the World Sailing Competition in New Zealand.

Carlos Erick Zegarra Presser, Judo

23 years old. He weighs 100 kilos and is 2.01 meters tall, but his friends call him Chiquito, which means Shorty. He has trained in Peru and Spain.

Claudia Rivero Modenesi, Badminton

23 years old. She began playing badminton at age 10. She left her studies at the University of Lima to travel and train in Germany. She is the first Peruvian to earn her spot at the Olympics in badminton due to her ranking and not a wild card or invitation.

Constantino León, Marathon

32 years old. Born in Huancavelica, he trains in Canada. His time of 2:17:41 in the Pre-Olympics earned him his place on the team.

Cristina Cornejo, Weight Lifting

22 years old. She participates in the +75 kilo category. She is one of the top forty female weightlifters in the world, and is current South American champion in her category.

José Emmanuel Crescimbeni, Swimming

17 years old. Born in the US, he has been competing for the past three years. His specialty is the 200 meter butterfly.

Peru In The Parade Of Nations

Go Peru!

Athlete Photos and Bios: DiegoXD

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Sipan Cocina Peruana & Pisco Bar In Buenos Aires

2008-08-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

Photo: Guía Óleo

One city in which Peruvian cuisine had a bit of a challenge in gaining a culinary foothold is Buenos Aires.

As Jorge Gobbi explained in his travel blog, Peruvian food in that city was initally seen as a cheap dining option, primarily found in mom-and-pop establishments geared more to the thousands of Peruvian immigrants who live and work in Buenos Aires.

Back in 2006, Gobbi wrote, "to become a gourmet option, Peruvian food needs to transform itself, both in its preparation and presentation, and refine itself to the elements of haute cuisine."

It appears that in the interim of the past couple of years, the Peruvian food boom has reached Buenos Aires, and there are now various high-end options for Peruvian food in the Argentine capital.

Photo: Sipan Cocina Peruana & Pisco Bar

A recent review in the Buenos Aires daily, La Nación, features Sipan Cocina Peruana & Pisco Bar, located in the Retiro district of the city.

Named after the Moche archaeological site in northern Peru, famous for the tomb of The Lord of Sipán, the La Nación note highlights the culinary trajectory of owner José Castro Mendivil, formerly of the Japanese Peruvian restaurant Osaka, and the Marriot Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Photo: Sipan Cocina Peruana & Pisco Bar

The restaurant offers a full Nikkei Peruvian sushi bar, which also features the sashimi-like tiraditos, such as salmon in passion fruit, or octopus with a cilantro mayonnaise. Sipan also serves chifa, which is Peruvian-style Chinese food, as well as offering a wide variety of fine piscos, such as Biondi, Payet, Ocucaje, Queirolo, Centenario Najar and Gran Cruz.

Sipan was also mentioned by Clarín, another major Buenos Aires daily, which mentions the restaurant's decoration, focused around the color red "which represents the fusion of Peruvian, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine as well as the rich cultural legacy of Peru, including the discovery of the tomb of the Lord of Sipan."

Photo: Sipan Cocina Peruana & Pisco Bar

In the Buenos Aires restaurant guide, Guía Óleo, we found the following most-recent customer reviews of Sipan in the comments section:

"It's really been a while since I had truly enjoyed a meal in a restaurant in Buenos Aires, in a restaurant that breaks with the tradition of what we usually eat here (grilled meats, breaded steaks, and pastas) which eventually becomes routine. The pisco sour was magnificent, although expensive, and the flavor of the dishes was very delicious and different, as well having a good presentation."

"A low-key locale but very pleasant. The piscos are not only very good but help you relax to enjoy the good food. The menu is impeccable. There is a varied and well-balanced selection of dishes. It's hard to choose because quality and flavor are present in all the options. Desserts are worth a special mention. My dining companions happily enjoyed their suspiro limeño, while I had the tres leches, which was truly exquisite. The decoration is fine, but nothing out-of-this-world. I don't recommend it for romantic dinners."

"The food (tiradito and fried rolls) were excellent and this meal allowed us to escape from the routine and try a different cuisine from the traditional type found in Buenos Aires. The service and recommendations were very good. The dining area was very comfortable. I recommend it."

The blog, Cocineros Impunes, also has a review in Spanish of Sipan at this link.

Sipan Cocina Peruana & Pisco Bar
Paraguay 624, corner of Florida
Retiro, Buenos Aires
Phone: 4315-0763
Website: Sipan Cocina Peruana & Pisco Bar

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peruvian Food Blogger Conference, The World's Largest Ceviche, And A Bit Of Shameless Self-Promotion

2008-08-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

Photo: Globalizado

We were not in Lima this past July 23, when Peruvian food bloggers gathered to meet for a conference exploring the connection between blogs, gastronomy, and tourism.

The event was organized by a recently launched site, Gastroblogs, which touts itself as the "Peruvian Food Blogger Community", in conjunction with the Peruvian blog aggregator, BlogsPerú.

We must say that in the two and a half years we've been blogging about Peruvian food, we've seen many Peruvian food blogs appear in the Peruvian blogosphere. Some are excellent, still exist, and are listed on our left sidebar under the title Peruvian Food Blogs In Spanish. Others, unfortunately, have come and gone, a testament to the challenge of maintaining a blog, mainly time, consistency, and dedication.

So, we were pleased to hear about this event, which gave Peruvian food bloggers in Peru an opportunity to come together and share their ideas.

In Peru, Peruvian food is not only seen as a type of national treasure, but in a country for which tourism is a major industry, Peruvian food is also seen as valuable commodity, an asset that encourages even more tourism and helps brand the image of the country. It is no surprise that the Peruvian government, as well as private organizations, take Peruvian food very seriously, and look to ways to further promote it.

Photos: El Cebiche Guinness

The latest attempt to promote Peruvian food on a global scale is the effort to create the world's largest ceviche in order to set a new Guinness World Record.

From what we've read in the press and at a blog dedicated to this feat, the current Guinness World's Record for the Largest Ceviche is held by Mexico, although Peru has previously held this title.

Over 400 Peruvian chefs are being convened by Chef Flavio Solórzano who will prepare five-thousand kilos (that's a staggering 11, 023 pounds!) of fish, with equally staggering amounts of the hot pepper ají, lemons, and onions.

What we haven't ascertained is exactly when this event will be held, possibly in November or December, but as soon as we get further details we'll let you know.

And finally, a bit of shameless self-promotion: The other Peruvian blog aggregator, PerúBlogs, along with the Peruvian Yellow Pages, is currently holding a contest so blog readers can select the top Peruvian blogs. There are 20 categories, and we received an e-mail from a reader letting us know we had been kindly nominated.

Having said, we're just going to copy what we've placed on the right sidebar of this blog. If you find this blog useful or of interest, please take a moment to vote for Peru Food.

Voting ends on August 22. The directions on how to vote, as well as the button, which is a direct link to the voting site, appear below, as well as on the sidebar:

There is a contest currently underway in Peru to select the best blogs. I got an e-mail telling me Peru Food had been nominated in the Gastronomía, Gastronomy, category. If you like this blog, or find anything useful on it, please take a second to click on the button below and vote. We would be very thankful. The URL is already input, and all you have to do is scroll down the Categoría section until you get to Gastronomía, then type your e-mail address, and click the gray Confirmar Mi Voto button. You will receive an e-mail to confirm your vote; otherwise, it will not be counted. Thank you!

Enjoy some Peruvian food today!

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Todd English: Peruvian Food The Next Big Cuisine

2008-08-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Photo: Bene Magazine

In a recent article which appeared in the August 4 edition of New York Magazine, celebrity chef Todd English echoes what many chefs and food cognoscenti have been saying, that Peruvian cuisine is poised to explode on the culinary scene.

Here's what this well-known American chef had to say in a brief interview, which was picked up by New York Magazine from Guest of a Guest:

Guest of a Guest has a few words with Todd English ... and asks him, "What currently turns you on about food?" [English responds], "I just came back from Peru, where the chefs are doing incredible things. I think Peruvian food is going to be the next big thing."

We told you so ...

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

A Taste Of Peru: 2008 Gourmet Tour To Peru

2008-08-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Once again, the two-sister team of Penelope Alzamora and Brisa Deneumostier, about whom we wrote back in 2007, at this link, are leading a gourmet tour to their native Peru this October. Both sisters are chefs and have professional and family connections to some of Peru's top restaurateurs.

As part of their introduction to their gourmet Peru trip, they write:

There are many ways to get to know a country, but one of the most gratifying and interesting is through its food. This is especially true of Peru, with the infinity of textures, colors, aromas and flavors that this generous land provides. Peru has ancient traditions and a long-established culinary style which has grown from a variety of roots. It is a hospitable country whose inhabitants enjoy good food and are pleased to share it.

The itinerary includes Lima and Cuzco, with a visit to Machu Picchu. Lodging is at some Peru's finest hotels, and fine dining, including demonstrations of Peruvian cooking en route.

This is how the sisters describe some of the tour highlights:

The tour commences in Lima, the gastronomic capital of South America. We will dine in the restaurants of Peru’s greatest chefs, visit a local market, have demos and hands on classes, visit historical museums and ruins, and tour the city. Then we will go to the colonial city of Cusco where we will visit Urubamba Valley, a setting of picturesque communities, impressive terraces and important archaeological sites. We will have great dining experiences where we will taste ancient traditional and NovoAndino dishes made with seasonal local produce. Finally, we will tour the Machu Picchu ruins, considered one of the most outstanding archaeological wonders of the world. Back in Lima we will gather for a farewell with a Pachamanca banquet celebration lunch.

For further information, you can contact them directly, via their website, A Taste of Peru, but time is running out to register for the October trip, so act quickly.

Photos: A Taste of Peru

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peruvian Food Photo: Q'ueros Eating Seafood

2008-08-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

Photos: A Thousand Flavors

The first time I saw these photos, I was captivated.

The guys at A Thousand Flavors (who took the photos) said:

"The Q'ueros are a small Andean community at more than 4.000 meters above sea level in the department of Cuzco.

Benito and his uncle were invited to Lima for a meeting of communities, after the meeting I took them to the beach to see the ocean, it was fun as they had never seen the sea."

How moving is that?

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peru Grand Tasting In New York City: August 17

2008-08-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

For those of you in the NYC area, you might be interested to know that this coming August 17 there is going to be a unique opportunity to sample Peruvian food, Peru Grand Tasting. This is the second year in a row this event is being held. This year's edition will be at Pera Mediterranean Brasserie.

