Category: "Peruvian Food"

¡Pisco es Perú! – That’s Pisco Peruano…

August 18th, 2006 |

WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organization, charged with protecting intellectual property around the world, has handed over Peru’s intellectual property to the Chileans. They have again agreed that the 476 year old Peruvian grape brandy called Pisco was invented by, and all rights to the name are owned by, the 465 year old Chilean nation.

Santiago de Surco

July 18th, 2006 |

Surco was originally a vacation spot during Spanish colonial times, Spaniards in Lima would visit for some peace and quiet. That was before the metropolis of Lima swallowed this once small town and it became one of the seven city districts created after independence.

But there are still signs of what once was.

Lunch at Cordano

July 6th, 2006 |

The Plaza de Armas was sealed off today to prevent protesters approaching the presidential palace. Only people wanting access local business and tourists were allowed through into the plaza, so it was strangely quiet when we passed through to go to lunch to celebrate a family event.

We ate at the famous “Cordano” a small bar/restaurant to the right of the Palacio del Gobierno. This bar was frequented by the rich and powerful in Lima’s heyday and is still a favourite for congressmen and local businessmen, as well as more well-informed tourists.

Chifa

June 14th, 2006 |

Yesterday we went to Barrio Chino to eat Chifa. Chifa is a well loved gastronomic institution here.

Let me explain. In the days of railway building, workers were needed to build them (why always the Chinese? Anyone know?). Some 200,000 people from East Asia were hired in the Portuguese and Spanish colonies there and transported to the Americas. Here they completed the construction and had to find a way to make a living. Wisely, they chose food.

They had a problem though. All their traditional ingredients were grown in East Asia, not South America. This meant they had to adapt Peruvian ingredients to emulate the food they ate at home. This fusion created Chifa!