In 2015, Peruvian cuisine was thrust into the limelight as Peru was named “World’s leading culinary destination”. It is not the first time the cuisine has been recognized as such, and it definitely won’t be the last. Internationally renowned Peruvian chef, Gastón Acurio, discovered this over 15 years when he opened his first Peruvian restaurant. Fast forward to today and he now manages over 30 Peruvian restaurants worldwide – such is the popularity of Peruvian food today.
What makes Peruvian food so unique?
Over time, it has been influenced from around the globe and today the result is outstanding . Food that Peruvians know and love such as ceviche, lomo saltado and picarones have reached all corners of the globe. From the traditional picanterias of Arequipa to the modern novo-Andean cuisine, Peruvian cuisine has a promising future in far-flung capitals including Sydney, Paris, New York and London.
Lima, of course, is fast gaining a reputation for being one of the leading gastronomic capitals of the world. Last year, Central in Lima was named the number 1 restaurant amongst the 50 Best South American Restaurants for the second year running – an amazing honor for chef Virgilio Martínez Véliz and Peru . Gastón’s, Astrid y Gastón were awarded third place and Maido, Mitsuharu Tsumura’s Japanese-Peruvian restaurant followed closely in fifth place. All 3 distinctions in the top ten restaurants in Latin America go a long way in ensuring the enormous popularity and success of Peruvian cuisine.
The mix and flavours of Peruvian food lie at the heart of its success – a strong heritage offering seafood, beef, chicken and pork delicacies. Alpaca and cuy (guinea pig) are achieving worldwide notoriety, and as you would expect, the emphasis remains on ingredients such as corn, quinoa, potato, and aji.
Arroz con pato (rice with duck), rocoto relleno (stuffed spicy peppers), anticuchos de corazon (grilled heart), causa relleno (layered potato dish) and papas a la huancaina (potatoes in spicy cheese sauce) have found a home in the hearts of many especially when washed down with a pisco sour.