What do we usually associate with Peru?
The Inca civilization and its apotheosis, Machu Picchu.
The Nazca Lines for archeology lovers.
Those interested in politics may remember the communist group Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and the Japanese President Alberto Fujimori who defeated it.
Well, there is also the heavenly Lake Titicaca (which, however, is half in Bolivia).
Probably, in the popular consciousness, this more or less ends the matter.

Meanwhile, perhaps the most striking thing that exists in today's Peru has a completely different nature. Peru is the gastronomic eldorado of South America. Local cuisine is considered the best in the Americas. In Peru, the gastronomic traditions of all kinds of immigrants - from Asia, from Europe, from Africa, from all sides of the American continent - and the traditions and knowledge of local residents are democratically mixed. All of these traditions, coupled with the presence of ingredients from every climate zone imaginable—Peru has oceans, rivers, deserts, jungles, mountains and everything in between—create the potential to create unexpected, creative dishes.

I promised myself to photograph every dish that was in front of me. But I must admit to the complete failure of this idea. Seriously, every time the plate is in front of me, the photo just flies out of my head! I even tried to use NLP techniques to remember in time to capture the masterpiece. Failure!

Still, in several cases I managed to catch myself and take a photo.

Cuy
The most impressive dish is cuy (pronounced, yes, yes, "kuy" " ). This is roasted guinea pig. I admit that at first I felt some remorse before eating this cute animal. The waitress even asked me if I wanted the pig with a head or without a head. I decided that if I was going to commit a crime, I would go all out and commit it head on.

Guinea pigs are very easy to breed and easy to cook, as a result of which cuy has become almost a national dish in the Andes. It is popular to such an extent that in numerous paintings of the Last Supper by Cusco school artists, a roasted guinea pig (as well as corn and yucca) regularly appears before Jesus. I must admit that the pig turned out to be really tasty - very tender pink meat, reminiscent of a cross between rabbit and quail meat. Moreover, it turned out that guinea pig meat has virtually no cholesterol, so it is also very healthy. I wonder why it is not eaten in other parts of the world.

Ceviche
Ceviche is a dish that is offered in many countries, probably from Mexico to Chile. However, there is no such ceviche as in Peru anywhere even close. Ceviche is the national dish of Peru. It was here that it was invented and was already popular in the Inca Empire. It consists of three main components, usually arranged in order on the plate: chopped camote (sweet potato) wedges; finely chopped fresh seafood, the main content of ceviche, marinated in lime juice, tossed with chopped red onion, red chili pepper, salt and pepper seasoning; and yucca or corn. The main contents of ceviche are fresh fish, shrimp, oysters, even octopus. I usually preferred the ceviche mixto, which has more different flavors. Ceviche in Peru is something very spicy and harsh on the taste buds, but at the same time completely stunning.

Pisco sour
The previous picture also shows Peru's most famous cocktail. We are talking about pisco sour (even the Peruvians themselves pronounce it in the English style "pisco saue"). Pisco is a Peruvian rum, but the cocktail also includes lime juice, syrup and egg white. The taste of this cocktail is very unusual and brightens up any Peruvian evening :) I note that the photo above actually shows not the classic pisco sour, but its version called coca sour - instead of lime juice, there is a tincture of coca leaves. On a regular pisco sour, instead of a coca leaf on top, there is a small coffee-colored speck on top - this is a drop of a special herbal tincture of Angostura.

Alpaca a la parilla
In addition to guinea pig, the source of meat is the main local domestic animals - alpaca and llama. Alpaca meat is very tender, like calf meat. Llama meat is tougher and has a strong flavor, slightly reminiscent of lamb. Alpaca in Peru is served in an absolutely wonderful way, on a hot volcanic stone, so you can bring it to the required degree of roasting yourself. However, I always eat rare meat (i.e. red, “with blood”, or as they say here, “rojo ingles” - “red in English”), so I didn’t really use a hot stone - but it still looks impressive . I apologize for the slightly blurry image - my hands were shaking with impatience :)

Chicharrones con choclo
A less healthy, but very tasty representative of Peruvian cuisine is chicharron with corn. Chicharron is a fatty cut of pork fried in oil. Served with corn (called choclo in Peru), onions and fried potatoes.