Edgar Perez, organizer of the event, is a Peruvian entrepreneur who is spearheading the opening of a new upscale Peruvian restaurant in Manhattan. The featured chef will be Ezequiel Valencia, personal chef to Peru's Ambassador to the United Nations and formerly of Le Bonbonniere in Lima.

The meal will include Peruvian cocktails, followed by ceviche, causa, the crispy seafood dish jalea, and lomo saltado. Lucuma ice cream will be served for dessert.

Additional information can be found at this link.

Source: El Peru es hermoso

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Cancha: A Brief History

2008-08-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

Photo: paramonguino

Cancha is the toasted corn that is often served at Peruvian restaurants, as something to nibble on prior, and during, your meal. Sometimes, cancha is added as a topping to ceviche, adding a nice crunchy contrast to the dish.

At my grandparent's house, where I grew up, in addition to bread, we always had hot, salty, cancha as an accompaniment for our main meal, lunch. That combination of bread and cancha on the table perfectly symbolizes the two essences of Peru: the bread, Spanish, and the cancha, Andean.

In his Dictionary of Traditional Peruvian Gastronomy, Sergio Zapata Acha, (2006 winner at the Gourmand World Cookbooks Awards, as noted at this link ), tells us a little bit of the history of this simple, yet important Peruvian food:

"[The word] comes from the Quechua cancha, meaning toasted corn, and according to Rodríguez (1875) 'is a commonly used Peruvianism.'

In the Moche language, cancha is known as quersu.

Cancha is called 'mayz tostado' (toasted corn) in the Quechua-Spanish Dictionary by González Holguín (1608).

In 1612, Luvovico Bertonio, notes the Aymara word hampi for toasted corn.

In Advertencias, a chronicle from 1545, Juan Ruiz de Arce o Albequerque, tells that in 'Tangaraya' (Tangarará, in Piura): 'They don't eat bread, they eat corn toasted and cooked, and serve this as if it were bread.'

Cancha is normally prepared as follows: In a clay pot, on a low heat, with a bit of lard, you add yellow corn with a bit of ground salt, and you don't stop moving it around until the grains are golden brown, taking care not to burn them.

Antonio Manrique Chávez, auther of El maíz en el Perú (Corn in Peru), writes: 'In the Southern regions, they use a clay pot, in which fat is heated, and when it is very hot, they add the dry corn, constantly moving it with a wooden spoon until it is evenly cooked and releases its characteristic odor. [...] In the Central and Northern regions, the cooking is done in pans, and they use oil to cook [the corn] uniformly.'

Juan de Arona calls cancha, 'toasted corn'.

According to Fidelis del Solar, in his 1876 Reparos al Diccionario de Chilenismos (Notes to the Dictionary of Chilenisms), the word cancha is 'common to all the Hispanic-American republics...', giving Juan de Arona credit for the acceptance of its use. Del Solar even mentions cancha in a poem (1876):

Viva la chicha que ensancha
los anímos apocados,
Y viva la chomba ancha,
Y viva también la cancha,
Que es pan comido a puñados.

Long live chicha (the fermented corn drink) which lifts up
Darkened spirts,
And long live the wide-mouth chomba (vessel in which to drink chicha),
And also long live cancha,
That is bread eaten by the fistful."

And you thought it was just some toasted corn at your table.

Source: Sergio Zapata Acha, Diccionario de Gastronomía Peruana Tradicional (Lima, 2006), translated by yours truly.

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

On The Blogs: Peruvian Food Roundup

2008-08-02T00:30:00.000-07:00

Since I took a break from blogging, I've missed some recent posts about Peruvian food on other blogs. Thus, this Peruvian food roundup of some recent items that caught my eye...

A while back we wrote this post regarding the food court restaurant called Lima City in Irvine, California. Now, at Monster Munching, elmomonster tells us that Lima City is no more, and its stead, there is now a Peruvian Kitchen.

Sounds like the food is still good. Describing Peruvian Kitchen's lomo saltado, elmomonster (journalist ~~Gustavo Arellano's~~ Edwin Goei's food blog identity) writes:

"I found a seat and flipped open the lid. When I did, a plume of hot steam carrying the aroma of cumin and soy sauce escaped. It smelled exactly right. Then I took a bite and tasted the best saltado I've had since El Pollo Inka in Lawndale."

Photo: Monster Munching

"The beef wasn't just tender, it melted. Everything that surrounded it -- the fries, the red onion, the tomato -- was wokked and seasoned perfectly. It was flavorful, crisp, and alive.

Even the rice was spot on. Cooked with a hint of chicken broth in a similar manner as Hainan chicken rice, the starch could've functioned as a standalone dish."

Sounds like its worth a trip to south Orange County.

Meanwhile, Fleetvision talks about the recent boom in Peruvian cuisine:

"With the recent addition of Macchu Picchu to the list of 7 Wonders of the World, Peru has been written about in almost every major newspaper over the last twelve months. Suddenly people all over are discovering the culinary delights and cultural richness that only the fortunate few have been relishing for decades. The tourist boom has just begun and just as exciting, the exportation of Peru’s vast menu of food delicacies is on the rise with experts calling it the "best kept food secret". Finally, a new cuisine to replace the old and tired."

Tessa Cruz is a Filipina blogger based in Atlanta who was recently in Peru, and wrote a post titled Pagkaing Peruano (Peruvian Food), with lots of pictures at her blog, Tessa Cruz. We especially liked her photo of alpaca steak, served with a potato terrine, and what looks like a stuffed rocoto:

Photo: Tess Cruz

Rani, writing from Sydney, reviews La Cocina Peruana, a Peruvian joint Down Under, at Gastranimy, but has mixed feelings about eating anticuchos, the beef heart skewers:

"I must confess to having waited for everyone else at the table to take a piece of the beef heart from the skewer before I tried it myself, not being a natural aficionado of offal. The texture is quite firm but not chewy in the way that an overcooked piece of steak would be. Again, it is the accompaniment that lifts this entrée from merely being novel meat on a skewer. In a tiny dish next to the skewers is a bright orange ground salsa that offers a big kick of chilli that fades away without taking out the taste buds."

You can read Rani's complete review here.

Writing from Arequipa, monkeyspinner is an avid knitter and wool-spinner currently in Peru to learn new techniques, and blogging about her experiences at Wool in the Flyer.

We liked the pictures she put up of the pumpkin fritters called picarones, which we wrote about a while back at this link.

Photos: Wool In The Flyer

We also liked how monkeyspinner described the picarones:

"After lunch we went and had a tasty treat and I am grateful to Miguel for it. I think he only tells me about local sweets every few days as he fears I will go into a sugar coma. This was fried yeasted dough ( think similar to a funnel cake but not quite) covered in sugar cane syrup. TASTY. In Lima they make them from pumpkin. Bunuelos? Something like this. I’ll find out. But I had four. There are ladies there who each make them just a tad different so families have their favorite ladies."

There are many people who write blogs while traveling in Peru. One such person is Lisa Patel, who is keeping an online journal at Travel Blog and dedicated an entire post to Peruvian food, aptly titled, On Peruvian Food.

Writing from one of my favorite Peruvian cities, Iquitos in the Amazon rainforest, she tells us:

"Cebiche: I was told that it would be a crime, a shameful and unforgivable crime, to leave the country of Peru without having experienced one of the country's most beloved national foods. Cebiche is a dish of raw seafood--fish, shrimp, and stuffed crab in this particular dish--marinated with fresh onion, garlic, cilantro, and lemon juice, all sitting on top of sweet potato, yuca, potato, and my personal favorite: choclos, a type of corn seed that does not pop upon roasting--rather, the inside becomes soft and crunchy, like pop corn, only more savory and a bit saltier." Of course, she snapped a picture of her ceviche:

Photo: Lisa Patel

She also raves about Amazonian desserts and drinks:

"And the ice cream and juices. Oh sweet fruits of the Amazon--there are the typical flavors--orange, strawberry, banana--but then you have guarana, acerola, camu camu and tons of other fruits that I've never even heard of before. Guarana is one of my favorites--when added to juice, it adds a slightly bitter flavor which perfectly offsets citrus juices such as orange and pineapple."

Finally we came across this post, which mentions a Peruvian food blog, at Zuckervati Missing Links:

"Very neat blog about a guy who goes to Peru and talks about the food you can get in Lima. Our Sales rep is from Peru and promises me a bottle of pisco and a bottle of their local rum when he goes back:

I am a creature of habit, and I have a culinary tradition when arriving in Lima which I have kept during the last few years of travel here. On this trip, I was able to maintain my tradition. After checking into our hotel in the Miraflores district of Lima, we had a stroll around Miraflores' main park, Parque Kennedy, and I picked up the Lima daily, El Comercio, and headed to the Café Haiti, one of the grand old-fashioned Lima cafés to have my first Peruvian meal (lomo saltado and a frothy pisco sour) while people-watching. The waiters are definitely old-school and after so many times there, they know who I am. "In Lima again?" one of the waiters asked me, "Are you ready for your lomo saltado?" You have to love that type of service."

Which guy could that be? Oh, it's me! Until the next time, On The Blogs...

Peruvian food seems to be everywhere these days. On The Blogs is a feature here at Peru Food in which I comment and link to what other bloggers are writing and posting about Peruvian food.

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peruvian Food Video: Chef Wong Preparing Ceviche

2008-08-01T01:21:00.000-07:00

I've posted about Javier Wong, whom I describe as a guru of Peruvian ceviche, at this link, but at You Tube, videographer richatperudotcom has taken it one step further by creating this video of Chef Wong preparing his classic ceviche, using the flatfish called lenguado.

In this video, you see Chef Wong expertly filleting and dicing the fish, then slicing a bit of octopus, which both go into a large bowl. He then adds some red onion, salt, a bit of pepper, mixes it around, pours in some lime juice, gives it all another good stir, and voilá! A perfect ceviche in about five minutes.

I like how the videographer describes his video:

"Chef Wong has a 7-table restaurant in Lima, Peru. It's reservation only, and pretty darn expensive. But the man is a wiz with a knife and a fish. This video shows him making a ceviche all the way from fish and pulpo (octopus) to plate. Almost worth the trip to Peru all by itself."

This video is well worth watching to see how a true master prepares ceviche:

Chef Wong - Cebiche - Lima, Peru: 05:25

One in an occasional series of posts with videos of everyday people in Peru filming Peruvian food.

