Category Archives: peru

A Taste of the Tropics in Northern Perú

25 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in los órganos, peru, travel

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Sunset in Chicama, home of the world's longest left-breaking wave.

Sunset in Chicama, home of the world’s longest left-breaking wave.

As we drove north from Lima, the dry desert roads gave way to lush palms and fields of banana trees, and a more relaxed vibe set in. After a brief stop in Chicama for the surfistas, we spent five days in Los Órganos, a small town just south of popular surf getaway Máncora. While Los Órganos hadn’t originally been the planned destination, like most of our last-minute changes it turned out to be an excellent decision. Together with our friends who had joined us in Lima, we were able to rent two bungalows with an amazing ocean view. And because it was the off-season, the area was quiet and peaceful and we truly had the beach to ourselves.

Los Organos Collage

Like many towns in Perú, Los Órganos is organized around a main plaza where people congregate to socialize, shop, and eat. We visited the plaza daily, hitting the crowded market to find something to grill for dinner, or spending the afternoon at one of the many restaurants surrounding the square. The food options had changed along with the landscape, becoming decidedly more tropical. As I’ve previously noted, I’m bananas for plantains (you see what I did there?) and it wasn’t until northern Perú that they began to consistently turn up on our plates. Eating patacones for breakfast was a welcome indulgence. Patacones (also known as tostónes in some regions) are made from green plantains that are sliced, fried, pounded flat, fried again (!!!) until crisp and golden brown, and served with a healthy dose of salt.

Patacones

And while we’d been happily scarfing down seafood since Chile, everything tastes better with fried yuca and sweet plantains on the side. In addition to the trusty standby of  whole fried fish, we tried out a yummy tortilla de mariscos. For my fellow gringos who may be confused, we’re not talking about a tortilla wrap of the corn or flour variety. In much of Spain and South America, a tortilla is a thick, hearty omelette with potatoes and onions. And in this case, mussels, calamari and shrimp as well.

Fried Fish & Plantains

Tortilla de Mariscos en Perú

I think it’s safe to say that our month in Perú has been my favorite part of our journey. The country has so much to offer it’s hard to believe I once associated it with Machu Picchu and not much else…though I can’t complain if that’s where the tourists were flocking while I was strolling the empty beaches, thank you very much. Perú is packed full of mouth-watering flavors, eye-opening culture, and warm, friendly people. I can’t wait to come back. And next time, even if I flock to Machu Picchu with the rest of ’em, I’ll make time for plenty of additional stops.

My Lima Love Affair

18 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in lima, peru, restaurants, travel

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It’s official. I absolutely love Lima, Perú.

Miraflores, Lima, Perú

Views along the Malecón in Lima’s Miraflores neighborhood

I must admit that before arriving in Lima, I did not have high expectations. Because countries like Argentina, Chile and Uruguay enjoy a relatively lower poverty rate than their South American neighbors, I’d assumed that their major cities (Buenos Aires, Santiago, Montevideo) would be the most modern, well-maintained, and safest. Wrong. In fact, I’m going to go ahead and make a potentially controversial statement. And I say this with love and respect in my heart for my previous home, but…Lima blows Buenos Aires out of the water.

El Centro Histórico, Lima, Perú

Lima’s Centro Histórico

I know, I know, every city has good and bad neighborhoods, and 10 days in Lima is not enough to make a proper assessment. Especially since most of our time was spent in the upscale Miraflores neighborhood and the Centro Histórico. But if I compare those neighborhoods with ritzy Recoleta and historic Congreso in Buenos Aires, for example, the contrast is stark. Strolling through Miraflores and El Centro, the streets are clean, buildings are well-maintained, there’s no graffiti in sight, bright green manicured parks are plentiful, the Malecón offers impressive sweeping ocean views, and perhaps most exciting, the sidewalks are not a danger zone full of broken tiles peppered with dog poop. Yes, in Lima, people actually pick up after their dogs! C’mon porteños, everybody’s doin’ it!

But the cuisine is where Lima really outshines its neighbors to the south. Options are seemingly endless and global, representing flavors from all over the world. Japanese, Chinese, Persian, Indian, Colombian, Mexican, and Peruvian restaurants bump up against each other throughout the city. It was delicious agony trying to decide where to eat. These are good problems to have.

Dinner at Edo Sushi Bar (Berlin 601) was so incredible I never paused to take a photo. But if you have the chance, order one of the paquetes and let the sushi chefs decide what to give you. Some of the best, most creative sushi I’ve ever tried.