Chicha morada
The drink in the previous picture is chicha morada. Chicha is a drink made from corn using various fermentation methods. Chicha is drunk everywhere in Peru; there are many versions of it - both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Chicha morada in this case contains alcohol, it is like a light fruity beer.

Anticuchos
Another not very healthy dish is anticuchos, marinated ox hearts. They are often sold right on the street, roasted in front of you over an open fire on a spit. In this case, however, the restaurant version is also very tasty.

Sopa criolla
Creole soup that I tried in Arequipa. It is prepared from tomato paste, minced meat, milk, oregano, but the main ingredient is a special yellow pepper - aji panca, which gives such a rich color. Also visible here is a glass of non-alcoholic chicha, which tastes like fruit juice. Well, also excellent Chilean wine.

Sopa de quinoa
I can’t help but mention another soup that is served as the first part of almost every dinner in Peru - this is quinoa and vegetable soup, which is usually quite rich and very nutritious. Quinoa is, of course, one of Peru's many contributions to world cuisine - along with chili peppers, potatoes and tomatoes. By the way, there are about 3,500 types of potatoes in Peru - the vast majority of them are not cultivated anywhere else. Potatoes here can be of very different shapes - oblong like carrots, round, oval - and of very different colors - reddish, yellow, green. I spent one night with an Indian family on the island of Amantani - more on that later - and there for dinner we were served as the main course fried cheese with four different varieties of potatoes. With the exception of cheese, this is their daily lunch.

Mate de coca
Everyone here drinks tea from coca leaves, everywhere. It is especially useful at altitude, as it stimulates the production of hemoglobin in the blood. As everyone here loves to explain, coca leaves contain 16 different alkaloids, of which only one is cocaine. To get one gram of cocaine, you need to process 14 kilograms of coca leaves. So there is no reason to consider coca leaves a drug. However, they are prohibited from being imported into most countries outside Latin America, and moreover, this is fraught with serious risks (arrest at customs). Little known fact - Coca-Cola is still produced using coca leaf extract, they have a special exclusive license to import a limited amount of coca leaves into the US (in the region of hundreds of tons per year). True, cocaine seems to be completely removed from there by chemical means, despite its insignificant content. Which, however, was not done until the 1940s. They even say that the red and white color scheme of Coca-Cola is inspired by the Peruvian flag, since initially coca was imported mostly from Peru.

There are Coca Museums in Cusco, Puno and La Paz. It explains in detail the contents, history and benefits of coca leaves, as well as the production and harm of cocaine. And they sell all kinds of candies, cookies and chocolate made from coca leaves. I confess - I tried many.

In Cusco there is also a fascinating Museum of Sacred Herbs. There, along with coca, they also sell sweets made from maca, another local plant with interesting properties, including: aphrodisiac. The filming, as you understand, is on a table in my hotel.

The Museum of Sacred Herbs also had an exhibit on ayahuasca and the San Pedro cactus. In general, ayahuasca deserves a separate story. This is a plant from which Amazon shamans prepare a special extract. Ayahuasca has a very strong hallucinogenic effect. They explained to me that before drinking it, you need to prepare for two weeks to a month - eat only plant foods, don’t have sex, don’t drink alcohol. The ayahuasca experience lasts up to three days, during which the shaman guides you with music chosen especially for you. This is serious stuff. In Cusco they offer an express ayahuasca experience; you can go to a special house in the mountains and try ayahuasca with a supposedly experienced shaman in three days or even a day. But they say this is a complete scam (and costs accordingly), and besides, it is very dangerous - up to the loss of reason. I was told that ayahuasca should only be tried by those who really need it, and this is determined by the right shaman. I decided I didn't need it.

In the jungles of Brazil there are even entire religious movements built around the ritual drinking of ayahuasca - for example, the so-called Church of Saint Daime. Below is a stand of various ritual objects used in the process of the ayahuasca ritual.

All posts about Peru.

My blog statistics show that the greatest interest so far has been generated by publications about Peru, a country that my family and I discovered quite by accident this year and which we strongly recommend to everyone as a tourist destination.