There is actually a prequel to this video, in which Chef Wong chops up the red onions and ajíes (Peruvian hot peppers) to add to the ceviche:

Chef Wong - Cebiche (the Prequel) - Lima, Peru: 00:57

If that doesn't make you hungry, I don't know what will.

One in an occasional series of posts with videos of everyday people in Peru filming their Peruvian food.

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Celebrating Peru: Peruvian Pisco Flowed From Lima's Plaza De Armas

2008-07-31T01:21:00.000-07:00

Photo: Andina

Peruvian Independence Day, July 28, has come and gone. Here in Los Angeles, we ended up eating papa a la huancaína, choros a la chalaca, anticuchos, papa rellena, and picarones at a popular Peruvian eatery, El Pollo Inka in Gardena, where they also put on a Peruvian show.

Peruvian crooner Edith Barr was in town and sang a few classic criolla songs. She looked pretty good for 70! The crowd loved her. There was a good set of music and lots of dancing, which Peruvians love to do.

We had a couple of so-so pisco sours that made us wish we were in Lima watching the fireworks and drinking proper pisco sours. But overall, for Los Angeles, we can't complain. The crowd even sang the Peruvian National Anthem led by Los Angeles' Peruvian Consul.

Meanwhile, back in Lima, Peruvian pisco flowed from the historic fountain at the center of Lima's Plaza de Armas. This was in celebration of Pisco Day, an annual celebration honoring pisco which falls on the fourth Sunday of July. This year, Pisco Day happened to be the day prior to Peruvian Independence Day. More reason to celebrate!

Photo: Andina

Having pisco flow from this historic fountain has become one of the most popular events as part of the Pisco Day festivities. This year, according to news reports, there were thousands of people waiting in line to sample the free pisco.

Photo: Andina

Even Peruvian President Alan Garcia got into the act (although, we doubt he had to wait in the line). He may not have a high popularity index in Peru, but he sure looks like he enjoys his Peruvian pisco!

Photos: Andina

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peru Food Button

2008-07-30T01:56:00.000-07:00

Since we're getting back into the Peruvian food groove, we decided to offer our readers a copy of our Peru Food button, which you can add to your blog or website, in order to take your readers directly to our Peruvian food blog:

Why not promote Peruvian food with this cool new Peru Food button?

For the above button and a a direct link to Peru Food, just copy the following HTML code below to your blog or website:

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Happy Peruvian Independence Day!

2008-07-28T03:30:00.000-07:00

It's July 28 again, and in Peru, everyone is celebrating Peruvian Independence Day. This version of the Peruvian National Anthem is by Jaime Cuadra and his Cholo Soy Project...

¡Que viva el Perú!

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Video: Pisco Sour Recipe, Just In Time For Peruvian Independence Day

2008-07-26T03:02:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 28, is Peruvian Independence day.

One-hundred eighty-seven years ago, Peru declared itself independent from Spain after 279 years of colonization.

The Peruvian pisco sour wasn't invented until the 1920s; but in 2008, the most classic Peruvian cocktail is the famous pisco sour.

This short video by Kim Haasarud, The Liquid Chef, demonstrates how to make the perfect pisco sour, step-by-step.

Of course, you have to use the finest Peruvian pisco to get the optimal results.

How To Make A Pisco Sour
The Liquid Chef
Time: 2:31

I've posted about pisco sours before:

Happy Pisco Sour Day 2008! (Pisco Sour: Not For Beginners

Pisco Sour Recipe: The Illustrated Japanese Version

A Brief Introduction To The Making Of Peruvian Pisco

Video: Pisco, Cultural Heritage of Peru

Happy Pisco Sour Day: February 3

Recipe: Pisco Sour

¡Viva el Perú!

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peru Food: Under Construction

2008-07-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

Peru Food is currently under construction. After much waiting, we've finally migrated to the new Blogger format, but in the process have lost all our widgets and customizations. We have also changed our template. We will be working on returning our original links as soon as possible and begin posting again. Thanks for your patience!

Semana Santa In Peru

2008-03-21T03:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been in Texas, and I just got back home to Los Angeles in time to vicariously celebrate the most sacred period of Christendom, Holy Week.

In Peru, Semana Santa is a week-long ceremony, with multiple manifestations of faith, none more powerful than those witnessed in the Andean city of Ayacucho.

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TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peru Food In Texas

2008-02-24T13:33:00.001-08:00

Sorry folks, but I'm in Texas until after March 4th, so no Peru Food blogging until then. Stop by again!

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TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peruvian Food Video: Piura Lunch, Almuerzo Piurano

2008-02-14T00:50:00.000-08:00

00:25 seconds. The narrator, Pedro, is quite the witty video personality, filming during his trip to Los Órganos, Piura, in the far north of Peru.

He sets the stage, gives us the money shot, and then ponders the meaning of it all.

First, he lets us know the setting: "We're eating typical Piura-style food, with chiii-flesss (banana chips, said in the typical accent of Piura), a delicious and wonderful ceviche, and a tee-shirt that says Brazil, I don't know why."

Then, he gets philosophical: "And me. Always me. Filming."

And finally, just goofy: No translation necessary.

Almuerzo piurano 00:25

One in an occasional series of posts with videos of everyday people in Peru filming their Peruvian food.

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TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

On The Blogs: El Inti De Oro In Madrid @ Writing to you all!

2008-02-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

Photo: Salir en Madrid

At Writing to you all! Sylvia, a globe-trotting Peruvian, keeps in touch with "family and friends out there, whoever and wherever you might be!"

From Peru to Spain to Austria, she enjoys her Peruvian food and recently reviewed her trip to El Inti de Oro, one of Madrid's oldest Peruvian restaurants.

Read the post and see her pics here. She also recently posted about the other Peruvian cocktail, the cóctel de algarrobina, at this post.

El Inti de Oro
Calle de Ventura de la Vega 12, Madrid
Phone: 91-429-6703

Peruvian food seems to be everywhere these days. On The Blogs is a feature here at Peru Food in which I comment and link to what other bloggers are writing and posting about Peruvian food.

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TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peruvian Food History: Earliest-known Evidence Of Peanut, Cotton & Squash Farming Found In Peru

2008-02-10T16:45:00.000-08:00

A peanut hull discovered in Northern Peru has been dated to 7600 B.P.
Photo: Vanderbilt University

Ancient Peruvians were no strangers to Peruvian food.

According to Vanderbilt University, "Anthropologists working on the slopes of the Andes in northern Peru have discovered the earliest-known evidence of peanut, cotton and squash farming dating back 5,000 to 9,000 years. Their findings provide long-sought-after evidence that some of the early development of agriculture in the New World took place at farming settlements in the Andes.

The discovery was published in Science.

The research team made their discovery in the Ñanchoc Valley, which is approximately 500 meters above sea level on the lower western slopes of the Andes in northern Peru.

'We believe the development of agriculture by the Ñanchoc people served as a catalyst for cultural and social changes that eventually led to intensified agriculture, institutionalized political power and new towns in the Andean highlands and along the coast 4,000 to 5,500 years ago,' Tom D. Dillehay, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Vanderbilt University and lead author on the publication, said. 'Our new findings indicate that agriculture played a broader role in these sweeping developments than was previously understood.'

A cotton ball discovered in Northern Peru dated to 5500 B.P.
Photo: Vanderbilt University

Dillehay and his colleagues found wild-type peanuts, squash and cotton as well as a quinoa-like grain, manioc and other tubers and fruits in the floors and hearths of buried preceramic sites, garden plots, irrigation canals, storage structures and on hoes. The researchers used a technique called accelerator mass spectrometry to determine the radiocarbon dates of the materials. Data gleaned from botanists, other archaeological findings, and a review of the current plant community in the area suggest the specific strains of the discovered plant remains did not naturally grow in the immediate area.

'The plants we found in northern Peru did not typically grow in the wild in that area,' Dillehay said. 'We believe they must have therefore been domesticated elsewhere first and then brought to this valley by traders or mobile horticulturists.'

'The use of these domesticated plants goes along with broader cultural changes we believe existed at that time in this area, such as people staying in one place, developing irrigation and other water management techniques, creating public ceremonials, building mounds and obtaining and saving exotic artifacts.'

The researchers dated the squash from approximately 9,200 years ago, the peanut from 7,600 years ago, and the cotton from 5,500 years ago."

Source: EurekAlert!

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TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Photo: Peruvian Sea Urchin

2008-02-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

Photo: Giuce

Sea urchin, erizo de mar, Tetrapygus niger: an odd creature if ever there was one, like a marine porcupine or hedgehog.

Ancient Peruvians savored their tasty meat which makes you feel as if you are eating the ocean itself. It is a flavor of the Pacific, of waves crashing, of deep currents moving swiftly beneath the whitecaps.

According to Sergio Zapata, sea urchins are easily found along the Peruvian coast and very popular. In Peru, they make omelettes out of them, and they can also be savored raw or lightly cooked.

The sea urchin pictured here was most likely found along the coast near Trujillo, in the north of Peru.

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TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Video: Lima's Holes-In-The-Wall, Temples Of Flavor

2008-02-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

In Peru, the word huarique (wa-ree-key) refers to a very special type of restaurant: usually, it's a small, family-run establishment known for the quality of its food, often specializing in one dish, served informally at good value.

In English, the closest equivalent is a hole-in-the-wall.

But, we often find the best food at those holes-in-the-wall, don't we?

This video (in Spanish, but well-worth a view, although the high-pitched narrator IS annoying) comes to us from the program of Magaly Medina, a controversial Peruvian television personality. Her program, Magaly TeVe, is known for yellow-journalism focused on finding the dirt on Peru's minuscule movie and television community. She's a kind of Peruvian Perez Hilton, with her own TV show yet equally bad hair.

Magaly Medina aside, once in a while her show has more general interest features. This video is one such case.

In 06:38 minutes, one of her reporters visits four Lima huariques, and there are great views of Peruvian food and the inner workings of these humble establishments. Humble yes, but gastronomically rich.

The video starts off with the reporter shrieking: Comer rico no es un lujo, eating well is no luxury, especially if you go to those temples of flavor, the huariques, where Lima's best flavors are hidden.

