Peru cuisine history. Since all the times, Peru has had a rich land that cultivates many vegetables and fruits that with the fusion with the Spanish and other cultures has become one of the best cuisines of the world
We know Peru around the world for its potato and corn varieties. But did you know that, for example, the avocado and tomato have their origin in Peru as well? And the country is home to many other internationally nearly unknown vegetables. Most of them have been cultivated and consumed since ancient times, being an important part of the traditional Peruvian cuisine. Quite a few of these ancient veggies bring remarkable properties, making local dishes not only super delicious but healthy as well
Peruvian cuisine is often made spicy with ají pepper, a basic ingredient. Peruvian chili peppers are not spicy but serve to give taste and color to dishes. Rice often accompanies dishes in Peruvian cuisine, and the regional sources of foods and traditions give rise to countless varieties of preparation and dishes. So, Peruvian food is unique due to the fusion of local and international flavors. Rooted in the indigenous traditions, Peruvian cuisine has gained influences from other cultures including European, African, and Asian over the past several hundred years. The result is a fusion cuisine that reflects the nation’s multicultural history.
Peru was chosen, for the eighth consecutive year, as the best culinary destination in the world, at the gala ceremony of the World Travel Awards 2019 (WTA), considered “the Oscars of Tourism”, which took place in Muscat, capital of Oman, in Asia
Recipient of the World Travel Awards’ top culinary tourism destination prize for six consecutive years between 2012 and 2017 (World Travel Awards 2017) and home to two of the world’s top ten restaurants (The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017), Peru now fits squarely into the global culinary pantheon alongside France, Italy, and Japan.
As chef Erik Ramirez says: Food is the language of Culture. Cooking his native Peruvian cuisine creates connections to guests and family alike. When you are a Peruvian chef creating Peruvian food, you are basically dealing with selling a stretch in someone’s comfort zone long before they get to the table. In that sense, I noticed an extra task and a straight-up obstacle for our restaurant that I had never really noticed before in less diverse settings. For example, take beef heart,
which is a popular street food found grilled in Lima, Peru. We call it anticucho de corazón, and it’s absolutely delicious. I feel like it’s actually a really great introduction to eating heart if you’ve never had it. Cuy—guinea pig—is also a pretty popular thing to eat in Peru. It’s not super common, but it is on the menu in some restaurants. Mainly in the mountains, but also in the city.
The Open Edition Journals says:
In Peru, we always have this sense of the unknown, and unknown territory – the unknown Amazonia. There is lots of things just waiting for us to discover. Discovering these new things that people have never seen before – that is my obsession”, explains Virgilio Martínez, chef of the world’s number-four-ranked restaurant, as he taps the resin from a tree deep in Peru’s Tambopata jungle, capturing the thick black liquid in a glass vial (Chef’s Table 2017). Martínez, a French-trained chef from Peru’s capital, proceeds to shave off a bark sample from the same tree and jot down notes in a leather-bound notebook.
Finally, in the last decade, Peru’s government has strategically placed Peruvian cuisine at the heart of its society, making it a source of pride for the population. As well as marketing it internationally as a unique cuisine with sensual flavors that delight the most delicate taste buds. It is THE up-and-coming cuisine; from fine dining to take away versions, it’s fast becoming a go-to food for many restaurateurs and entrepreneurs around the world.
Lima has become a culinary capital in its own right, competing with the likes of New York, London, and Paris. It’s home to the world-renowned restaurant, Astrid & Gaston. Focusing on expelling current labels placed on Andean and indigenous cuisines, they’ve worked hard to redefine the perception of what indigenous cuisines can bring to the table. Constantly ranked as one of the world’s top 10 restaurants, they’ve placed Latin America, and Peru specifically, on the global gastronomic map. Owning their heritage and rejecting the perception of today’s Eurocentric gourmet dining industry, has led the way for Peruvian cuisine and gastro tourism in Peru.
With a positive shift in attitude towards gastronomy, Peruvians, in general, have taken to the idea of gastronomy being a vehicle for social change. Gastronomy has become an inspiring and motivating factor for the youth, with many aspiring to be chefs. Culinary pioneers such as Virgilio Martinez have become heroes to the youth and the population at large. The degree of passion shown by Peruvians and their openness to make food part of their national identity is extraordinary. This combined with the extent that tourists have embraced the exotic charm of Peruvian cuisine has proven to be a money maker; gastro tourism in Peru has an estimated value of USD$5 billion.