I have already written a lot about various amazing places in Peru that not only amaze the imagination and leave the most vivid emotions, but can also change the view of the history of human development. However, when talking about the peculiarities of the country, one should never forget about the peculiarities of the national cuisine, because few things can characterize a country as well as its gastronomy. Just imagine - what goes better with German burghers than foamy beer and pork sausages with cabbage? For Russians - pancakes, dumplings and borscht? For Georgians - aromatic shish kebab, khinkali and kharcho? A country's main dishes reflect its national character and the various twists and turns of its historical path.

Today I want to talk about three, in my opinion, the most striking national dishes of Peru, through which, as if through a prism, new facets of this country are revealed.

I bet that one of them is familiar to you and you have tried it all, you associated the second with a completely different country, and about the third you didn’t even suspect that it existed.

No. 1. Corn (also known as maize)

Probably many of you, seeing corn as the first national dish, grinned. Everyone has tried it, so what’s the big deal – corn and corn. Friends, but you have never tried corn like the one in Peru. This is something absolutely fantastic, delicious, from a completely different planet. Peruvian corn is as similar to ours as an adult seasoned wolf is to a mongrel living in a kennel.

If Nikita Sergeevich had gone not to the USA, but to Peru, then we would not have avoided sowing all the areas with corn, because it is absolutely impossible to forget it.

Imagine a small cob of corn, but with grains the size of a very large pea - or a hazelnut, and you will understand what kind of corn grows in Peru. Of course, first of all, it is also a feed crop for livestock, but the Peruvians themselves are very fond of it as a national delicacy. Fresh cobs are boiled in boiling water and served directly in a corn leaf (no cellophane). And - no salt! Instead of salt, Peruvians eat boiled corn with salty goat cheese. The grandmothers who sell corn (yes, grandmothers sell it there too) are equipped just like that - on one side there is a vat of corn, on the other there is a bag of goat cheese, a large slice of which they will generously cut off for you in addition to the cob.

Peruvian corn tastes much better than even Brazilian corn (which we tried on the beach), to say nothing of those unfortunate brothers of this plant growing in our latitudes. Juicy, milky, aromatic. In general, a feast of taste (“feast of the spirit”, hahaha, for those in the know).

Interesting facts about Peruvian corn:

• In addition to the familiar yellow corn, black corn is also common in Peru. It looks very unusual, I can’t say how it tastes because I haven’t tried it. Black corn is used to make one of the most popular national drinks of Peru - chicha morada, an unfermented soft drink that is great to quench your thirst on a hot day.

• In total, more than 50 varieties of corn are grown in Peru. However, in terms of corn production volumes, Peru ranks only 45th in the world, approximately 200 times inferior in volume to the leader of the list, the United States, and 7 times inferior to Russia.
• According to scientists, corn as a cultivated plant appeared on the territory of modern Mexico approximately 7-12 thousand years ago (this is evidenced by excavations at sites of ancient Indians). Interestingly, corn cobs in those days were about 10 times smaller than modern varieties, and did not exceed 3-4 cm in length. The current size of the cobs is the merit of the Indians who carried out the selection of this plant.

No. 2. Ceviche (raw fish)

(emphasis on the penultimate syllable, according to the rules of the Spanish language - on the letter “i”).

Ceviche in a restaurant in Lima

I am sure that most of our compatriots associate raw fish as a dish, first of all, with Japan. And how can one not associate it with Japan, when at every step in a more or less large city there are numerous sushi restaurants, bars and cafes.

So, Peru, with no less reason than Japan, can lay claim to the title of a country whose national cuisine includes raw fish. This dish is called ceviche (or sebiche - the Spanish language does not distinguish between the sounds “v” and “b”, so Vanya and Banya for them are one and the same, as in the famous Russian joke).

Ceviche is considered a real calling card of Peru. The basis of ceviche is fresh, finely chopped fish, after marinating for 15 minutes in citrus, lemon or lime juice. Chili peppers, rokoto or ahi (aji) and red onions are used as seasoning. With a side dish of sweet potatoes, corn kernels, avocado and lettuce, this ceviche recipe is recognized as the standard for preparing the national dish of Peruvian cuisine.

There are thousands of variations of ceviche, but this dish has one thing in common – the extraordinary freshness of the ingredients, thanks to which you can eat them without fear of getting poisoned.

