Food to die for – A visit to Lima, Peru.
Lima, Peru is fast becoming known for its exquisite cuisine. Normally when one thinks of gastronomy the mind immediately turns to France. On my first trip to Peru, my host Julio, took me to some of the most incredible restaurants I have ever been to. We started at the Bar Cordano, a local joint frequented by politicians and other famous people, right off Plaza Mayor. While we were there, a famous Peruvian actor was being interviewed. We ate these mussels, done with onions and lime juice. By far the best mussels I have ever eaten! Of course, this was washed down with a Pisco Sour.
We traveled up to the hill that overlooks the city. On the way back we stopped in at Tanta, a restaurant chain started by the famous Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio. If that wasn’t enough, my hosts took me to the one and only Central restaurant, owned by the same chef. This is so exclusive that there are no signs over the entrance. Gastón Acurio has specialized in taking the household foods of Peru and adding a gourmet twist to them. Central takes cuisine to a new altitude, literally. The foods are grouped based on vertical location within the country: from the coastal plains all the way through to the high Andes. There is nothing “regular” about this restaurant. One of the rolls, for example, was made from cocoa leaves – delicious. The photo is of the desert I ate: a chocolate based dish but with ground mint (see the green) and a whole lot of ingredients that I could not begin to describe. This will go down as one of the most memorable meals I have ever eaten.
Lunch the next day was at a restaurant owned by friends of my hosts. It’s called La Preferida While there is a full sit down restaurant at the back, in the front there is this amazing array of “tapas,” Peruvian style. A variety of tasters, mainly of fish, served in clam shells. Some of these had a perfect hint of chile, giving a wonderful kick.
In fact, the establishment stumbled upon these small servings in a similar way that tapas is reputed to have started. La Preferida began as a bar organized by a Croatian immigrant Marko. He served liquor, purchased during a period when it was hard to come by, but he obtained it through the careful relationships he had developed with the flight crews of international airlines. His customers began asking for food to go along with the drinks. Marko perfected the craft and passed this skill to his son.
In preparation for the trip, I wanted to read a little about Peru. So I bought the book Turn Right at Machu Picchu. Mark Adams retraces the steps of the disrupted discoverer of Machu Picchu, Bingham by undertaking the same treks through the Andes near to Cusco. This is an easy and delightful read, whetting one’s appetite for the adventures of Peru.
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Piers van der Merwe
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