The first place featured is a hole-in-the-wall if there ever was one: Chanfainita Plus on Avenida Jose Leal in Lima's Lince district. The specialty of the house? Chanfainita, a highly seasoned stew of organ meats and potatoes. Diners have been going to this locale, which only has two short counters and is run by Doña Cecilia, for the last 30 years. During her interview segment, Doña Cecilia says when she arrived in Lima decades ago from her native Arequipa, she began to cook chanfainita, and since then her business has grown and grown. And, while she has been offered the possibility of moving to a proper restaurant, she refuses to do so because she doesn't want to lose her current customers.

The next huarique featured is one written about here on Peru Food: Mi Perú in Barranco. The specialty of the house is the concentrado de cangrejo, a crab concentrate, and tortilla de huevera, a roe omelette. Mi Perú has also been in business for the last 30 years, and is well worth a visit.

Magaly's reporter also visits the Establecimiento del Tío Mono in Ciudad del Pescador, part of El Callao's (the port of Lima) Bellavista neighborhood. This is a northern-Peruvian style restaurant that started out ten years ago in the owner's living room. In fact, the owners moved out the sofas to put in the tables and chairs. The specialty of the house is parihuela, a Peruvian seafood stew, and most of the dishes are prepared with a home-brewed chicha de jora, fermented corn beer, which customers also like to drink. They also serve ceviche, as you can see in the video.

Finally, the video moves to Café Tostado, literally Toasted Coffee, specializing in another soupy stew, sancochado. Why the name? In a previous life, the locale had been a coffee toasting establishment. Owner Pepe Yufra began his business when, after selling his home-made sancochado to his co-workers, they told him he needed to open up his own place.

There's a great line around this time on the video: it says that while these places aren't five-star restaurants, there are manos santas, holy hands, that cook in them.

And, of course, the final line is typically Peruvian: ¡¡A comerrrr!!! ... Let's eat!!

At the end of the video, there is about a minute (from 06:38 onwards) of Magaly Medina giving her personal spin on these huariques. I would just click off at that point.

¡¡A comerrrr!!!

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On The Blogs: Recipe For Papa Rellena @ 4 Kids 'N Us Recipes

2008-02-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

Photo: Lima's Taste

A papa rellena is a stuffed potato.

In Peru, in the late afternoon, papa rellena stands sprout on streetcorners. I love the taste of a crispy potato stuffed with seasoned meat, raisins, and egg. There are variations of papa rellenas all over Latin America. I don't know if raisins appear in other versions, but to me they hint of an Arab influence, via Spain.

We've posted a video recipe for papa rellena here. And now, at 4 Kids 'n Us, they've posted the Disney recipe of papa rellena (with a roasted corn relish, which is definitely NOT the traditional topping!) Yes, I said the Disney version --- apparently prepared at a Disney International Food Festival.

I can't vouch for the recipe, but it's worth a look. Of course, the quality of the potatoes is what makes the difference.

To see the recipe, click here.

Peruvian food seems to be everywhere these days. On The Blogs is a feature here at Peru Food in which I comment and link to what other bloggers are writing and posting about Peruvian food.

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El Bolivariano In Pueblo Libre

2008-02-07T02:01:00.000-08:00

El Bolivariano is a well-known restaurant located in a former convent building in the Pueblo Libre district of Lima, just around the corner from the Antigua Taberna Queirolo (which I write about here) and a stone's throw from the National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History of Peru.

What I like most about the historic center of Pueblo Libre is it feels very much like a small village in the midst of the big city. There is a pleasant central plaza in which to stroll, quaint buildings, and at least two great options for Peruvian food.

El Bolivariano is famous for its Sunday buffets, offering a wide selection of Peruvian food at a reasonable price and with a family atmosphere. We went on a weekday and were impressed with the food and the attentive service.

Unfortunately, the day we visited we had already started our Peruvian food adventure at the Antigua Taberna Queirolo where we had eaten a number of appetizers; so, by the time we got to El Bolivariano, we didn't have room for much more. Still, we managed to sample their anticuchos, those tasty bits of beef heart heaven, and a mazamorra morada, a sweet pudding made from Peruvian purple corn. We had no complaints.

We particularly liked El Bolivariano's historic feel. The original part of the building, belonging to the local parish church, was constructed in 1780 and was known as La Huerta del Convento, The Convent Garden. At the time, Pueblo Libre was called Magdalena Vieja and was an area of productive farmlands.

The parish eventually sold the property in the late 1800s, and it was bought and sold various times before the current owners purchased it and transformed it into a restaurant. The name alludes to the fact Simón Bolívar, one of Peru's independence heroes, lived in Pueblo Libre, precisely in the colonial home facing the plaza where the National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru is housed.

We left El Bolivariano stuffed and hoping to return one future Sunday so we could sample the buffet everyone told us about. On weekdays, the restaurant offers à la carte dining as well as several prix fixe meals, known in Peru as menu.

The map below indicates El Bolivariano's location, as well as that of the Antigua Taberna Queirolo, the National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History of Peru, and the María Magdelena church, the original parish church mentioned above. Pueblo Libre's other museum, the extraordinary Museo Larco is not that far away.

El Bolivariano
Pasaje Santa Rosa 291
Pueblo Libre, Lima

Phone: 261-9565
Website: El Bolivariano

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On The Blogs: Peruvian Food In Bonaire @ Gluten-Free Kathy's Weblog

2008-02-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

Photo: Wiki

Bonaire is a speck of an island in the Netherland Antilles, and thanks to Kathy at her blog, Gluten-Free Kathy's Weblog, we've learned of a new Peruvian restaurant, Plazita Limeña, which she visited during a recent trip.

Her blog is for those who "are wondering how to live an active life and get strong while on the gluten free diet". She also writes about eating quinoa.

Read her post about Plazita Limeña here, and her post about quinoa here.

Update: Thanks to Kathy for the address and phone number for this restaurant.

Plazita Limeña
Kaya Grandi 6
Kralendijk, Bonaire

Phone: 599-717-7667

Peruvian food seems to be everywhere these days. On The Blogs is a feature here at Peru Food in which I comment and link to what other bloggers are writing and posting about Peruvian food.

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Happy Pisco Sour Day 2008! (Pisco Sour: Not For Beginners)

2008-02-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Peru loves its emblematic cocktail so much the Peruvian government has declared the first Saturday in February Día Nacional del Pisco Sour, National Pisco Sour Day.

This year, the Pisco Sour Day falls on February 2.

According to José Antonio Schiaffino in his book, The Origin of the Pisco Sour, this drink was invented in the Morris Bar, which operated between 1915 and 1933 in Lima.

Curiously, the owner of the bar was a fellow Californian, Victor Morris, who first made a variation of the whisky sour using Peruvian pisco.

Eloy Cuadros, barman summa cum laude at Lima's historic Hotel Maury, tells us that after Morris invented the pisco sour the Maury perfected it.

The fact is while the Morris is no longer around the Maury still is and it expects to sell close to four thousand pisco sours on February 2.

Pisco sour celebrations will be going on all over Peru on February 2.

In Lima's bohemian district of Barranco, thousands of people are expected to congregate to celebrate this quintessentially Peruvian cocktail. In the southern Peruvian city of Tacna, there will be a pisco sour making competition. In Lima's Jesús María district, another huge pisco sour festival will be held, as well as in Lima's Surco district.

In Ica, where the majority of Peruvian pisco is distilled, there will also be a pisco sour festival. And, in Trujillo, in northern Peru, the pisco sour festival has been going on since early Friday.

Whenever I arrive in Lima, I always head straight to the Café Haiti in Miraflores to have a pisco sour (or two) in celebration of my arrival.

A country that dedicates a day to celebrating a cocktail can't be all that bad, can it?

I love the Pisco Sour: Not For Beginners marketing campaign. Pisco KO'd the Scotsman and his whisky, the Mexican and his tequila, and the Russian and his vodka...LOL!

The text reads: "Lime and the finest Pisco from Peru, blended following the traditional recipe of the ancient Peruvians, brings to life an intense flavour experience. Enjoy it. Carefully."

We've written a bit about pisco, and pisco sours, here at Peru Food: we told you how pisco is made, we linked a video on the role of pisco in Peruvian history, we shared a number of recipes for making pisco sours, including the easiest-ever illustrated pisco sour recipe from Japan. And, last year, we also celebrated pisco sour day.

So, if you have nothing else to do on Saturday, February 2, at the least, you should have a pisco sour.

Happy Pisco Sour Day!

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Why This Peruvian Food Blog Matters

2008-02-01T03:15:00.000-08:00

Some of you know who have been long-time readers of this humble blog know that now and again I get into a writing slump. There is always material, but sometimes the vicissitudes of life interfere, and I find myself posting less than I'd like.

Then, I'll get a comment or an e-mail from an anonymous person, somewhere in the world, who connects with me through this blog.

Perhaps I'm feeling reflective because we just celebrated our two year anniversary here at Peru Food.

Those comments or e-mails I mention make me feel (as I've said time and again) that Peru Food has become larger than me; Peru Food has become its own entity.

Recently, I got some comments and e-mails that illustrate this point.

One comment was from Angel, a Peruvian living in Badajoz, Spain:

...no sabe de la alegria y del orgullo de ser peruano y estar en España mirando por internet (ventana al mundo) ese delicioso concentrado de cangrejo ... hecho por Doña Aida Cerreños Vasquez de Taype ... mi abuelita querida...

...you don't know the happiness and pride I felt of being a Peruvian living in Spain, when via the Internet (the window to the world) I saw that delicious crab concentrate ... made by Doña Aida Cerreños Vasquez de Taype ... my beloved granny...

I also recently received this e-mail from Cape Town:

...muy impresionante el web page de La Cocina Peruana, felicitaciones. Soy un peruano residente en South Africa, 17 años, extraño el turrón y los alfajores...

...your Peruvian food page is impressive, congratulations. I am a Peruvian who's been living in South Africa for the past 17 years, and I miss turrón and alfajores...

Sometimes, e-mails like this one appear in my inbox:

Hi, my name is ... and I am in grade nine geography. We have a project which details that we need to make a recipe for quite a few people from Peru. I was curious if you would have any suggestions on an easy to make recipe that can also be served in small portions to a number of people. Thank you for any help you can send to me.

All of these e-mails, comments, and questions, remind me: Peru Food matters.

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On The Blogs: Kión Lounge In NYC @ Food/Actually

2008-01-31T02:38:00.000-08:00

Peruvian food seems to be everywhere these days. On The Blogs is a new feature here at Peru Food in which I comment and link to what other bloggers are writing and posting about Peruvian food.

Food/Actually is a blog which explores, "Lovely delectable things from the city, both coasts, and around the globe."

