Outdone by sights of the Gauchos on the Fields, outromanced by flashes of Brazillian beaches and fares, and engulfed by Mexican and Caribbean flavours, Peruvian food seems like just an anonymous hue in the pan-Latin palette that has painted many restaurants in the world.
But Peruvian, one of the greatest cuisines in the world has a much-enlarged repertoire of dishes. An original fusion of food, having absorbed influences from almost every continent over the last 500 years and melded them with ingredients and dishes that provide a direct link to the Incas.
Peru, the glittering heart of the Incan empire with its indigenous cooking techniques, and often spectacularly, amalgamate with Western and Asian methods. One of the world’s most exquisite and sprightly cultural melding, Peruvian cuisine is the living heritage of a radiant history played out across regions of South America. The cuisine is way through the pages of history, culture and natural wonders of that most Latin of the lands. The fare which, for centuries, has been touched up and plated with a myriad of local and foreign influences is itself a journey through history and an explosion of new flavours.
Peruvian is an amazing cuisine, one that has evolved from both local and immigrant traditions. Foods that were prepared by ancient civilizations are still enjoyed today, while typical Peruvian dishes also benefit from European, African and Asian influences. Peru's geography yields diverse ingredients: abundant seafood from the coast, tropical fruits from the jungle, and unusual varieties of grains and potatoes from the Andes.
The Peruvian preparation that let you go of all things familiar, as you bite into dishes which can trace their beginnings to the recipe scrolls of the mighty Inca and Moche civilizations, and the kitchens of the Creole people. Dishes which have been inspired by the palates of Peru, Chile, Columbia, and the culinary fares of Spanish Conquistadors, French merchants, Portuguese colonists, Dutch treasure seekers, and Asian immigrants.
Currently, Peruvian food is having a moment. The cuisine has been growing in popularity and the number of restaurants specializing in it for the past few years. Its food, like its country from which it hails, is complex and the food is blessed with influence making it a true fusion. Influenced by its distinct geographical regions and by other cultures, because of immigration and colonial past.
While best known for the Ceviche, the marinated raw seafood dish. Peru’s food is remarkably known for the diversity of its ingredient, from wonderful fresh seafood to the impressive diversity of potatoes, corns and chillies. Also known from its stir-fried beef to pasta and shrimps. Each influence got its own ingredients to this fusion cuisine, while the Spanish gifted it garlic and onions, guinea pigs and cows, the Africans got peanuts and yams.
The Italians brought the pasta and the Chinese influenced the rice, soy sauce and cooking techniques. Not only did it borrowed from the nearby Argentina and Chile, but it also did from Africa and Asia too.
On this journey, you will get to know that Peruvian cuisine is not simply food and drink, but a melting pot of age-old traditions, exquisite flavours, and fantastic experiments which carry the essence of an entire continent. There is no doubt about it that this is an undiscovered cuisine but no one can deny its alluring and exciting newness. To the world, they are new but not for long!
About the Author
Vikrant Batra, a stalwart in the Indian food and beverage industry, is the mind and force behind the ingenious concepts of his stand-alone ventures, Cafe Delhi Heights and Nueva.
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