Initially, ceviche was made with the juice of the local fruit tumbo, a bit like mini-bananas; after the Spanish colonization, oranges began to be used, and now they are prepared with lime juice, which in Peru is called lemon. Ceviche is the main subject of experimentation by local creative chefs and a favorite home-cooked food of Peruvians.

To be honest, I’m not a fan of raw fish and couldn’t bring myself to try it, but Lena happily ate a whole plate of ceviche at a local restaurant (to her credit, without flavoring this food with alcohol, which I certainly would have done).

Interesting facts about ceviche:

• Ceviche began to be prepared back in the Inca era - there is evidence of the Spanish conquistadors, whom the Indians treated with pieces of marinated fish in a slightly sour and spicy liquid.
• As a by-product of cooking ceviche, a sauce called “tiger milk” (leche de tigre) is formed. This is a milky sauce that is formed by the interaction of fish proteins and sour citrus juice. Some consider it an aphrodisiac, but regardless of this, “tiger milk” is one of the favorite sauces of Peruvian gourmets.
• Having started its popularity in Peru, ceviche is now widespread throughout Latin America (although, of course, it is primarily associated with Peru).

No. 3. Kui (fried or baked guinea pig)

If you want to amaze a European, tell him that you ate guinea pig. At first they will look at you with surprise, then with some disgust, then they will begin to question you. It turns out that guinea pig is one of the most striking, iconic national dishes of Peru, completely unusual for you and me.

However, Peruvians treat pigs in much the same way as we treat rabbits. Pigs here are bred on special farms, which are widespread. This is what an ordinary farm looks like with an output of 150 kui per week:

Queen farm in Peru

Farmers sell kui at a price of $4-5 dollars per carcass. In the markets, it sells raw for $8 dollars, and cooked for $10-12. and more expensive.

The name “kuy” comes from the language of the Quechua Indians and translated means “guinea pig”. The name seems strange to the Russian ear, but it is just a sound imitation (remember what pigs do when they are looking for food - kui-kui-kui, and you will understand where the name came from). In Russian, of course, it sounds discordant, so when we bought Yura a small toy - a fur kuy - our guide Olga suggested calling this pig not kuy, but kuysito (a diminutive suffix in Spanish).

It’s hard to imagine, but there are still herds of wild cuis running around in the Peruvian mountains. They prefer areas near the banks of mountain rivers and are often found in abandoned ruins. Domestic cuys can be found in any Quechua Indian house, where the pigs move completely freely underfoot until it’s time for dinner :).

Cuy is the favorite food of many Peruvians, so much so that there are even special restaurants (cafes) specializing in it (like our kebab shops). This is also an excellent attraction for tourists - the dish is presented in all restaurants of national cuisine, and it is quite expensive (on average, one kui costs 1000-1200 rubles in a tourist restaurant, in establishments for locals it is about half the price).

To prepare kui, it is first pulled onto a thick wooden skewer to give it hardness and elasticity, and then fried either on a regular grill or in a special oven.

In more expensive restaurants, kuya is prepared in such a way that its natural shape is not lost, so the oven is most often used. We ate kuya cooked in exactly this oven:

Kuya baking oven

If we ignore the form of the dish and move on to the content (i.e. taste), then I can say that kuy is like a rat. There is not enough meat, you need to literally gnaw it off the bones. I did not feel any foreign odors or tastes, i.e. in principle, everything is quite pleasant, but I cannot call it a super delicacy. Although our wonderful guide Nina (by the way, she’s Russian, she’s just lived in Peru for a long time) said that her family often goes to eat kuya in specialized restaurants and really loves this dish.

To conclude the post, here are some interesting facts about this unusual dish:

• About 22 million cuevas are consumed annually in Peru (that is, approximately 0.7 pieces for each of the 32 million Peruvians). Most likely, this figure does not take into account cuys that are grown on peasant farms for their own consumption (since they do not appear in any statistics).
• The Incas had a saying: “If you grow a kuya, you eat well,” which reflected the importance of this animal for the meager diet of the mountain inhabitants.
• Peruvians believe that Jesus and the apostles at the Last Supper ate cuya, which, despite the lack of meat, is still considered a nutritious protein-containing dish and is associated by many Peruvians with some kind of holidays or celebrations. Below is the famous copy of Leonardo da Vinci's fresco (Last supper), creatively reinterpreted by the Peruvians.

