peruvian food.

Is very tasty! And most often inexpensive by western standards. I wasn't very good about chronicling my meals via camera, thanks mostly to bad lighting, but I do have a few captured images. And some notes about my epicurean findings.

two kinds of ceviche, causa rellena, enormous corn, and spring rolls

Peru is known for its ceviche and we had some very tasty ceviche in Lima. My favorite was at La Mar, a rather upscale restaurant just on the skirts of the Miraflores district. The ceviche lacked the acidity that ceviche normally has (thanks to the "cooking" process in lime juice), allowing the flavors of the fish to come forward - I'm not sure how they did that. My friend and I shared the ceviche misto, which included tuna, octopus, squid, and shrimp, though I could have easily kept that to myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the design of the restaurant as well; like most limanean buildings, the restaurant employed concrete, but was softened by the use of wood (cedar perhaps?) detailing (namely as beams and joists to support a translucent screen to allow natural light in), and shallow pools of water. Truly an oasis in the middle of Lima, a sentiment apparently shared among limaños as the restaurant was very busy.

chicken and sweet tamales on top of heated stones

after everything is put in, herbs surround the food to infuse more deliciousness into our tasty meal

pacha manca

Modest only in price, our traditional Andean meal, pacha manca, was equally impressive and delicious. The food - spice-rubbed chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, corn, and sweet tamales - is cooked in the earth by heated stones. Though this is a traditional Andean meal, we shared ours with the residents of Ichimay Wari, an artisan barrio outside of Lima.

corn - or choclo in Quechua

Peru reportedly has the most variety of potatoes out of any country in the world. They love their potatoes! Corn is also a mainstay; it's not sweet like corn found in the Pacific Northwest, but the kernels are enormous - about the size of a thumb nail - and plump. Like the potato, there are various types of Peruvian corn. In the Andes corn goes by its Quechua name, choclo, and is often served with a salty cheese and herb sauce. Choclo y queso can be found in most markets and a staple street food.

cuy (guinea pig)

During our day at El Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco, we were served another tasty and traditional meal, including cuy - ie: guinea pig. The meal began with quinua soup (a local grain) and followed by various dishes, including Peruvian tortillas (nothing like Spanish or Mexican tortillas - these are essentially fried potato pancakes filled with goodies), numerous potato dishes, greens, corn, and of course cuy. The skin of the cuy is the favorite part for many a Peruvian - it's crisp, yet a bit chewy. The meat is a little gamey and sparsely found on the little bones of the guinea pig; my preferred means of eating cuy is via pasta. Gourmet restaurant, Chi Cha (cleverly named after the local masticated corn beverage, chicha, more below), served up a delicious cuy ravioli in a red wine reduction (among other yummy entrees).

limonada and chicha morada

Popular non-alcoholic beverages include freshly made limonada, which is really made of limes, not lemons, and chicha morada - a non-masticated blue corn drink. Chicha morada is sweet and often includes spices such as cinnamon - very tasty but I don't recommend drinking a whole pitcher of it as I once did - bad stomach-ache! As for the masticated stuff (ie: fermented by human saliva), traditional chicha is served all over the Andean countryside. Locals make and serve chicha out of their homes - you can identify them by the red bags attached to long poles at the entrance to the house. Other colored bags have different means that I failed to remember. I tried chicha during a weekend trip to the salineras (salt pans), and all I can say is that I tried it. It's an acquired taste. For the beer connoisseurs, Peru does not offer much - just Cusqueña and Cristal - which are both lagers (one of my least favorites, following pilsners - yuck). Cusqueña has a dark, malty beer as well, but one is really enough as it's very sweet. One has better luck with Peruvian wine, though arguably Chilean, and especially Argentinian wine is better. But I have faith that Peruvian wine will only get better, it is just a matter of time.

Lastly, my list of recommendations.
- ceviche at La Mar, in the neighborhood of Miraflores in Lima
- pacha manca somewhere, anywhere
- empanadas! Peruvian empanadas are incredible and should not be missed
- fixed lunch menus - normally cheap and tasty
Cusco favorites:
- MAP Cafe, in the courtyard of El Museo del Arte Precolombio, don't leave without trying the pork adobo - the ravioli served with it is to die for (made with sweet potatoes, goat cheese and amaretto), I also recommend the pink soup, a puree made with beets and potatoes
- Inka Grill - everything is wonderful, but definitely leave room for the pear poached in red wine with cinnamon ice cream - simply amazing
- Chi Cha - cuy ravioli, any of the entrees actually