Peruvian food

Want to try a new desert? It’s not new to the Peruvians; they have been enjoying it for years. Suspiro is a blend of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla, egg yokes, egg whites, sugar and cinnamon. The preparation time is five minutes, the cook time is thirty minutes and then it needs about three hours to cool and set up. That’s all you need to experience the delightful taste of Suspiro Limeno! Oh, and some recipes call for some port wine as well.

Suspiro Limeno translated into English means: “Limean (from Lima) Woman’s Sigh.” The first time this desert was served was in 1818. This Peruvian dish was the recipe of poet Jose Galvez Amparo Ayarez’s wife. She gave it the name because it is sweet and light just like a woman’s sigh. The desert is based on manjar blanco, the Peruvian name for what is known as dulce de leche in other South American countries. The actual dish comes from the middle ages and is called blancmange which came to Peru from Spain. No matter what you call it, it’s good and you don’t need to visit Peru to taste it.

When you travel to Lima, Peru be prepared to eat some excellent cuisine. There are dozens of different restaurants in Lima alone that serve food on a par with the finest 5 star restaurants. Some of the best seafood restaurants are, of course, near the waterfront. There are two restaurants, specializing in fish, that really stand out. These are the Rosa Nautica and the Costa Verde.

I have a special place in my heart for the Rosa Nautica for two reasons that are completely aside from the fine quality of the fare. The first is that I can see it from my bedroom window in Peru and so it stands as a symbol for me of having arrived at my second home. The other is that the outdoor seating, with the sea air and crashing waves is just about the most romantic place I’ve ever eaten.

My children on the other hand, prefer Bembos. While it is a local fast food chain, it is far from the McDonalds or Burger Kings of your experience. The burgers are served with fried sweet potato and hot pepper sauce. Yum!

Fiesta Restaurant in Lima is an incredible experience with service that is incomparable: friendly, humble, professional waiters who truly enjoy making yours a memorable experience. My final recommendation for this post is San Antonio for its pastries, truly great representations of the art form of Peruvian desserts. Their Napoleon is called “Mil Hojas” or A Thousand Pages. It doesn’t last long enough, making it necessary to return again and again.

Brilliant spices, magnificent colors, mouth-watering flavors; the culinary masterpieces of Peruvian menus are an absolute must for food lovers everywhere. Along with the essential cuisine of China, India, and France, Peruvian cuisine is considered to be among the greatest and most sought after in the world.

From the exquisitely spicy aji amarillo – yellow pepper – to the abundantly tasteful creole dishes, Peruvian menus offer some of the most diverse selections of finely prepared cuisine to be found in the world. Resulting from thousands of years of culture, a plentiful assortment of local crops, and a creativity that helps to define the Peruvian societies, each dish carries with it a taste that speaks both for itself and for the history of its origins.

Don’t miss out on the culinary masterpieces on Peruvian menus; to experience the favorite dishes of gourmet chefs, it isn’t necessary to be a seasoned world traveler. Peruvian restaurants abound in the U.S. now that this food is riding the crest of a new culinary wave. Without the airfare you can develop the palate of the lucky international epicure.

One of my favorite places in Peru is the Andean town of Huancayo. It is the capital of the Junin province and has developed a robust tourist trade because of its hospitable people and its positioning as a debarkation point for exploring the Mantaro Valley.

I find an amazing array of traditional arts and crafts every time I visit the region. One of the greatest treasures I have found is a wonderful food offering that is considered a national dish in Peru. Papa a la Huancaina is a cold Peruvian potato salad. The dressing is a flavorful blend of fresh white cheese, vegetable oil, yellow pepper, and evaporated milk. It is traditionally served on a bed of lettuce and garnished with olives and hard boiled eggs.

It is such a great comfort food and I’ve never seen someone NOT like this dish, so it’s a great first attempt at Peruvian food. The recipe is prettily readily available though the catch is to get the “aji amarillo” or yellow hot pepper that is native to Peru. Without it, this dish just isn’t the same, so find a local “bodega” that sells Peruvian food – or contact Rojas International at 203-852-1295 and see if they will ship you out some in a paste form. It’s great and you’ll find all kinds of uses for it!

