The Chuño (or tunta) has fed families in Peru’s altiplano for more than seven thousand years. Today, with the growth in popularity of Novoandina food, the humble chuño has been thrust to the forefront of Peru’s gastronomic scene.
Category: "Peruvian Food"
Peruvian food in Buenos Aires [Featured]
One city in which Peruvian cuisine has had a bit of difficulty in gaining a culinary foothold is Buenos Aires. Seen for years as cheap, as geared more towards the city’s thousands of Peruvian immigrants, Peruvian cuisine had to transform itself to become the gourmet option it deserves to be.
El Bolivariano
One of Lima’s classic restaurants along with the Cordano, El Bolivariano sits in the heart of Pueblo Libre, just a short work from the plaza, and is named after the liberation fighter Simón Bolívar who lived here for some time. Occupying two old buildings, one of which was part of an 18th century church, the restaurant has a wonderful rustic atmosphere.
Santiago Queirolo
One of Peru’s many Italian immigrants, Santiago Queirolo Raggio arrived in Magdalena Vieja, now Pueblo Libre, in 1880s. In this time Magdalena Vieja was surrounded by an expanse of countryside and the city of Lima was some distance away by horse.
Peru’s Potatoes
Declared the International Year of the Potato by the United Nations to highlight its importance in reducing world poverty and hunger, particularly in this time of high food prices but static potato prices, this gift to the world from Peru is now a staple food for billions of people.
Quinoa – The Mother Grain
Quinoa, the grain of the Incas, has been cultivated in the Andean highlands of South America for over 7000 years, yet it is a relative newcomer on the international market. Pronounced “keen-wa”, quinoa comes from the Quechua language spoken by many indigenous people in South America.
It was one of the most sacred foods of the ancient Incas, a plant so nourishing, delicious and vital, they called it chesiya mama; the ‘mother grain’.
Rocoto Relleno
Perhaps Arequipa’s signature entrée is the Rocoto Relleno. The rocoto is a chilli of Andean origin used for over 5000 years – one of the first to be domesticated. It looks very similar to a bell pepper but as one of the world’s spicier chillis, you can bet it doesn’t taste like one. In fact is is about 50 times spicier than a jalapeño.
Peruvian Herb-Roasted Chicken
Peruvians in the United States are pleased as fellow Peruvian Amparo Alam won a cook-off competition on the show Ultimate Recipe Showdown on The Food Network. In the Chicken category, the 51 year old mother, originally from Lima now living in Utah, entered her dish as “Peruvian Herb-Roasted Chicken”. Citing it as her mothers recipe, something she enjoyed as a birthday treat as a child, the chicken is roasted after being marinated with fresh Peruvian lemons, cumin, basil, garlic and the magical Peruvian chilli, huacatay. Accompanied by fried sweet potatoes, her dish soundly defeated the other eight competitors entries, winning 99 of the possible 100 points available.
Trucha
Trucha, or trout in English, are found throughout the waters of Andean Peru but are not a native species. They were introduced from Canada to supplement the food supply and provide poor Andean communities with a much needed boost of protein in their diets.
Algarrobina
Algarrobo is the Spanish name for the Carob tree, a tree of Mediterranean origin that produces, in Spanish, the Algarroba fruit from which algarrobina can be produced. This tree grows up to 10 meters tall and can eventually grow huge branches. It survives well in dry climates allowing it to do well on the Peruvian coast.
Sopa Teóloga
Theologic Soup is the name for a soup created in the 1600s by Dominican monks in Northern Peru, particularly Trujillo. It is made of white bread, potato, tomato, sliced cheese and milk. It can have chicken or turkey meat, sometimes both. The seasoning is the blending of garlic, leek, celery, oregan, pepper, salt, oregan, white onion, laurel and yellow chilli pepper.
Arroz con Pato
Arroz con Pato (Rice with Duck) is a tasty traditional Peruvian criole dish.
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