When they refer to "the city" they mean NYC, where the blog is based.

Recently, Food/Actually visited the hip Japanese Peruvian Kión Lounge "on E. 6th St. and Ave. A".

In Peru, kión means ginger, a word which entered the Peruvian vocabulary via China; in other Spanish-speaking countries the word for ginger is jengibre. It's just another example of the influence of Asian cuisine in Peruvian food and culture.

In Food/Actually's own words: "...the pictures [of Kión] speak for themselves..."

Here are two of Food/Actually's mouth-watering pics. Follow the link below to see more.

"Spicy mussels: wok-roasted mussels with rocoto peppers,
ginger, cilantro, and miso broth."
Photo: Food/Actually

"Pulpito: Chilled baby octopus and sautéed octopus tentacles
with a panca miso garlic ginger sauce"
Photo: Food/Actually

To read the entire post, and see even more pictures, visit Food/Actually's post here.

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Tracking The Buzz: Cuy @ BuzzFeed

2008-01-30T10:07:00.000-08:00

Photo: abeja muy particular (mosca impostora!)
by Luis Lobo Borobia

This is not about bees; it's about cuy.

We've discovered people have a fascination with Peru's edible rodent; so much in fact, there's a trackable buzz about it.

At BuzzFeed, cuy is being tracked.

You can contemplate whether to cuy or not, consider it roasted, fried, or covered in glaze, or ponder if cuy will ever really take off in the US market.

Yours truly's forays with cuy are mentioned.

Read this, and all the other buzz about cuy, here.

If you want to actively add to the cuy buzz, click on the cute little guinea pigs here (you'll have to scroll down).

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Peruvian Food Video: Cevicheria "El Limon"

2008-01-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

27 seconds: Dad is having a jugoso a lo macho, his "favorite dish", and a causa de langostinos sits at the center of the table, just waiting to be devoured. The little girl tastes it and says, "¡Está rico!" ("It's good!"). Looks like the other diners are polishing off ceviche and washing everything down with Inca Kola.

Cevicheria "El Limon" 00:27

It sure looks good.

The first in an occasional series of posts with videos of everyday people in Peru filming their Peruvian food.

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Book Review: Primicias de cocina Peruana. (Novelties of Peruvian Cooking) @ Críticas

2008-01-29T13:36:00.000-08:00

Críticas has a review of Rodolfo Hinostroza's Primicias de la cocina peruana. A poet, author, and food critic, he is also the brother of chef, author, and historian Gloria Hinostroza. In an interview, he said writing this book was a "personal challenge" that took him 20 years to complete.

To read the complete review, click here.

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For The Love Of ... Lúcuma

2008-01-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Photo: RPP

Lúcuma
Photo: Javier&Ares

One dictionary may tell you lúcuma is merely, "A round, greenish fruit with tangy orangey flesh, widely used in desserts." Another one might say it is, "An American genus of sapotaceous trees bearing sweet and edible fruits."

In English, they are sometimes called lucmo, canistel, or egg fruit.

In the US, the best known variety is Pouteria campechiana grown in Florida.

In Peru, the main variety of lúcuma is Pouteria lucuma, also known as lucuma nervosa, and it grows in the subtropical valleys where the Andes descend into the Amazon basin.

But, lúcuma is so much more than definitions and statistics.

It is sweet and seductive; it plays with your taste buds and entices them; it makes you dream about it when you are far away.

Lúcuma is loved by almost all Peruvians; in fact, I've never met a Peruvian who didn't like it.

Lúcuma is like its name: tempting, beguiling, easy on the tongue.

This first series of photographs depicts the physical characteristics of the lúcuma tree and the production of this unique fruit.

Photo: Antonie van den Bos, Botany Pictures

Lucuma nervosa growing in Japan
Photo: kalavinka

Photo: V. van den Eynden, Biodiversity International

Lúcuma
Photo: Hortensia Violencia/Tamara Sancy

Lúcuma, Moche Period, 200 AD,
Museo Larco, Pueblo Libre, Lima
Photo: Wiki

Lúcuma was cultivated by pre-Conquest peoples for milenia, as seen in the Moche clay depiction above.

It is exotic; in Peru, the general consensus is there is no better flavor for ice cream than lúcuma.

Lúcuma is also used in cakes, drinks, and other desserts. In the recent past, there has been an explosion in innovative ways to employ this fruit.

Take a look for yourself:

Lúcuma and a recipe for lúcuma meringue
Photo: Magalí Torres Guizado

Lucúma ice cream in Cuzco
Photo: mmm-yoso!!!

Lúcuma drink, Cebichería La Mar, Miraflores, Lima
Photo: modernistx

Lúcuma ice cream bar
Photo: andrea*

Lúcuma parfait
Photo: Felicia_

Lúcuma and chocolate cake
Photo: Johnny Panic

Lúcuma ice cream at Lima Peruvian Restaurant & Lounge in LA
Photo: Traveling Man

Lúcuma meringue with ice cream
Photo: cristián arismendi

Lúcuma dessert
Photo: Mitch Teplitsky

Fruity lúcuma meringue
Photo: kelly.sisson

Lúcuma mousse on a chocolate cake,
Starbucks, Jockey Plaza, La Molina, Lima
Photo: Jorge Gobbi

To finish of this series on lúcuma desserts, here are some photos from Tortas Marconi, who bake made-to-order cakes in San Isidro.

They've clearly learned how to use lúcuma in their ingredients:

Lúcuma Merengado, layers of lúcuma meringue,
covered in a lúcuma cream and shredded chocolate
Photo: Tortas Marconi

Lúcuma Mousse, chocolate base, topped with shredded chocolate
Photo: Tortas Marconi

Lúcuma Soufflé Cake, stuffed lúcuma and fudge cream,
covered in lúcuma cream
Photo: Tortas Marconi

Lúcuma Cake, chocolate chiffon filled with lúcuma and fudge cream,
convered in lúcuma cream, decorated with chocolate details
Photo: Tortas Marconi

I think I better go and have some lúcuma now.

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On The Blogs: Peruvian @ SaltShaker

2008-01-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

Peruvian food seems to be everywhere these days. On The Blogs is a new feature here at Peru Food in which I comment and link to what other bloggers are writing and posting about Peruvian food.

Dan Perlman's green causa, Buenos Aires
Photo: SaltShaker

Dan Perlman is an American living in Buenos Aires who has both a gastronomic and personal interest in Peru and Peruvian food.

He's quite the renaissance man, running a gamut of businesses including one in which his home becomes a dining establishment, as well as blogging about food at SaltShaker.

Cebiche de Conchas Negras, a dark clam ceviche, Trujillo
Photo: SaltShaker

He's written a fair amount about Peru and Peruvian cuisine. On a trip to Lima, he wrote about Javier Wong and ceviche de conchas negras at this post.

He has also waxed on the birthday of Peruvian poet César Abraham Vallejo Mendoz and created a Peruvian dinner for the occasion, which he documented here.

Cangrejo reventado, burst crab, Trujillo
Photo: SaltShaker

He raved about the cangrejo reventado, burst crab, he had on the beach near Trujillo and recreated the dish at this post.

One of his most captivating posts is about his trip to Trujillo to visit his in-laws where he ate at a small local eatery called El Paisa and where he was invited to share in the warmth of a Peruvian family meal, about which he writes here. After last year's earthquake in Peru, he worried about his in-laws; fortunately, they were all OK.

At a post about how he's always getting asked to provide spicy dishes at his Buenos Aires dinners, I found the great picture of Dan's green causa which starts off this post. The full article is here.

To find out more about Dan, read his blog, SaltShaker.

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2 Years Old: Happy Birthday Peru Food!

2008-01-26T10:40:00.000-08:00

Photo: Pink Cake Box

Al final, tengo un comentario en español.

Two years I began this Peruvian food blogging adventure on a lark; I like writing, I had started my fledgling blogging steps, and I am passionate about Peru. I thought it might be fun to write about Peruvian food, since it seemed a lot of people were beginning to talk about it. And, a blog seemed an easy way to do it. Peru Food was born.

Little did I know that two years later I would have tens of thousands hits and have been visited from people over 180 countries. Over these two years, I've received countless e-mails and comments (not as many comments as I'd like though, so don't feel shy about leaving yours!), I have learned so much about Peruvian food, and most importantly, as a result of this humble blog, I have met many interesting people, some via e-mail only, and others in real life. More than one, I now consider a friend.

So far, it has been a great two years of this blogging life.

I always get asked the following questions when asked about this Peruvian food blog: Are you a chef? No. Do you own a restaurant? Negative. Do you import or sell Peruvian food products? Not at all. What part of Peru are you from? Actually, I was born in LA. So, why do you this? It's a hobby that has become greater than me. Long-time readers know I take the occasional hiatus from blogging, but I always come back because of you, and because I am still committed to writing about Peru, its cuisine, its culture, and ultimately, its connection to myself.

Some of you know I am teacher of little ones, so if I disappear now and again, I'm probably just too exhausted to research and write and post. Bear with me.

Thanks for making Peru Food what it is today: one of the main sources of information about Peruvian food in English on the Internet.

In closing I just want to acknowledge two women who have a hand in this blog: one is my late grandmother with whom I grew up in the central Andes who instilled in me a love of Peruvian food and culture. The other is my mother who marvels at what I do with this blog, but who always told me: You should be a writer. This blog could not exist without their influence in my life.

And now, go out and eat some Peruvian food! And, toast with Peruvian pisco, but as I said in my very first post here, the first sip is ALWAYS for the Pachamama.

And, I know that cake isn't Peruvian but the good folks at Pink Cake Box are very good at making clever and eye-catching cakes, and were kind enough to allow me to use their picture.

Ahora en español...un poco más breve pero igual de sentimiento. Quiero agradecer a todas las personas que han llegado a este humilde blog que comenzó como un pasatiempo y se ha convertido en algo más grande que yo. Gracias por leerme, por apoyarme, por los correos, los comentarios (aunque más comentarios ¡siempre son bienvenidos!) A través de este espacio virtual he llegado a conocer a muchas personas, algunas sólo por correos, otras en persona, y otras que hoy en día considero amigos y amigas.

Mucha gente me pregunta: ¿Eres chef? No. ¿Tienes un restaurante? Tampoco. ¿Importas o vendes productos peruanos? Menos. ¿De qué parte del Perú eres? Mmmm, nací en Los Angeles... Entonces ¿por qué este blog? El blog nace de mi pasión por el Perú, tierra de mis padres y mis antepasados, de mi curiosidad por siempre aprender sobre él, y de difundir lo que aprendo. Nace de mi afán por redactar. Y de tratar de entender, por medio de su cocina y su cultura esa parte peruana que existe dentro de mi.