La Lucha Sanguchería Criolla (multiple locations) does a bustling lunch and dinner business, and it’s worth fighting the crowds for a seat. Sandwiches are stacked with thick slices of mouthwatering wood-roasted pork, turkey, chicken, country ham, or asado de res and topped with options like avocado, hard-boiled eggs, pickled onions and pico de gallo. The fries are made from huayro potatoes, which are typically dry and very absorptive, and result in a thick, crispy and flavorful french fry. They also offer a variety of fresh, exotic juices and batidos like my personal favorite, the lúcuma milkshake.

Stop by Café Café (Mártir Olaya 250) for delicious 2 x 1 drinks like the maracuyá sour, a cocktail made from passionfruit juice and pisco. We couldn’t resist the conchitas a la parmesana, scallops in a half shell drenched in white wine and melted parmesan cheese.

Parmesan Scallops from Cafe Cafe

And you can’t leave Lima without trying anticuchos, a popular street food consisting of chunks of beef heart marinated in garlic, cumin and pepper, skewered, and grilled over a hot fire. Let this serve as proof that it really was the face that turned me off with the guinea pig, mmkay? As you might imagine, anticuchos are super rich and flavorful, a little salty for my taste but still delicious.

A mixed grill of anticuchos, chorizo, and steak.

A mixed grill of anticuchos, chorizo, and steak.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the great flavors and restaurants that Lima has to offer. (Check out my previous Lima post for some additional tips). Most regrettably, we lost track of time and flaked on making reservations for any of Gastón Acurio‘s world-renowned restaurants, which I’m pretty sure makes us foodie failures. Given the fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants nature of this trip, I’ve forgotten the importance of planning ahead for a popular restaurant reservation. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Luckily, you don’t need to go to Lima to try some kick ass Peruvian cuisine, and I plan to check out Acurio’s famous cooking at La Mar Cebichería (locations in NYC and San Francisco). For my Chicago friends, keep an eye out for T’anta, set to open this summer.

Guinea Pig, a Peruvian Delicacy

15 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in food trends, lima, peru, travel

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Cuy - Peruvian Guinea Pig

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that eating a rodent by choice has never been high up on my bucket list. But when in Rome (or Perú)…

Guinea pig, or cuy (pronounced koo-ee), is a delicacy throughout the central Andes that is often the main course for holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions. Of course, a special occasion is not a requirement. In fact, it’s estimated that Peruvians consume about 65 million guinea pigs each year. The cuy is such a central figure in the Peruvian diet and culture that many towns hold an annual festival simply to exalt the furry rodents, complete with cuy costume contests. And during our visit to the San Francisco Monastery and Catacombs in Lima, we saw a gigantic recreation of The Last Supper in which Jesus and his disciples were dining on guinea pig.

Depending on the region, cuy may be served roasted, broiled, in stews, or skinned and fried to a crisp. I’d been eager to give the strange meat a try, til I laid my eyes on the presentation. Restaurants throughout the country advertise the erstwhile family pets splayed out on top of a salad and some fries, with their mouths agape in what I can only imagine is a final scream of terror. (Seriously, do a Google image search for “cuy Perú” or just see below).  I’m not generally squeamish about faces on my food. But something about roasted guinea pig face pushed my limits to the brink.

Cuy - Guinea Pig

We waited until two of our friends joined us in Lima before taking the leap of ordering one. We figured that way, the pressure to finish regardless of the mental anguish could be spread between four of us rather than two. This was a wise strategy. I was able to take a couple bites before that roasted scream got the best of me. And perhaps my opinion is not objective as a result, but I didn’t really care for it. The skin was nice and crispy, which I generally love. But it was greasy, and the meat was gamey and stringy. Though some compare it to rabbit, I have to disagree. But then again, I was under duress.

Cutting into Cuy

Lest you think guinea pig dinners are limited to South America, a recent NPR article “From Pets to Plates: Why More People Are Eating Guinea Pig” details how the humble cuy is gaining popularity in the USA. Thanks to the influence of South American restaurants and concerns about the environment, many activists are pushing guinea pig as “a low-impact meat alternative to carbon-costly beef” that’s high in protein and low in fat. While the article makes some excellent points in that regard, I also know that eating crickets and other insects is highly nutritious and good for the environment. But do I see myself embracing the notion of sitting down to a dinner of bugs? Not so much.

Would you ever give cuy a try? If you have, I’d love to know if my assessment was skewed by my squeamishness.

Learning to Cook Andean Delicacies at Sky Kitchen

10 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by in lima, peru, travel

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Sky Kitchen in Lima, Peru

After falling in love with the flavors in Perú, I knew the only way my taste buds would forgive my return to the USA would be the promise home-cooked recreations. So I signed up for the Andean Delicacies cooking class at Sky Kitchen in Lima (and a gym membership to counteract my love of Peruvian food).

