Lima, Piura, Cusco and now Tacna… ¡Mucho Gusto!

May 16th, 2010

Give a Peruvian an excuse to go out to eat and.. BAM! …you have crowds of tens of thousands.

The first visit of the country’s successful touring gastronomic fair “Perú, Mucho Gusto” to the southern city of Tacna has again beaten expectations.

By the second day of the event, some 11,000 had visited of a local population of under 300,000 – this is before weekend figures are included. This time, a large number of visitors were foreigners, mostly Chileans who often flood across the nearby border daily to enjoy Peruvian cuisine but were out in force this time.

They obviously couldn’t bring themselves to miss an event where the best of the best regional chefs and restaurants come to show off their skills and sell their dishes at prices anyone can afford.

From Arequipa to Moquegua, more than 70 restaurants, from cult local eateries to the finest restaurants were represented. Top national chefs such as Javiar Wong, Flavio Solorzano and Giacomo Bocchio offered demonstrations to the public so they too could learn to prepare their respective dishes to the same standard.

From further afield, Italian chef Giancarlo Morelli, who’s restaurant L’Osteria del Pomiroeu has a Michelin star, was in attendance with this spectacular and renowned risotto. He was said to be extremely enthused by the attention Peruvians lend to gastronomy, he too offering demonstrations.

The fears of local authorities that the huge Parque Perú, in the district of Pocollay just outside the city, would be too large and their plans too ambitious were immediately shown to be unfounded. In fact, on the first day many food stands were sold out before 2pm, with some serving more than 1000 portions. This was due to the affordability of the dishes which varied between 5 and 10 soles, regardless of whether it was served from the stand of an expensive restaurant or an inexpensive one.

The Perú, Mucho Gusto – Tacna fair ends today, tickets costing a mere S/. 3