Italian food, American Food, Mexican Food, and Chinese Food. These are the types of food that you always hear people talking about. These are the types of food that you see hundreds of restaurants have. But, what about Peruvian food?
Growing up in a Peruvian household, and being able to go to Peru every summer, Peruvian food is what keeps me going. Living in the United States, you don’t really get to eat Peruvian food all that much. If it weren’t for my mom, I wouldn’t have had the luck to be able to eat those amazing foods until I actually went to Peru.
Peruvian food deserves more credit. Why? Because it’s so so so so good. I can’t emphasize enough how good it is. Don’t believe me?
According to the New York Times, “Peru has one of the great cuisines of the world.”
And, they are right.
Furthermore, NYT reported that Douglas Rodriguez, the chef and owner of Patria, the pioneering nuevo latino restaurant in New York said “’Peruvian is the single most important cuisine in Latin America, with a repertoire of dishes maybe bigger than France”
Bigger than France. That’s right, that’s how good Peruvian food is.
Mostly known for its ceviche, Peru has hundreds of delicious dishes that everyone should try at least once in their life.
There’s Lomo Saltado which is an asian fusion of stir fried beef, onions, tomatoes and aji, topped with soy sauce and potato, and served over rice.
Then there’s Aji De Gallina, which is sort of like a chicken stew, is a classic Peruvian dish made with local aji amarillo chili mixed in. It’s essentially shredded chicken wrapped in a creamy walnut and bread-thickened sauce served with rice. It’s one of my personal favorites that I could eat every day for the rest of my life.
And there’s also Pollo A La Brasa, which is highly consumed in Peru. It’s marinated chicken which is cooked in a special oven that allows it to rotate for several minutes. It’s accompanied with crunchy fries and a side salad.
Peru even has amazing desserts!
There’s Suspiro a la Limeña which is a dessert sent from heaven itself. Its base of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and egg yolks, give a caramel colored cream, which is culminated with Italian meringue perfumed with Port wine, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It’s delicious.
There’s also Picarones which is essentially fried dough in the shape of a circle, serenaded in honey.
And there’s also Turrón de Doña Pepa. The Peruvian Turrón is based on slices of baked, sugarless dough. The slices are then stacked with honey between each one. The very top slice is topped with colorful candies.
Truthfully, Peruvian food is one of the best foods out there, and more people should be able to experience the joy that comes with eating Peruvian food. Peruvian food deserves more credit. So go out there and look for a yummy Pollo A La Brasa.
