There is one thing I love as much as travelling, that is the delicious foods I taste around the world. When we start tasting the local food and we immediately become part of the culture and integrated with locals very easily. Even though I have gathered some information prior to my travel to Peru, but our tourist guide who picked up us at the airport, has given us flavourful run down on the food dishes we should try while in Peru.
1. Churros
Churros are long sticks made of a choux pastry often potato based which is squeezed through a large star tip into hot oil and fried. In Peru they are often filled with Manjarblanco or vanilla cream and then rolled in a sugar cinnamon mixture. While you can order them as dessert in many restaurants, Churros are best enjoyed bought from a street vendor and eaten warm. Absolutely delicious!
2. Ceviche
Peru's national dish, and an immediate obsession for nearly all who try it. Though other countries may claim their own variations with shrimp, octopus, scallops, tomatoes, and even tostada chips, Peru started this cold-"cooked" fish craze with only five simple ingredients: sea bass marinated for just minutes in lime juice, onion, salt and, of course, hot chilies. The tenderness of super-fresh fish is heightened by crisp onion, and sides of starchy boiled corn and creamy sweet potato to balance out the texture of the dish. Dry-roasted corn kernels sprinkled around add a pleasing crunch.
3. Cuy (Guinea Pig)
One of the Andean region's most popular sources of meat , this guinea-pig-as-food strikes fear in the hearts of Westerners who think of it more as a pet than a meal. But consider tender, smoky dark meat, almost like poultry, beneath a glistening golden veneer of flatteringly crisp skin, and you can begin to grasp the appeal.
The traditional recipe calls for stuffing the whole animal with local herbs, then roasting it over an open wood fire and serving it with potatoes. When served this way it tastes best with a dip of aji sauce and eaten by hand like fried chicken. But more refined restaurant-ready recipes, which may involve deep-frying or braising, are now regularly enjoyed from Cusco all the way to Lima.
4. CHAUFA DE MARISCOS
The Peruvian cuisine has been strongly influenced by the waves of immigration from China. Peru has the largest ethnic Chinese community in Latin America, with a particular large El Barrio Chino (china town) in Central Lima.
Go to any local market in Lima at lunch time, you will find that one of the most popular and very yummy dishes offered everywhere. This is a mix of these two cultures: Chinese fried rice with sea food, mixed with Peruvian spices like chili peppers.
5. Pisco Sour
The Peruvian pisco sour cocktail is made by mixing Peruvian pisco with Key lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, Angostura bitters (for garnish), and ice cubes. The Pisco Sour has been the signature drink of Peru and one of our all time favourite cocktails. It was invented in the early 1920s at Morris Bar in Lima by its owner, Victor Vaughen Morris who came up with the idea of adding Angostura bitters and egg whites to Pisco. Morris Bar closed in 1929 after Victor passed away, but his legacy lives on.
6. Mazamorra Morada Pudding
Mazamorra Morada is a popular Peruvian dessert made from purple corn and fruit. It's thickened into a pudding-like texture with potato flour or cornstarch and spiced with cinnamon and cloves. It tastes a bit like blackberry pie filling, but more exotic. Mazamorra has a beautiful deep purple color and is usually served cold.
7. Causa (Potato Casserole)
This ubiquitous Quechan dish is made with meaty mashed yellow Peruvian potatoes blended with lime, oil and spicy aji amarillo sauce. Shredded tuna, salmon, or chicken are mixed with mayo, followed by layers of avocado, hardboiled eggs, and olives. That surface is topped again with more potato mix, and so on, making as many lasagna-like layers as one dares. This bright, barely-spicy dish is served cold as a salad course or side dish.
When you travel to Peru, don't forget taste some of these mouthwatering Peruvian dishes. Bon Appetite!
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