Peru

I ended my last post with a question, "Will I have the nerve to eat one of the Peruvian national dishes, cuy, roasted guinea pig?" The answer is my traveling companion would not let me. But I did eat Alpaca Steak. Tasty but tough.

In all honesty, Peruvian food was disappointing....but that was in large part due to the fact that I didn't dare eat fresh vegies. Luckily, the French Fries were excellent everywhere.

I had planned to dine at a few of the finer restaurants in Lima but both coming and going my flights were so delayed that I had to go without eating.

So much for the gourmet feasts I was planning to regale you with.

Peruvian food is Spanish food with the addition of the animals that were domesticated by the Incas long before the Conquistadores arrived: Llama, Alpaca, Guinea Pig. Plus a few uniquely Peruvian vegies such as potatoes and corn.

But I admit I was surprised. I just assumed Peru would be a corn nation like Mexico but it isn't. I never encountered a bread made of corn meal a la tortillas. Fresh corn was thrown into stews but mainly corn was served dried as a snack in bars: Peruvian corn nuts. The corn nuts were much softer and fresher than the ones we encounter here. But no corn bread. Breads were wheat, mostly unbleached white flour and very different. They were round, about 3/4" thick and 5" in diameter, and often somewhat sweet. On a couple occassions we encountered breads that were thinner and not sweet....I much preferred those. Not much rice either.

I have like 2000 pictures....but have not downloaded them yet. Just want to make a post so you know I am still here..,lots more to follow including fantastic pictures of the Festival de Las Virgenes de Carmen in Pisac, Peru.

Comments

[noshow97]

Maureen.... Sister ate everything... even bread cooked in open market ovans.... and ... get this she drank "homemade beer " at one of those off the road beer joints/ pool hall /houses with firt floors and guinni pigs running around.... blew me away....
bradley

[Peru Tours]

:) well i have to make some clarification here. Peruvian cuisine is not spanish food with local vegs and animals. Actually many dishes came from ancient times, even pre-incan times. In the last years, the peruvian cuisine has been recognized as one of the bests of the world. Lima is consider nowadays the latin america gourmet capital. You reaaaally have to eat in good restaurants (and believe me, in many cases, thats not a synonymousn of expensive) for tasting the huge and varied cuisine we have, from traditional to the espectacular neo-peruvian dishes.