Algunos saben que soy maestro de los bien pequeños, por lo tanto, si a veces desaparezco, es sólo que estoy muy cansado para investigar y redactar. Pero siempre regreso a Peru Food por una sola razón, ustedes los lectores de esta página. Gracias por todo.

No podré concluír sin hacer mención de dos grandes influencias en mi vida que de alguna forma están presentes en este blog: mi abuela, ya desaparecida, con quien viví algunos años de mi niñez en la Sierra Central, quien me inculcó un amor por el Perú y por la comida peruana, y mi madre que alucina con este blog, pero que simpre me dijo: Hijo, escribe.

Y ahora a comer algo rico y peruano, pero primero brindando con buen pisco del Perú ... pero, como dije la primera vez que escribí algo en este blog, cuyo enlace les dejo aquí, el primer trago siempre es para la Pachamama.

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Marinera Time! The Annual Marinera Competition In Trujillo

2008-01-25T23:45:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not posting about the Italian spaghetti sauce...

As long as I'm promoting Peruvian music and dance this week (see here) let me remind you this weekend, in the northern Peruvian city of Trujillo, one of Peru's most exciting dance competitions takes place: the annual National Marinera Competition.

The Peruvian marinera is the beloved dance of coastal Peru: grandiose, elegant, and technical, it inspires all who view it. Every year in January there is a national competition in Trujillo which brings together the best marinera dancers in all of Peru and even from abroad.

Like so many others, I love the marinera and its music. Here at Peru Food, I've written about this dance before. Last year, I posted regarding the 2007 edition of this competition at this post. I also wrote about Mitch Teplitsky's film, Soy Andina, the story of a Peruvian American dancer who travels from Queens to northern Peru to learn and live this dance. That post is here.

Now, the National Marinera Competition has rolled around yet again, and though I'm not going to discuss its history, I want to make mention of the event.

The marinera is a thrilling dance: just hearing the initial sounds of the drumroll as the marinera starts makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Here is a videos in three parts of last year's National Marinera Competion, featuring the winners of the Group Choreography category, meaning they performed marinera as a group.

Enjoy it!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

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Pisco Sour Recipe: The Illustrated Japanese Version

2008-01-25T14:19:00.000-08:00

Giancarlo, our Peruvian friend in Japan who writes at Desde Japón, has devised the easiest ever pisco sour recipe: the illustrated Japanese version.

Check it out.

(Click on the images to get the full effect.)

Kampai!!!

Images: Desde Japón

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Perú Negro: 2008 USA Tour

2008-01-24T19:42:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned when discussing Lima Peruvian Cuisine & Lounge in Los Angeles at this post, one of the owners is the manager for Peru's leading Afro Peruvian dance and music troupe, the legendary Perú Negro.

Here is the latest information about the 2008 US tour of this unique group and I strongly urge everyone who reads this blog to walk, fly, run, or take a plane to see them. You will be in for a unique and extraordinary evening.

I'm going to cut-and-paste directly from Vivir Latino, something I never do, but they got the press release before I did!

"The Grammy-nominated 20-piece ensemble known as Perú Negro launched a new CD, Zamba Malató. To accompany the release they are on the verge of starting a 45 city across the US over the next three months.

The name of their new album, Zamba Malató, refers to an old chant sung by black women as they performed their daily chores. The album, released on Times Square Records, is the long-awaited follow-up to their last release for the label, 2004's Jolgorio. It continues the wildly celebratory Afro-Peruvian carnival of songs and dances that trace their history to the arrival of African slaves in Peru in the 1600's.

Ronaldo Campos de Colina started Perú Negro over three decades ago as a 12-person family troupe and directed the ensemble until his death in 2001. At first supported by the government, cultural and political upheaval in Peru made it impossible to tour there, and the group now makes its living touring abroad.

Now featuring a 20+ person touring ensemble that includes members of the Campos clan, Perú Negro has drawn rave reviews from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe and others. Their repertoire is as complex, unique and exhilarating as Peru's own rich cultural history. The group has now become the standard for Afro-Peruvian music, emulated by other groups in Peru and achieving the official title of 'Cultural Ambassadors of Black Peru' by the Peruvian government.

They run their own school in Lima, developing the next generation of performers in a junior troupe of dancers and musicans called Perú Negrito. They have performed around the world, saving from extinction the African music and dance forms that are related to, yet distinct from, Puerto Rican plena, Haitian voudou, and other African American hybrids.

Perú Negro's live show features a brilliant cross-section of African-descended styles that had all but disappeared from Peruvian culture by the 1950's. Those dances include the celebratory festejo, the sensual landó, the slave protest songs called panalivios (banned by the Catholic Church in the 18th Century) and the tap-dancing zapateos. African diaspora instruments also include the djembe (the single headed goblet drum from West Africa) and the batá from Cuba; however, the centerpiece of rhythm is the cajón, or crate drum, a percussion “instrument” that traces its birth to Peru's slave quarters where traditional drums were banned by slave owners and the Spanish Inquisition, and now are a staple of most Latin jazz and flamenco groups.

For the 2008 tour, the group will feature new material from Zamba Malató, as well as their acclaimed reinterpretations of classic Afro-Peruvian songs. But, on the album, the focus is on creating new material that builds on the past with equal parts innovation and respect. Weaving Peru's complicated past into the world's complicated present is the genius of Perú Negro, one of Latin America's musical treasures."

The dates and location of the tour are as follows:

1.24.08 8PM Community Theater at the Mayo Ctr Morristown, NJ
1.25.08 8PM Proctor's Theater Schenectady NY
1.26.08 8PM City Center New York, NY
1.27.08 3PM The Concert Hall Purchase, NY
1.28.08 10AM The Concert Hall Purchase, NY
1.29.08 8PM Chandler Center for the Arts Randolph, VT
1.30.08 2PM University Theater New Haven, CT
1.30.08 8PM University Theater New Haven, CT
1.31.08 TBA University Theater New Haven, CT
2.01.08 TBA Zellerbach Theater Annenberg Center Philadelphia, PA
2.02.08 8PM Center for the Arts Concert Hall Fairfax, VA
2.05.08 10AM Bardavon 1869 Opera House Poughkeepsie, NY
2.05.08 12PM Bardavon 1869 Opera House Poughkeepsie, NY
2.06.08 10AM Ulster Performing Arts Center Kingston, NY
2.07.08 TBA Weston Auditorium Fitchburg State College, MA
2.07.08 8pm Weston Auditorium Fitchburg, MA
2.08.08 Pollack Auditorium Monmouth University W. Long Branch, NJ
2.09.08 8PM The American Theater Hampton, VA
2.10.08 3PM The American Theater Hampton, VA
2.14.08 TBA Porter Center Brevard, NC
2.15.08 11AM Porter Center Brevard, NC
2.15.08 8PM Porter Center Brevard, NC
2.16.08 8PM Rialto Center for the Performing Arts Atlanta, GA
2.17.08 3PM Newberry Opera House Newberry, SC
2.20.08 10am Sunrise Theater of the Performing Arts Fort Pierce, FL
2.20.08 7pm Sunrise Theater of the Performing Arts Fort Pierce, FL
2.21.08 TBA Carnival Center Miami, FL
2.21.08 TBA Carnival Center Miami, FL
2.22.08 TBA Carnival Center Miami, FL
2.22.08 TBA Carnival Center Miami, FL
2.23.08 TBA Carnival Center Miami, FL
2.23.08 8PM Ziff Ballet Opera House Miami, FL
2.27.08 TBA Grand Opera House MSU Riley Center Meridian, MS
2.27.08 8pm Grand Opera House MSU Riley Center Meridian, MS
2.29.08 TBA Rosa Hart Theater Lake Charles, LA
3.04.08 TBA Macky Auditorium University of Colorado Boulder, CO
3.05.08 8PM Community Concert Hall Durango, CO
3.06.08 8PM Albuquerque Journal Theatre/Disney Center, NM
3.07.08 8PM Lensic Theater Santa Fe, NM
3.11.08 9:30 McCallum Theater for the Performing Arts Palm Desert,CA
3.11.08 11AM McCallum Theater for the Performing Arts Palm Desert,CA
3.12.08 10AM University of California Santa Barbara,CA
3.12.08 1:30PM University of California Santa Barbara, CA
3.12.08 8PM Campbell Hall, University of California Santa Barbara, CA
3.14.08 TBA Turlock Community Theater Turlock, CA
3.15.08 8PM Royce Hall Center for the Arts Los Angeles, CA
3.16.08 3PM Harman Hall, Cohen Performing Arts Ctr San Luis Obispo, CA
3.18.08 TBA Ross Ragland Theater Klamath Falls, OR
3.18.08 8PM Ross Ragland Theater Klamath Falls, OR
3.19.08 8PM Jackson Hall / Mondavi Center Davis, CA
3.20.08 8PM Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley Berkeley, CA
3.22.08 TBA Silva Concert Hall / Hult Center Eugene, OR
3.25.08 TBA Laxson Auditorium Chico, CA
3.25.08 8PM Laxson Auditorium Chico, CA
3.27.08 TBA Newport Performing Arts Center Newport, OR
3.28.08 8PM Washington Center Olympia, WA
3.29.08 7:30PM Edmonds Center for the Performing ArtsEdmonds, WA
3.30.03 5PM Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum Pullman, WA
3.31.08 10AM Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum Pullman, WA

Photos and videos: Perú Negro

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TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Peru Once Again At Madrid Fusión

2008-01-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

This week in Madrid, the world's leading chefs, food critics, restaurateurs, and foodies have convened for the sixth annual culinary extravaganza: Madrid Fusión.

Since its inception in 2003, Madrid Fusión has become one of the leading gastronomic events in the world.

The theme for this year's version is Gastronomy, the Internet and New Technologies.

For the fifth consecutive year, Peru has been proudly represented at this world-class gastronomic summit.

The venerable Javier Wong at Madrid Fusión 2008
Photo: RPP

Peruvian potatoes, ceviche, and Peruvian pisco were on hand at the Peru stand, always one of the big draws at the gathering.

Peruvian chefs such as Javier Wong (featured on this blog at this post) and Iván Kisic were on hand to prepare new interpretations of unique Peruvian specialties, adding to the current buzz about Peruvian food.

