Peruvian cuisine is very diverse because of its blending of cultures and its unusual geography. With three distinct regions, a wide variety of biology and climate, and enormous crop diversity, Peru boasts some of the best culinary traditions to be found anywhere on the planet, and its food is world-renowned.
History
Peru has a unique Incan and pre-Incan heritage and a wide history of immigration including African, Basque, British, French, Italian and Spanish. Peru's cuisine reflects this eclectic nature. In addition, over 100,000 Chinese immigrants came to Peru in the late 1800s, and Peru has more Chinese restaurants than any other country in Latin America.
Geography
The unique geography of this country contributes to the diversity of its food as well. Peru has 28 climates out of the 32 climates found on Earth. It also has 80 of the world's 104 types of biological zones. Food varies among the three distinct Peruvian regions: the coastal areas, the mountainous Andes (highlands), and the Amazon jungle to the east. Types of cuisine vary within regions also, particularly along the coastline from south to north.
Benefits
Even the crops Peru grows are diverse, again, because of the wide range of climatological and biological zones. Of the 5,000 or so varieties of potatoes found in the world, over 2,000 are native to the Peruvian highlands. With a very long coastal area as well as the Amazon rainforest, Peru is home to over 2,000 species of fish, more than any other country. There are over 2,000 varieties of sweet potatoes, and 650 types of fruit.
Features
Maize and a huge variety of potatoes have been important in Peruvian cuisine since pre-Incan times. Historically, maize was toasted or boiled, or made into bread and tamales. Peru's maize kernels can grow as large as an inch across and come in yellow, black, red and other colors.
Other foods which have been seen in Peru's diet for thousands of years are squash, beans, sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados, papayas, plums, and pineapple, as well as aji hot peppers.
The most common native ingredients used in Peruvian cuisine today are rice, potatoes, and fish, and most dishes include some type of aji. Potatoes and rice are served with almost every meal. The most common meats are chicken, pork and lamb, all of which were introduced by Spanish explorers and conquerors in the 1500s.
Significance
At the Fourth International Summit of Gastronomy held in Madrid in 2006, coastal Lima was declared the "Gastronomic Capital of the Americas." This convention is regarded as the world's most important gastronomic forum. Along with other international recognition, this has increased tourism to Peru's capital city and resulted in a further boom in new restaurants. The city's highly-regarded cuisine mixes Andean traditions with Spanish influences, along with those of African, Cantonese, Italian, French and Muslim, with an emphasis on seafood.
Types
If you travel to Peru, you might like to try the most traditional dish, which is ceviche or seafood marinated in lemon, aji, garlic and coriander.
Other popular culinary delights include ají de Gallina (chicken in a creamy spicy sauce), an African-Peruvian dish called tacu-tacu (refried spicy black bean and rice tortilla) and sweet mazamorra morada, which is a pudding made from purple corn. Alpaca meat and guinea pig can be tried in the highlands, and in the Amazon jungle, you can taste inkicapi, a hot soup of chicken, peanuts, yucca, and coriander. Paiche, the world's largest freshwater fish, is abundant in jungle rivers and ponds, and also makes for a tasty meal.
Tags: Peruvian cuisine, Amazon jungle, biological zones, have been, highlands Amazon, highlands Amazon jungle