It started with breakfast at the Swissotel in Lima the morning of our arrival. We were surprised at the selection of local food made available for breakfast - this included things like tamales, Chinese porridge, Peruvian braised pork, sweet potatoes, potatoes and more potatoes - that is the national staple. We were subsequently told that there were 3000 types of potatoes in Peru! Granted, the Swissotel was hardly the place for the real thing, but it gave us a first taste of at least Peruvian style cooking and as I've read in travel guides, the heavy influence of Chinese cooking.
We had our first dinner in Lima at a restaurant called Tanta, within walking distance of our hotel and recommended by our guide - the main reason for our choice. I found out just now that this is one of several restaurants run by celebrity chef Gaston Acurio. There were certainly no celebrity presence when we were there, it seemed like a very casual restaurant although as the evening wore on, some serious looking cars pulled up in front. It was at a chic location.
For firsts, we decided to try Grandma's pumpkin cream soup and an empanada as they seemed freshly made on the counter . The empanada was very good, but Grandma's soup was likely true to its name - it was very salty, probably right in vogue when Grandma was around!
I ordered the tuna from the main menu but was disappointed that it was cooked although maybe it was just as well since we were warned not to eat anything uncooked at least for the first few days. My dinner companion ordered an interesting stuffed fish with Chinese fried rice with asparagus and scallions. An excellent choice. The dessert, an ice cream with fruit including lucama, was good but I started to worry as I ate - again because of food warnings. I was lucky. We preserved ourselves for another week of Peruvian gastronomic experience. You can go to my travel blog to read about the rest of my Peruvian travel experience.
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| Chicken empanada was excellent |
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| Grandma's pumpkin cream soup |
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| The rice tasted as good as it looked, as was the stuffed fish with a crunchy batter |
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| This is the tuna, believe it or not. I could barely finish one piece, had a taste of the ample mashed potatoes and left the salad in tact. |
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| This speaks for itself - I had half and didn't get sick. |
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| This was the best part - two artistic dudes gave the place a homey touch. |
A waiter once told me that Peruvians ate lots of rice. Your post confirmed that.
ReplyDeleteMy only experience with Peruvian food was in the U.S. I asked my waiter to recommend an authentic Peruvian dish. He suggested “Loco Saltado”. When it came, I was shocked. It was kind of a poorly made Chinese rice plate. Pale thick beef strips were "stir-fried" with onions and tomato wedges in a light sauce, poured over a heaping plate of rice, and topped with French fries. It looked strange and tasted awful. Later I asked the waiter why that would be a real Peruvian dish. His answer was “we have a lot of Japanese living in Peru.”
Apparently LIma has one of the largest Chinatowns in the world and Chinese influence is everywhere - it is seen in the foods and incorporated into daily life. There are "Chifans" everywhere - chi fan being the mandarin for "eating rice", so it's the name for Chinese restaurants that are not in Chinatown. Fried rice is on many Peruvian menus.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were hiking in Machu Picchu, a Peruvian hiker asked us if we're Japanese or Chinese. I don't look Japanese but Ben with his moustache is a little suspect. When we provided the right answer, he said, "Welcome to Peru!". Apparently the anti-Japanese sentiment stemmed from the reign of Fujimori.