Sky Kitchen cooking classes are held in a modern penthouse space overlooking Lima’s gorgeous Miraflores neighborhood. They’re led by Peruvian native Chef Yurac, who began cooking at eight years old when his mother punished him for some form of misbehavior he claims not to remember by depriving him of the family meal she’d prepared. He decided he didn’t need her cooking anyhow, he could do better himself. This launched a lifelong passion which he now shares with visitors to Lima.

On the left is huacatay, a Peruvian black mint. On the right, ahí panca, a spicy Peruvian pepper.

On the left is huacatay, a Peruvian black mint. On the right, ahí panca, a spicy Peruvian pepper.

Over the course of a leisurely afternoon, we learned about a variety of native Peruvian fruits, vegetables and grains, the history of many Peruvian dishes, and the techniques used in their preparation. We chopped, sliced, stirred and fried our way to an incredible meal.

The first course we prepared was ocopa, a native potato drenched in a sauce made from a fascinating mix of yellow pepper, cheese, onion, garlic, huacatay leaves (black mint), toasted peanuts and vanilla crackers. Yep, vanilla crackers. Who knew? I’d seen this served at restaurants and thought it didn’t look all that appealing, but I was surprised to find it was one of my favorite dishes.

Ocopa

Next up was the chupe, a savory soup featuring prawns and fried fish, along with corn, peas, carrots, pumpkin, more huacatay, and a healthy dose of cheese and rice.

Chupe

The main course was seco de alpaca a la norteña, a mixture of cilantro, onions, garlic, ají panca (a spicy Peruvian pepper), white wine, and chicha do jora (Peruvian maize beer). The sauce and meat slowly simmer for hours resulting in a flavorful alpaca that’s so tender it falls apart. This was my first time trying alpaca, and I am a fan. It’s super lean, but tender and versatile. The dish was served with asparagus and a guiso de quinoa featuring my favorite grain doused in cheese, milk, garlic and yellow pepper. Quinoa’s only recently become popular in the USA, but it’s been a protein-rich staple in countries like Perú, Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia for thousands of years.

Lean cuts of alpaca meat.

Nice and lean cuts of alpaca.

Seco de Alpaca

And to top it all off, perhaps my favorite of the day, was a delicious mousse made with lúcuma fruit. Lúcuma looks something like an avocado when you cut into it, except bright yellow, with a slightly drier texture similar to that of a hard-boiled egg yolk. The flavor is impossible to describe, like nothing I’ve tasted before, but it’s addicting. Lucky for me it’s served throughout Perú in milkshakes and ice cream. (Yeah, that gym membership was a must). We topped the mousse with a maracuyá (passion fruit) reduction. I can’t wait to try my hand at making mousse back home!

Lúcuma Mousse

Sky Kitchen offers classes Mondays through Saturdays for lunch or dinner, and classes are available in English, Spanish and German. Come hungry, because it’s a TON of food! For more information or to book a class, visit the Sky Kitchen website.

Pisco Sours & Comfort Food on Peru’s Southern Coast

04 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in drinks, peru, recipes, travel

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To the beach!

After leaving Arequipa, we made a brief stop in Nazca to check out the mysterious Nazca lines, ancient geoglyphs depicting more than 70 animals and believed to have been created by the Nazca culture between 400 and 650 AD. My fear of heights and tiny propeller planes prevented us from doing a flyover, but we settled for climbing a lookout tower to scope out some of the sand drawings.

Nazca Lines

Because we’re not going to make it to the Galapagos, we decided instead to tour the Islas Ballestas in Paracas, affectionately referred to as the “poor man’s Galapagos”. In addition to the ginormous candelabro sand drawing, we got to see huge colonies of sea lions, adorable Humboldt penguins, and more birds than should be able to fit on one rock.

Islas Ballestas

Then on to Pisco, the home of the Perú’s world-famous national drink, the pisco sour. Pisco is a grape brandy native to Perú and Chile, best complemented by the tartness of lime juice. To make a Peruvian Pisco Sour, mix 3 ounces of pisco, an ounce of simple syrup or a Tablespoon of sugar, the juice from 2 – 3 limes, a few cubes of ice, and an egg white in a blender. Top the frothy mixture with a few dashes of Angostura bitters and enjoy.

Pisco Sours and Cancha

As we learned when sitting down to drinks or a meal, many Peruvian restaurants serve cancha to nibble on, as bars in the USA may serve peanuts. Cancha is toasted corn kernels, served golden brown and crunchy topped with plenty of salt. I couldn’t stop marveling at the size of corn kernels in Perú, and I have yet to find a satisfactory answer for how they get so huge.

