Feb 23

peruvian cuisine

I've been thinking a lot recently about the cultural differences that I'm getting used to. One of the most significant is food. "Getting used to" is relative, I guess, because I still wouldn't say I have much fondness for Peruvian cuisine. Let's start with what I like.

Every kind of fresh fruit I can imagine (minus kiwi). We drink fresh juice every morning. I think this morning it was strawberry and something. There are fruits here that I had never seen or heard of.
Everything is fresh daily. My favorite triangular wheat bread is delivered fresh to the door in the morning so I can eat it with butter and jam (or sometimes avocado and tomato). I can feel and see the difference in my body from eating less preservatives.
Rocoto relleno. YUM. Look for the photo below. It's Arequipa's own.
Arroz con leche and alfajores, two of my favorite deserts. Also pictured below.
We eat our main meal at 2ish and maybe a snack for dinner. It's a great routine. Why didn't I think of that before? If you wait until dinner to really eat, you're hungry all day and end up eating a lot more than you need. Also you go to bed with a rumbly tummy.

One of my main down sides is the ingredients. Here are some I am more tolerating than enjoying.

Hardboiled egg seems to be the national garnish. Yuck. Egg also seems to appear in most soups.
Lots of chicken thighs (at least 2x per week on my plate). Chicken feet and heads are used for soups.
The potato came from Peru, and the Andes mountain region alone boasts around 3000 varieties. I think I've tried at least half of them since I got here. I did like potatoes, but sometimes potato variety does not equal food variety, and I'm getting a little tired.
A myriad cheesy spicy sauces that aren't quite up my alley.
More grease than I'm used to.

Take a look at some of the typical Peruvian dishes with which we are becoming familiar.

Aji de gallina: shredded chicken in spiced milk sauce
Rocoto relleno: Spicy red pepper filled with ground beef and veggie mixture (double yum)

Anticuchos: cow hearts on skewers
Ceviche: raw cod "cooked" in lemon juice with onions and spices

Cuy: fried guinea pig, sometimes including jaws, teeth, a little hair
Papa a la huacaina: potatos in cheese sauce

Lomo saltado: meat and veggies mixed with french fries
Papa rellena: Mashed potatoes formed around ground beef and veggie mixture, then fried (usually yummy)

DRINKS:

Chicha morada: Made from purple corn, kind of tastes like koolaid

Inca cola: Fizzy yellow bubblegum-flavored soda (owned by Coke)

Juice: Of all kinds. Amazing.

Pisco sour: National alcoholic drink of Peru. Has egg white in it, but it kind of tastes like a margarita to me.

DESSERTS:

Mazamorra morada: Also made from purple corn. Jelly-like texture.
Leche asada: Flan.
Arroz con leche: Rice pudding.
Alfajores: Crumbly cookies with caramel filling.