"Last Supper" in Peruvian

You can notice that on the table in front of Christ and the apostles there is a cuy on a platter, there are papayas among the fruits, and chicha is poured into the Inca goblets. Peruvians did not simply copy famous works, but added to them details that surrounded them in everyday life. Now this painting hangs in the main cathedral of the city of Cusco:

Main Cathedral in Cusco

Read my other publications about amazing Peru:

Cusco - the ancient capital of the Incas- a story about the central city of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the ancient capital of this people. One of the most wonderful places in Peru.

Sacred Valley of the Incas- a detailed story about all the amazing sights of the place in the valley of the Urubamba River, where the capital of the ancient Inca Empire was located.

How to get to Machu Picchu without going crazy— the name speaks for itself :). The publication describes in detail the logistics to Machu Picchu as of May 2018.

Machu Picchu - truth and fiction about the legendary city of the Incas- a story about a visit to Peru's most famous landmark in May 2018, which is accompanied by interesting and little-known details from the history of Machu Picchu

Gods who created ancient civilizations- detailed material about how the entire version of human history that we are told in schools has nothing in common with what actually happened. Amazing facts and evidence that I personally managed to see and touch.

Lima - a city of contrasts— a story about one day spent in the capital of Peru, Lima.

I would like to note that Peruvian cuisine is included in Guinness Book of Records as the most diverse. All this gives reason to believe that Peru, as a country, is not only the birthplace of many ancient cultures, but also the creator of a unique cuisine that is worth getting to know better and enjoying the taste of unique Peruvian dishes.

And now let's move directly to those dishes that tourists and travelers simply must try in this warm and hospitable country:

"saltado" - fried vegetable stew with seasonings

“Ceviche” is a fish stew in its own juice, with chili pepper and lemon. It is considered the first course.

“papas a la huancaina” is a dish of potatoes, melted cheese, lemon juice, green salad and hot sauce.

Rocoto relleno is a hot pepper stuffed with meat and raisins.

“lomo saltado” - veal tenderloin, with fries and rice.

“Pachamanca” is an Incan dish made from several types of meat, potatoes, green bananas, corn, parsley, dill and seasonings. It is prepared in a pit lined with hot stones.

“aji de galina” is a soup made with chicken broth, milk, bread, cheese, nuts and seasonings.

“anticuchos” - beef skewers with onions, mushrooms and peppers.

I bring to your attention a few more dishes that clearly characterize national cuisine of Peru:

“taku-taku” - steak with rice, boiled beans and onion sauce.

“Soupa a la Creole” is a spicy soup with beef, noodles, vegetables, eggs and milk.

"maltado" - beef tenderloin with spices.

"Chincheros" - pork with peanut sauce.

"puchero" - meat in pots with pickled vegetables.

Kui is a whole stewed guinea pig.

“Puno” is an alpaca steak.

“anticucho” - ox heart kebab with hot pepper.

"salchipapas" - roast, with sausage and sauce.

Diversity Peruvian dishes is amazing. It is simply impossible to list everything in one article. But there are a few more dishes that deserve your attention:

“Ceviche de mariscos” - assorted fish and seafood.

“supe de samarones” is a soup made from shrimp, eggs, peppers and milk.

Levanta Muerto is a spicy seafood soup.

“Escabeche” is a fish appetizer with peppers and onions.

“trucha” is a dish made from river or lake trout.

"carapulcra" - dried potatoes, pork, chicken and sunflower seeds.

“kassa rellek” - a pie with potatoes, chicken, crab meat and avocado.

"Palta a la Hardinera" - avocado stuffed with vegetables.

Causa is a traditional Peruvian appetizer made from canned tuna, onions, potatoes, lemon, green peas, pickles, eggs and mayonnaise.

Tamal - corn tortillas.

Masamorra Morada

There will be something for those who have a sweet tooth in Peru to please themselves. First of all, these are diverse fruits: papaya, oranges, lucuma, chirimoya, tuna, peaches, bananas... For dessert you will be offered:

Masamorra Morada - fruit pudding.