I never fail to order Ceviche in Peruvian restaurants. To some, marinating raw fish in lime, garlic, jalapenos and fresh cilantro, is an “acquired” taste. If so, I’ve acquired a refined taste for this dish. For any seafood lover, Ceviche is a “must try”. The flavor of this dish is enhanced by marinating 2-3 hours in the acidic lime juice. This “cooks” the fish, so the flesh turns white in color. Garlic, cilantro and jalapeno add “bite” to round out the central flavor. Red onion slices atop the fish balance these ingredients. Ceviche is to Peruvians what hamburger is to Americans. Few Peruvian restaurants omit Ceviche from their menus, so popular is this particular offering. My favorite place to eat Ceviche when I visit Peru is a little “hole in the wall” called Manuelitos. You couldn’t find it yourself, as tourists don’t eat there. It’s populated with locals who regularly partake of some of the best Ceviche and “Leche de Tigre” in Lima. I always look forward to Ceviche when I visit Peru.

When it comes to food, international chefs like Gaston Acurio of Peru prove that native cuisine can be updated with a fresh new look, while using traditional recipes and ingredients. The signature cooking style of Chef Acurio brings out the best in Peruvian cuisine. An icon of Peruvian gastronomes, Gaston Acurio, a restauranteur and author, balances his love of country with his love of cooking. His eye for detail with each recipe he creates for patrons of his restaurant and his cooking audiences offers an adventure for those unfamiliar with Peruvian cuisine. He uses national Peruvian favorites like Lomo Saltado, a beef and tomato stir fry, aji de gallina, deboned chicken in a luscious creamy chili sauce to tempt the palates of food lovers everywhere. Do a little “google” search yourself and find a nearby Peruvian restaurant wherever you live to experience this wonderful cuisine.

Recently published in English, this book is now available in all San Antonio locales in Peru. It is a fascinating compilation of “Everything Peru” from the food to the landscape – and a great deal of fun to read. Whether you have been to Peru or not, it’s easy to see why more and more people are considering Peru with new eyes. It is possible to order the book online by visiting the www.livinginperu.com website; and if you register on that site, you can see the PDF version of the book before buying it. On the subject of Peruvian food, the list of 100 Tastes to Try in 2007, compiled and published by Food and Wine Magazine, included Peruvian Food as #27 on the list!

Today was my last day of a month long stay here in Lima and I’m taking a quick break from packing to catch up on my posts. There’s so much to do here that I find myself falling into bed exhausted at night without making my daily post! Once I get home I will share some of the best parts of this month in Peru, including my first experience at several wonderful restaurants. My daughter took a two week conversational Spanish course here in Miraflores with her cousin at El Sol Language School. They piled into the car each afternoon with amusing stories of conversations they had with their teacher about the differences between life in the U.S. and life in Peru. What a smart teacher, to engage them in conversations about things they would find compelling to talk about, such as the difference between how they approach their mothers versus their fathers to ask for something. Another assignment was to have them translate the words to “Escapemanos” by Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, pointing out the use of the subjunctive tense, but they were most impressed with the “stars in their eyes” romantic theme of running away together. We met at 1:00 after classes and visited a new restaurant each day, starting with San Antonio in Miraflores. The biggest hit? Their pastries! I must admit we hit that place twice. I recommend it highly and I’m not alone – it also made it into the Summum book of recommended restaurants here in Peru. For those of you considering a trip to Peru, we usually fly Lan Chile because the night flight leaves on time, allows us to sleep through the 8 hours of traveling and the service is good. Well, back to packing! Until tomorrow…

Sunday in Lima for the Rojas family means a day spent attending Mass at the chapel on the grounds of the Campo Fe Cemetary, a lovely chapel built into the rocky hills of Huachipa with a priest who speaks his mind, to say the least. When I attend with my husband it is even more humorous as he is a devout church-goer who laughs like an 8 year old at the way that “Padre” tells it like it is…commenting on the small amounts that people put in the collection basket and making cryptic remarks on what God is really saying about us up there.

We put flowers on the graves of Alberto’s parents, and now his beloved Uncle Lucho who passed away recently; that a very sad part of today’s event for me as it was my first visit to the gravesite. Still, an important way to honor a wonderful person and to model for our children the respect and love we feel for him still.

And then…of course, lunch. Today at Wa Lok Chinese restaurant in downtown Lima (another one also in Miraflores, even prettier) which was voted #1 in the Summa rating book compiled from surveys submitted by renowned chefs and restauranteurs in Peru. The waiters brought out many dishes from Pollo con Tamarindo to Tallarines Saltados con Pato, six plates in all which we spun around on the large lazy susan in the middle of the table, sharing family style among all of us.

Tonight we ended with a long, long conversation sprawled on our bed with my children and my husband’s sister, who has become one of my dearest friends in this world. A lovely day in spite of the winter haze and drizzle that is quintessential weather in Lima at this time of year. The days are counting down until our return to the U.S. but we are enjoying every last one of them with family and food and conversation…all the makings of a happy day.