My No.1 Favourite in the Peruvian Cuisine - Ceviche!
I have to admit that have never had any idea about Peruvian cuisine before coming to this country. As a Malaysian I am lucky to have the opportunity to enjoy all kind of fusion from all over Asia. I think that this is why our taste buds are a bit difficult to satisfy. But luckily as a ‘Fan Tong’ (rice bucket), I am glad that rice is also a main meal in the Peruvian food and that’s why I have put on much weight recently. A normal set lunch in the local restaurant is about 5-7soles (about USD1.80 - 2.20) and you have an entrada (appetizer), a main course and a drink (either inca cola or the blackish maize juice chicha morada). And with such a price you can easily get full and satisfied.
Anticucho (Cow's heart) and Conchita (Raw mussel with only lime and onion)
First thing I was being recommended when arrived in Lima is the Peruvian national meal: ceviche, a smoked raw fish fillet (with lime / lemon sauce) served with sweet potato, maize and onion. It is right now my favourite appertiser and always more onion or cebolla is more delicious! However, after a few stomachaches, I realized that as a foreigner we better choose to take ceviche from a decent restaurant, which at least manages their fish well and clean. I have tried the ceviche from a 6soles menu including chicken rice and ended up half day sitting in the toilet. It does not mean that the small restaurant is not clean, but just that as a foreigner our stomach is not ‘acostumbre’ and should carefully choose the place to eat ceviche. Ceviche can be an appetizer or a main course itself. But I prefer to have it as an appetizer (to have a big plate of raw fish not my idea of a main course anyway)….
Cuy - the fried guinea pig - irritating but yummy....
Pachamanca - a traiditonal food for people fromthe highland
During my visit to Huaraz I’ve got the opportunity to try the fried guinea pig ‘cuy’ and pachamanca. The latter consists of meat (chicken, beef, pork or all three together) baked in an earthen oven. You can see how they make it as shown in the pictures from Wikipedia. The dish served with sweet potato, tamale and Lima beans. I am not sure the one I’ve tried is baked in a traditional way but the restaurant I went ‘La Colina’ is a local favourite restaurant (and luckily it was not recommended by the travelers’ bible Lonely Planet’ yet, so the price is still local rate and not many gringos there.
As for cuy, I’ve seen some restaurants cut off the guinea pig’s head so they can attract and sell to more travelers, who feel better eating it without seeing the head. But sad to say that the meat at the face is actually one of the most delicious parts - I almost left the cuy’s head faceless and the photo I’ve taken on the leftover is just like the mummy I saw in the museum. It is served with potatoes and salsa picante. As a first timer I suggest to order only ¼ which is enough for one person. I also want to apologise for those who think I am a bad person for eating guinea pig - Im just following my motto - do whatever the locals do, eat whatever the locals eat!!
Parihuela - Seafood chowder, looks spicy but actually not at all.
Chupe, a kind of seafood chowder with milk, served with with prawn (chupe de camarones) or with fish (chupe de pescado) is also my favourite. Another type of chowder is parihuela de mariscos, mixed seafood chowder. My personal favorite is chupe de pescado, which is normally served with rice in it, with a fried egg and maize. The chowder is rich and sometimes a bit spicy. But as a Malaysian who likes Thai food and curry so much, this is far too mild.
Lomo saltado - means salty beef steak, stir fried with onion and tomato, and served with french fries
Arroz con Pollo (Chicken rice in Spanish) and Arroz con Mariscos (Rice with Seafood)
Chicken rice a.k.a arroz con pollo is a friendlier dish to visitors / tourists in Peru. Sometimes the rice is served in green colour with a chicken breast. Other touirists friendly dishes are like chicharon de pollo (chicken), or de mariscos (seafood) or camarones (shrimps). Normally these are served with the yellowish spicy sauce called ‘aji’. They can be found in almost all local restaurants. Lomo saltado, or pollo saltado is beef fillet chicken or fillet stir fried with tomato and onion. This is one of my favorite which normally served with rice, and all these dishes are ideal for foreigners who dare not risk their stomach for ceviche or weird tasting chupe.
Chicharone de pollo (Chicken) and Mariscos (Seafood) - a friendlier choice to visitors who are just arrived in Peru and have not got their stomach ready for Ceviche
Chicharon de Chancho (pork) - like the Cantonese BBQ pork (siu yuk)
Churros - breadstick best served with hot chocolate or black coffee
Avolcado salad
Another thing surprises me in Peru is Chifa: local Chinese owned restaurant, serving Chinese-Peruvian fusion food. The word chifa comes from the Chinese word: eat rice, and they somehow translate it to chifa and now it becomes one of the most popular eatery at Peru. The locals like chaufa, which is a direct Cantonese pronunciation of fried rice. And the quantity served in chifas is always more than it should be. Normally a fried rice for one person is served in the amount of two, where to take away the leftover (para llevar) is a very common thing here, even in a decent restaurant. Chifas can be divided into two major types: owned by Cantonese and owned by Hokkiens. I would say the more famous restaurants and more delicious food are from those owned by Cantonese, which normally have longer history in Peru.
The quantum of food served in Lima (or perhaps the whole Peru?) is always big, and I have observed even locals they cant always finish such quantity and have to ask for takeaway, or order only half of a personal meal. I am not sure how they measure a personal meal would be here…at first I always ended up takeaway my leftover food and now, I rather order half whatever personal meal on the meal, then it will be a real ‘personal meal’ for me.
I’ve also found out that Peruvians prefer stronger tastes, for example when a dish is served the first thing most the people will do is put some salt or soy sauce on it before tasting whether it is salty enough. For me most of the food, especially those served in the chifas are always too salty as per my level. Asking for less salt or ajinomoto has become the first thing I’ll ask when ordering my meals.
There are still a lot to share when it comes to Peruvian food. It is actually a very unique cuisine like and unfortunately not widely recognized internationally. It should have got the same attention like Thai, Chinese, Indian or Japanese food. Perhaps the Peruvian government has to put more afford into it.
Fried rice in a personal plate - this is how I gained my additional 5kg during my stay in Peru