Arroz con leche is rice pudding.

"Picarones" - donuts with sugar syrup.

“flan” is a pie with cream, fruit, condensed milk and coconut.

“manjar blanco” - shortcakes with condensed fruit juice.

Pina con liqueur - pineapple in pisco liqueur

From soft drinks, Peruvians prefer freshly squeezed fruit juices and, traditional for the South American continent, mate tea. If you want something unusual, then try soft drinks: “Inglesa”, “Chicha de Xhora”, “Inca”, “Chicha Morada”.

Among strong drinks, the local brandy “Pisco” and cocktails based on it - “capitun”, “algarobina”, “chilkano” and others are popular. Peruvian rum made from sugar cane is also quite good - “Cachassa” and “Aquardiente”. Also, local wines worthy of attention are Takama Gran Vino, Vino Tinto and Vista Alegre. For beer lovers, I recommend such varieties as: “Cusquena”, “Crystal”, “Trujillana”, “Pilsen” and “Arequipena”.

Welcome to the hospitable country of Peru and bon appetit everyone!

Today, Peruvian cuisine is diverse and, sometimes combining incongruous things, is considered one of the best in the world. While quinoa and pisco cocktails have become famous around the world, the best Peruvian dishes are still prepared in the country itself. Below is a list of 10 dishes worth trying on your way to Machu Picchu.

Ceviche

The Peruvian Current, which passes through the Pacific Ocean near the Peruvian coast, is one of the richest sources of seafood. If Peru had a national dish, it would probably be raw fish marinated in citrus juice. Fruit acid “cooks” the fish, giving it a delicate flavor and making the fish easier to chew. Red onion and aji pepper are added as spices.

This dish is usually served at lunchtime, along with sweet potatoes or choclo, white Andean corn with miniature grains. If you're a foodie, you can try the remaining citrus marinade in the bowl, known as tiger's milk.

Kui

This may turn some people off, but that’s how it is, there’s nothing to hide here. The meat of this animal is eaten by many Peruvians living in the Andes. This animal is called a guinea pig.

One of the reasons why this dish is considered so important for the rural population: in the cathedral hangs an exact copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper”, in which the kuy dish stands on the table in front of Jesus and his 12 disciples. Meat, which, it must be said, contains quite a lot of bones, is baked or roasted on a spit and served whole - along with the head. It tastes like rabbit or game.

Causa

When you visit any market in Peru, you will find two things: hundreds of varieties of potatoes, which may be native to Peru (the country has long disputed this title with) and piles of avocados. To make a traditional causa, these two ingredients are layered like a casserole. The dish is then cut into slices and served cold. Canned tuna, meat or a hard-boiled egg can also be added to causa.

Lomo Saltado

Hundreds of years ago, long before Asian cuisine became popular around the world, the Chinese arrived in Peru by boat in search of work. A clear example of their influence on the Peruvian diet and cooking methods can be called a hybrid stir-fry (a dish prepared by quickly frying with constant stirring), consisting of meat, tomatoes, peppers, onions, mixed in a pan with soy sauce and fried potatoes. The dish is served with white rice. Bad news for those who carefully watch their carbs, this dish is definitely not for you.

Aji de Gallina

The aji pepper is as yellow as the Tweety bird. This dish is a slow-cooked meat stew with chicken, condensed milk and large crusty slices of bread. A vegetarian alternative to this dish with a similar flavor is papa a la vancaina, which is boiled potatoes with a creamy yellow sauce.

Anticuchos

Spit-roasted marinated meat (much like kebabs) can be found almost everywhere in Peru. High-end restaurants offer this dish as an appetizer. Street vendors sell anticuchos with garlic sauce. Any meat can be used for the dish, but for the traditional recipe, and therefore the best one, beef heart is used.

It is believed that this recipe originates during the reign of the Spanish conquerors in Peru. The Spaniards cut out the best parts of cow meat and took them for themselves, leaving the internal organs for slaves.

Rocoto Relleno

This dish is usually associated with Arecupa, Peru's second largest city, but can be found everywhere. A seemingly ordinary red bell pepper turns out to be a hot rocoto capsicum (which is 10 times hotter than a jalapeño when raw, but when cooked it loses its “thermonuclear” properties), filled with spicy fried minced meat and a hard-boiled egg. It is topped with white melted cheese, then baked and served.