Peruvian Corn and Cancha

When we weren’t at the hostel grilling up fresh-caught bonito, a delicious firm-textured fish in the same family as tuna, we were all about the comfort food. Meal highlights from our stay in surf mecca Punta Hermosa include a delicious chaufa de pollo, one of the many delicious Peruvian takes on Chinese fried rice.

Chaufa de Pollo

One more than one occasion we also devoured bistec a lo pobre, one of our favorite South American dishes consisting of a super flavorful thin-pounded steak and a runny fried egg served over crispy fries. As a bonus, this version included some sizzling salchichas.

Bistec a lo Pobre

I think it’s safe to say my commitment to healthy eating on this trip has gone right out the window. Sorry I’m not sorry.

A Whole New World of Flavor in the Peruvian Andes

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in peru, restaurants, travel

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Hola Perú!

Hola Perú! Qué linda que sos!

Holy crap, you guys. It’s a good thing I’m not actually paid to blog on a regular basis, cause I would be fired and/or broker than broke.

More than a month has passed since we crossed into Perú and it’s been sensory overload: so much to see, so much to hear, so much to taste. After a steady diet of un-spiced and under-salted foods in Argentina, it was like an explosion of flavor topped off with lots of pisco sours. In other words: me gustó. MUCHO.

The Peruvian welcoming committee: fields of alpacas.

The Peruvian welcoming committee: fields of alpacas.

After leaving Chile, we drove through the Andes to Puno, a quaint and very traditional town on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. I share this little nugget of information with you not to give you an edge in your next game of Trivial Pursuit (you’re welcome), but so that you can appreciate that going from sea level to 4,000 meters meant a bad case of soroche (altitude sickness). We’re excellent planner-aheaders. It took us a few days to feel human again.

As soon as we could, we visited the famous Uros Islands, floating man-made islands constructed of reeds and inhabited by pre-Incan indigenous groups that maintain a simple, provincial lifestyle. We then began roaming the streets to join in the colorful festivities for the close of the Virgen de la Candeleria festival, watching native dance troupes in traditional garb and spectacular costumes flooding the dusty plazas accompanied by drums and pan pipes, paying homage to Puno’s patron saint.

Puno Collage

When our stomachs had forgiven us for the rapid ascent, we ventured into a small corner restaurant specializing in local delicacies with a menu that was prepared daily (on the rare days they were open) and sold til they ran out. We found that our Spanish skills did nothing for us when it came to deciphering the handful of dishes on the menu, so we asked the waitress for her recommendation and crossed our fingers. We were rewarded handsomely. We waged a silent war over the last bites of the savory adobo arequipeño, a spicy pork stew made with plenty of peppers and chicha de jora, a fermented corn beer. Sadly, the photos I took in the dim restaurant with my sub-par camera make the dish look less than appealing, so stock photo it is until I figure out how to duplicate the recipe on my own.

Photo courtesy of RecetasGratis.net

Photo of Adobo Arequipeño courtesy of RecetasGratis.net

While we’d planned to head to the Sacred Valley, Cusco, and Machu Picchu, a kidnapping warning issued by the U.S. Embassy put a damper on those plans. Driving through remote mountain roads in a foreign car with US plates and a pile of luggage and surfboards on top isn’t exactly helpful if you’d like to keep a low profile. Better safe than…kidnapped? So instead we headed to Arequipa, where we stayed at the delightfully isolated El Lago Estelar hotel and felt sorry for ourselves for a few hours for missing out on one of the wonders of the world. By the time we had dinner, we were over it. The hotel restaurant was stellar. Peruvians love to boast about the breadth of their country’s food “specialties” with good reason. There are so many! Each region has something truly special to offer, and El Lago Estelar did Arequipa proud. To give you an idea of how good, we extended our stay just to keep eating. Not ashamed.

Highlights were the Tacu Tacu, an Afro-Peruvian staple that brings together cooked beans and rice into a soft dough, fried to a crisp and in this case served with a thinly pounded milanesa-style steak, plantains and a fried egg.

Tacu Tacu

And the rocoto relleno, a spicy red rocoto pepper – not to be confused with a bell pepper lest you want to burn your face off – stuffed with savory spiced beef and served with a gratin of thinly sliced potatoes and cheese.

Rocoto Relleno

Again I promise you, with better lighting and a half-decent camera, these would look as mouth-wateringly delicious as they tasted. Trust me?

Because I’m so woefully behind and can appreciate the short attention span of the modern blog reader (with the exception of my die-hard fans, a.k.a. my family – hi y’all, love you!) I’ll be sharing highlights from our leisurely trip up the coast of Peru soon. With much improved photos! I find the strength of that coastal sun is good for more than just wrinkle enhancement.