Coinciding with the UN's declaring 2008 The Year of the Potato (as reported here), Peru promoted itself as the birthplace of this global tuber, home to over 3,000 varieties.

Iván Kisic, current chef at Lima's Cala, prepared cutting-edge potato dishes, employing sophisticated techniques and innovative presentations. Meanwhile, Javier Wong, while true to the basic principles of traditional Peruvian cuisine, prepared new combinations and transformations of the classic Peruvian ceviche.

Johny Schuler, one of Peru's leading pisco experts, offered visitors to the Peru stand pisco tasting and demonstrations on the unique qualities of Peruvian pisco.

Among the cold dishes offered at the Peru stand were Causita criolla de camote y cangrejo y ají limo, a sweet potato causa with crab and key lime; Causita criolla de papa al pulpo en sus dos olivas, a causa with octopus and olives; a selection of scalloped Andean tubers in three classic sauces: rocoto, huacatay and huancaína; a Mini ocopa de langostinos bebe con papita nativa y su aceitunita, native small potatoes with baby shrimp and olive in an ocopa sauce; Bocadito de trucha ahumada y papa pachamanquera, an amuse-bouche of smoked trout and potatoes cooked pachamanca-style; and, the perennial favorite, Papita a la huancaína, small potatoes in a huancaína sauce.

Hot dishes included Variedad de papas peruanas cocidas y sus salsa, cooked Peruvian potatoes and sauces; Mini papita amarilla al horno en salsa de ají de gallina, small baked potatoes in an ají de gallina sauce; Pastel de papa arequipeña con queso serrano, an Arequipa-style potato pastry with Andean cheese; and an Espuma de papa amarilla y jugo de chupe, a foam of Peruvian yellow potatoes in a chupe sauce.

Next year, Madrid Fusión!

Source: RPP

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TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Fox Business News: Peruvian Food Recognized As One Of The Emerging Cuisines Of 21st Century

2008-01-23T22:01:00.000-08:00

In the US market, the Peruvian food brand continues to expand, which is good news for Peruvian food junkies.

In an online article dated January 9, Fox Business News announces "the launch of the first major Peruvian restaurant franchise concept in the USA" with the development of "fresh gourmet Peruvian meals which are to be sold through major retail, specialty, and club stores nationwide" under the Inka Grill/Golden Choice Food © brand, according to Richard Damion, Chairman/CEO of International Food Products Group, the project developer."

Fox Business News concludes, "Peruvian food is about to take its rightful place as one of the world's finest emerging cuisines."

The complete article can be read here.

Sounds good to me.

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Lima Peruvian Cuisine & Lounge In Los Angeles

2008-01-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the celebration of Lima's founding, I finally made it out to Lima Peruvian Cuisine & Lounge in Tarzana, located in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.

There are currently dozens of Peruvian restaurants in the greater Los Angeles/Orange County metropolitan area, a far cry from what it was like during my childhood growing up behind the Orange Curtain.

Back then, finding a Peruvian meal other than one made by mom entailed a long trek up the 5 Freeway to a hole-in-the-wall in Hollywood where there were few tables, the requisite pictures of Machu Picchu and a couple of llamas, and home-style Peruvian food served by bona fide Peruvians who, back in the day, were also few and far between.

Fast forward to 2008, and there are now Peruvian places from Chatsworth to Torrance to Irvine. That's quite a territory. But, most Peruvian places I've been to (and I admit I haven't tried all the Peruvian places in metropolitan Los Angeles) tend to be mom-and-pop type places, usually with a very homey décor, a home-style presentation, a variable price-quality relation, and catering mostly to Peruvians (who also seem to be everywhere these days) and the smattering of foodies and cognoscenti in search of the culinary wonders of Peruvian cuisine.

Sadly, here in LA (unlike our neighbor to the north, the City by the Bay) there was no Peruvian place that seemed a bit more hip and upscale, with dishes presented in a stylized, more contemporary, manner.

At least, until now.

The new kid on the Peruvian restaurant block here in Los Angeles is Lima Peruvian Cuisine & Lounge in the almost hoity-toity west San Fernando Valley area of Tarzana.

Lima is the brainchild of Javier Neciosup, Juan Morillo, and Henrik Strater, a Puerto Rican and two Peruvians, known in the LA area as Latin American music promoters. They've worked with such heavyweights as Peru's Eva Ayllón and Morillo is manager of one of my favorite Afro Peruvian dance and music troupes, Perú Negro (who are getting ready to embark on a North American tour ... but more on that in a later post).

The partners conducted extensive research on the current state of Peruvian restaurants in the Los Angeles area (48 by their count) and knew if they wanted to stand out, they would have to do something different.

Under the direction of Chef Javier Chan, trained at Lima's Le Cordon Bleu and formerly of the well regarded El Rocoto in Gardena, they created dishes that maintain their authenticity but are presented with a contemporary twist. They decorated their locale (formerly a Persian cabaret) in a sophisticated, modern style. Admittedly, some of the décor could still be improved, but the overall feel is light-years from other Peruvian places I've been to in LA.

In keeping with the name, there is a welcoming lounge area as you enter, which leads towards a garden-like outdoor patio, perfect for dining in the balmy Southern California weather. In their main dining area, the tables and chairs could be improved, but they need to be easily moved because on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, the restaurant closes down and transforms itself into a nightclub featuring salsa and Latin American music.

What really sets Lima apart is the food and its presentation. On our visit, to get us started, we were treated to chifles, banana and sweet potato chips, accompanied by a very nice and spicy Peruvian green sauce.

Since everything on their menu looks quite good, we opted to start with a trio of appetizers: Choros a la chalaca, mussels served in the style of El Callao, topped off with fresh red onion and hot peppers, Langostinos en causa, breaded langostinos lightly seasoned with the Peruvian hot pepper ají panca and served on top of a delicate mounds of potato causa, all lightly drizzled with a sweet maracuyá sauce, and the pièce de résistance: an absolutely perfect Peruvian ceviche.

We accompanied our meal with a decent pisco sour, and Lima's own take of this classic Peruvian drink: a maracuyá sour. Maracuyá is passion fruit, and after one, I felt it was a drink I could feel passionate about. I would have liked to have seen other pisco drinks (I've been craving a Pisco Punch since I tried one in the other Lima for the first time back in September) and maybe they'll expand their drink repertoire in the future.

Our main dish, which was more than enough for two, was a tasty Arroz norteño de mariscos, rice cooked in a cilantro base and packed with all types of delicious seafood. Unfortunately, by the time the main dish arrived we were either too engrossed in conversation or too enamored of the pisco sours to take a proper picture. Oh well! It just means I'll have to go back there very soon, poor me!

Photo: Canelita

My dining companion and I had to arm wrestle to see who would get to drink this little glass of pure heaven. On top was cancha, the toasted corn which accompanies most Peruvian meals, but beneath it was an exquisite leche de tigre, the tiger's milk, meaning the tart and spicy marinade of the ceviche, with little bits of seafood thrown in for good measure. I won. And, I didn't cheat. Too much.

We finished our long lunch with the perfect foil: a scoop of lúcuma ice cream, made from the sweet tropical fruit all Peruvians love.

As I said at the onset of this post, I haven't been to all the Peruvian restaurants in the Los Angeles area. I tend to save my money so I can eat to my heart's content (and stomach's galore) in Lima (the city). But, with Lima (the restaurant) so promising and so close by, I may be going to Lima even when I'm not in Peru.

Lima Peruvian Cuisine & Lounge
19540 Ventura Boulevard, near Tampa
Tarzana, CA 91356
(818) 758-3902

Website: Lima Peruvian Cuisine & Lounge

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On The Blogs: Seattle Peruvian Menu Tasting, Beginning January 23 @ CHOW down, Seattle

2008-01-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

Peruvian food seems to be everywhere these days. On The Blogs is a new feature here at Peru Food in which I comment and link to what other bloggers are writing and posting about Peruvian food.

Photo: Coastal Kitchen

CHOW down, Seattle, Seattle's neighborhood restaurant blog, is posting about a Peruvian menu tasting at Coastal Kitchen restaurant in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, slated to begin January 23.

Coastal Kitchen, which bills itself as "the quintessential neighborhood fish house," will be offering pulpo a la yerba, an octopus appetizer, as well as Peruvian cebiche.

The CHOW down, Seattle writer calls the latter "hands down" the staff favorite, consisting of, "A big mound of fresh albacore, tossed in a lime and cilantro marinade, ... served flanked by avocado as well as house made yam and purple potato chips." The main dishes sound just as good.

Read the complete post here.

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On The Blogs: Midtown Manhattan's El Sabroso @ Midtown Lunch

2008-01-22T00:11:00.000-08:00

Peruvian food seems to be everywhere these days. On The Blogs is a new feature here at Peru Food in which I comment and link to what other bloggers are writing and posting about Peruvian food.

Midtown Lunch is a NYC food blog dedicated to "finding lunch in the food wasteland of New York's Midtown". The Midtown Lunch crew is very good at finding unique, often ethnic, restaurants, and in a recent post, they tell us about El Sabroso.

Click on the image to see the complete menu.
Read the sign above the door: Save Money and Eat Well Here.
Photo: Midtown Lunch

El Sabroso is literally a hole-in-the-wall, but a Peruvian food hole-in-the-wall, in the midst of Midtown Manhattan. It reminds me of little mom-and-pop run restaurants I've seen in the historic center of Lima. It's just a counter with some stools tucked into the corner of a freight elevator hallway!

I swear I've seen the same setup in the center of Lima.
Photo: Midtown Lunch

Appearances aside (although, there is a certain charm), the Midtown Luncher calls El Sabroso "a hidden gem" and has gone back more than once (always a good sign). The lady who does the cooking is Peruvian. Read the complete review here.

The tallarín rojo, red spaghetti, looks just like grandma's.
Photo: Midtown Lunch

If you want to know where El Sabroso is located, you'll have to read it at Midtown Lunch.

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Baltimore Sun: El Rinconcito Peruano

2008-01-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

Writing in the Baltimore Sun, Karen Nitkin reviews a new addition to Baltimore's restaurant scene, El Rinconcito Peruano.

She writes, "though there's nothing fancy about El Rinconcito, the restaurant is welcoming." She sampled the lomo saltado which she called "a flavorful and generous meal".

According to Nitkin, "Baltimore does not have many restaurants serving Peruvian food. But even if it did, El Rinconcito would be worth a visit. You'll feel welcome when you walk in and sated by the hearty, simple fare when you walk out."