Alpaca

In the northern hemisphere, the word “alpaca” is associated with expensive wool, from which sweaters and socks are knitted. But in the high Andes, this member of the camel family (the llama's younger cousin) has also been a source of meat for many centuries.

The taste of the meat resembles the meat of a buffalo or other artiodactyl that eats grass. Alpaca meat's lack of lard makes it excellent for curing, another long-established Peruvian culinary innovation.

Lucuma

The cuisine may be famous for its spiciness and saltiness, but Peruvians love sweets. Proof of this is the popular Inca Kola, a teeth-melting, bubblegum-flavored soda.

Lucuma is a fruit that looks like a mango, but has a sweet taste similar to maple syrup. It is used in making desserts. The lucuma fruit is also popular as a type of ice cream.

Pollo a la Brasa

Peruvian fried chicken is so delicious and popular that it can now be enjoyed in every corner of the world. The secret of cooking is to marinate the bird in soy sauce, seasoned with red pepper, garlic and cumin, which gives the meat and skin a smoky and salty taste.

Outside of Peru, this dish is often served with French fries. However, a more traditional side dish for it is fried yuca or cassava (edible cassava), which is easy to chew. The dish is also served with dipping sauces.

It all started when I saw whole stacks of cakes at the pharmacy called Turron de Doña Pepa . These cakes are impossible not to notice - they are completely covered with colorful sweet balls! I also showed it to my husband - look, now they sell cupcakes in pharmacies!

Sep 23 2015

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Tres leches (three milks) cake is one of the most popular in Latin America. There is an opinion that its homeland is Nicaragua, I don’t know if this is true or not, but now tres leches are eaten almost everywhere. It also reached the USA - that’s where I tried it for the first time, and, of course, it’s no wonder that I bought it at the Mexican supermarket “Chavez”, which was not far from our home in San Jose.

Jun 22 2015

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A few years ago, when I was still living in the USA, porridge suddenly became popular Quinoa . It appeared in all health food stores and people started talking about it. Yes, fashion and propaganda are serious matters.

Quinoa from Costco :)

May 28 2015

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Guys, hello!

Well, the time has come to write about what we actually eat here in Peru. Now it’s strange for me to remember that I complained in my first posts about Peru that there was nothing to eat here, and what there was was terribly monotonous and tasteless. Yes, such a thing happened, I confess!

Apr 29 2015

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Corn! Yes, it is everywhere in Peru - it grows on every piece of land, is sold in every store, and is used in (almost) every dish! Corn is the mother-nurse. They even erect monuments to her. I'm serious - I've seen it in some small towns, but here in Urubamba there are two cobs on top of the fountain in the main square.

Apr 25 2015

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I recently discovered a wonderful dessert, one that when you eat it, you roll your eyes and hum in admiration “mmmm” with pleasure! Besides the fact that this dessert is surprisingly quick and easy to make (so that it seems that even my 4-year-old child could make it!), its huge advantage is that it contains a minimum of sugar, which means that it is not only harmless , and even useful!

Apr 16 2015

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Guys, hello! I continue the theme of Peruvian cuisine - after all, I live in Peru! Have I already said that the food here is incredibly delicious? Not spicy, but with different spices, not greasy, but not dry, with a wide variety of tastes and aromas!

Apr 13 2015

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In the mornings and evenings, Peruvian grannies on the streets of Urubamba sell some kind of brownish drink. Judging by the fogged glasses, it should be drunk hot. First, they pour tea into a glass, and then add different syrups from separate bottles and mix it in a clever way, pouring it from one glass to another and back (strange, because it would be easier to use a spoon!). The drink turns out to be slightly sweet and even a little thick.

Apr 11 2015

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Guys, I continue to talk about Peruvian cuisine (I can’t stop!!)! Today for dinner - delicious chicken legs in soy sauce.

So what is it? - you say - that we didn’t eat legs in soy sauce? Maybe we have, but we definitely haven’t tasted something this delicious (and if someone has tried it, then he’s no longer my friend!! Of course, didn’t you share the recipe with me?!) :)

Apr 9 2015