Read the full review here.

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January 24: Afro Peruvian Jazz Concert In Washington DC

2008-01-20T01:50:00.000-08:00

Speaking of Peruvian jazz, we got this tip from our friend Carlos over at Peruanista (Spanish) and Carlos @ DC (English), regarding Gabriel Alegria's Afro Peruvian Sextet performing at a benefit concert in Washington DC on January 24.

This event has the added bonus of being a fundraiser for earthquake victims in Peru, as well as to showcase the group's new CD, Nuevo Mundo.

Gabriel Alegria's Afro Peruvian Sextet

Gabriel Alegría is a Peruvian trumpeter and composer who has developed a unique form of world jazz which combines his distinctive approach to the jazz trumpet with the rich heritage of Afro Peruvian music.

Alegría's Afro Peruvian Sextet features saxophonist Laurandrea Leguía; acoustic guitarist Yuri Juárez; bassist Ramon De Bruyn; drummer Hugo Alcázar; and, master percussionist Freddy Huevito Lobatón, who plays two traditional Afro-Peruvian instruments: the box drum, cajón, and the quijada, made from a jaw bone.

Their compositions add spectacular passages of zapateo, Afro Peruvian step dancing, to each performance.

Their upcoming DC concert will showcase music from Alegria's forthcoming CD, Nuevo Mundo. All proceeds will be allocated to the post-earthquake reconstruction efforts in Southern Peru.

Specifically, proceeds will target the purchase and delivery of construction materials to homes in El Carmen, a predominant Afro Peruvian district in the town of Chincha, south of Lima, which has spawned important Afro Peruvian musical artists, and which was greatly affected by the the recent earthquake.

A native of Lima, Gabriel Alegría is the founder and artistic director of Jazz Peru International, the premier jazz arts and cultural exchange organization in Peru, as well as the producer of the annual Festival Internacional Jazz Perú. Alegría was recently named Associate Director of the Jazz Studies Program at New York University.

Website: Gabriel Alegría
Music Video: Gabriel Alegría Afro Peruvian Jazz Sextet
When? Thursday, January 24, 2008, 9:30 p.m.
Where? Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th Street NW, DC
Cost? $20/$15 students with ID
More info? Carlos Quiroz @ 202-491-4672 or @ qc.carlos@gmail.com

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On The Blogs: Peruvian Jazz And Arroz Con Pato @ The Kitchen Diary

2008-01-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

Peruvian food seems to be everywhere these days. This is the first of a new feature here at Peru Food in which I will comment and link to what other bloggers are writing and posting about Peruvian food.

Photo: The Kitchen Diary

At The Kitchen Diary, a Toronto-based blogger writes about his Friday night: listening to Peruvian jazz and having great Peruvian food at Toronto's Drake Hotel. On the menu? Arroz con pato, beer braised duck and rice, Peruvian-style.

At first, the author has some qualms about eating duck, but by the meal's end he's thinking, "the duck ... was so good that I might have to change my stance on this".

Not only are there great pictures of his multi-course meal, he also includes the recipe (!) for the arroz con pato. The post is well worth a read, and is directly linked here.

In an e-mail to Peru Food, he writes, "we have a growing South American population, which brings great music, beautiful women and excellent food to Toronto. All good things." Hear, hear!

The Peruvian tasting menu will continue at the Drake Hotel through January 22.

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Just 473? Celebrating Lima's Founding

2008-01-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

In 1535, on a sunny austral summer day, January 6, Francisco Pizarro and his men arrived in a fertile valley along the arid Peruvian desert. This rich agricultural valley was watered by a river the natives called Rimac, meaning the 'river that speaks', because of the sound of the water traversing across the boulders in the riverbed.

Within twelve days, on January 18, 1535, just 473 years ago today, Pizarro decided to construct a Spanish city within one of the more densely populated areas of the region. This is now the colonial center of historic Lima.

He placed his palace on the grounds of the house of the local leader, Taulichusco, the last indigenous lord of Lima. He constructed a Cathedral atop an indigenous temple, and laid out a checkerboard system of streets, although keeping some vestiges of the ancient pre-Conquest routes, including the one reaching the Rimac temple, now the Plaza Italia, and the route leading to the most important religious complex in the region, Pachacámac.

A map showing Pizarro's city overlaid on the original indigenous site.
Source: El Comercio

For much of its 473 years, Lima remained a small, albeit very wealthy, city which remained within the confines of Pizarro's original city plan. It was the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru, the seat of Spanish power for all of western South America. After Peruvian Independence, it remained the most important city within the newly-formed Republic, a financial and academic center for the new country.

Lima in 1750 by French cartographer Jacques-Nicolas Bellin

It was only in the 1950s and 60s that Lima really began to expand beyond its original boundaries, and that growth spiraled in the 1980s and 90s as increasing number of migrants from other parts of Peru moved to Lima.

Today, Lima is a booming metropolis of 8 million people, with all of the hope, dynamism, and challenges facing a major city in a developing country like Peru. The dry desert of coastal Peru is not what many would consider the ideal site for constructing such an urban area, but from the desert, the city has grown.

To celebrate Lima and all its complexity, its good and its bad, its wealth and its poverty, its beauty and its despair, I am posting a photo I took a couple of years ago, of an indigenous procession in the heart of colonial Lima.

In many ways, history has come full circle. The economic growth Lima is experiencing in 2008 is no longer driven solely by the traditional elite forces, but also by the sons and daughters of those migrants from Peru's provinces who through sheer drive and determination are changing not only Lima's complexion, but its destiny.

Happy Birthday, my beautiful Lima!

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Peru Food At Whatsonwhen & British Airways Online

2008-01-17T00:44:00.000-08:00

This photo of mine of the Antigua Taberna Queirolo in the Pueblo Libre district of Lima (which I posted at my Flickr page here, and about which I wrote on Peru Food here) was selected to be featured by the British online travel guide Whatsonwhen, as well as by the British Airways online travel guide.

The added bonus is both sites linked Peru Food!

(Although they simply call it a: Peruvian food website).

If you place your mouse over the picture, you'll see the full credit.

Aside from the personal satisfaction, it's good to know others are learning about Peru's culinary offerings.

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2008: The Year Of The Potato

2008-01-13T03:39:00.000-08:00

Is there a simpler yet more satisfying food than the humble potato?

Mashed, baked, diced, fried; in a stew, in a soup, as a side dish, or a main dish, the potato never disappoints.

But, did you know potatoes have been domesticated for the past 8000 years in the central Andes of present-day Peru?

From its Andean origins, the potato has become an international superstar, so much that it is difficult to think of a global cuisine that doesn't use potatoes in some way or another.

In order to celebrate the importance of this Andean tuber, the United Nations has declared 2008 the Year of the Potato.

I say, all hail the potato! What about you?

Photo: Johnny Panic

In Ayamara, one of the most ancient central Andean languages, a potato is called a ch'uqi, but the word papa, which is now used in the entire Spanish-speaking Western Hemisphere, comes from Quechua, the language of the Incas.

Worldwide, there are many way to say potatoes...

البطاطس, izambane, letapola, mbatata, kiazi, ibirayi, dankalin turawa, aartappel, igwili, 马铃薯, patates, আলু, Картоп, سيب‌ زميني, 감자, potato, آلو, आलू, картофель, patata, картопля, kartoffel, ziemniak, aardappel, potato, pomme de terre, бульба, práta, papa, batata, potato

Solanum tuberosum (the potato's Latin name) is a member of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family.

Until the Spanish reached the west coast of South America in the early 1500s, potatoes were unknown outside the Andean world. Now, from Irish stew, to Indian curries, to Moroccan tajines, potatoes are a Peruvian food gone global.

The first mention of the potato occurs in 1537 in A History of the New Kingdom of Granada by Juan de Castellanos. He writes: "They are round in shape, and produced by a small plant with branches, leaves, and flowers that are a curious purple colour, where amidst the roots of this plant (which is about three hands tall) they appear egg-like, some round, some elongated. They can be white or purple, or yellow; mealy, tasty roots, a gift from the Indians and among the Spanish, a 'treat'..."

Photo: Wiki

In 1590, Father Acosta writes of the native Peruvians, "...they overcome their lack of bread with some roots they grow, which they call papas, and grow underground...".

Photo: mkebbe

Photo: Wiki

Photo: Chad Carson

The potato has been consumed in the Andes for about 8,000 years. Taken by the Spanish to Europe in the 16th century, it quickly spread across the globe: today potatoes are grown on an estimated 195,000 sq km, or 75,000 square miles, of farmland, from China's Yunnan plateau and the subtropical lowlands of India, to Java's equatorial highlands and the steppes of Ukraine. In terms of sheer quantity harvested, the humble potato tuber is the world's No. 4 food crop, with production in 2006 of almost 315 million tonnes (about 347 million US tons). More than half of that total was harvested in developing countries.

Source: UN Year of the Potato

Photo: Eric in SF

The potato should be a major component in strategies aimed at providing nutritious food for the poor and hungry. It is ideally suited to places where land is limited and labour is abundant, conditions that characterize much of the developing world. The potato produces more nutritious food more quickly, on less land, and in harsher climates than any other major crop - up to 85 percent of the plant is edible human food, compared to around 50% in cereals.

Source: UN Year of the Potato

Photo: Eric in SF

Potatoes are rich in carbohydrates, making them a good source of energy. They have the highest protein content (around 2.1 percent on a fresh weight basis) in the family of root and tuber crops, and protein of a fairly high quality, with an amino-acid pattern that is well matched to human requirements. They are also very rich in vitamin C - a single medium-sized potato contains about half the recommended daily intake - and contain a fifth of the recommended daily value of potassium.

Source: UN Year of the Potato

Photo: Johnny Panic

International Potato Center

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Peru Food Will Return In 2008

2007-12-03T02:35:00.000-08:00

Photo: Roberto Sánchez

I'm taking December off from blogging. Thank you for your e-mails and comments. I look forward to continue writing about Peruvian food in 2008.

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

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TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

Philately: Peruvian Potatoes

2007-11-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

I want to start posting much of the material on Peruvian food I've accumulated over the past few months, so let me start with this one: Peruvian potatoes as depicted on Peruvian stamps.

What would Peru be without its potatoes?

Stamp collectors might also like to see this previous post which depicts Peruvian food on stamps.

Peru.Food@gmail.com
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Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana