My curiosity was piqued when food magazines and the popular press identified Lima as an exciting culinary destination. Why Lima? And what sort of culinary revolution prompted the news? So, when the opportunity arose to go to investigate, I jumped at the chance to take a one-week gastronomic trip to see if the praise was justified.

The question from many friends was “how can you go to Lima for a week and just eat?” Of course we did eat but not in the “normal” sense of full meals at lunch and dinner. Instead we had sampler plates of all the main and specially recommended dishes. In that way we covered the culinary landscape and were able to get a very credible sample of the breadth and depth of taste and skill. The gastronomic tour included six lunches and six dinners, discussions with the Chefs, kitchen visits in most of the restaurants, and some valuable cooking lessons. In addition there was time to explore Lima and its environs. This all added up to a busy but very enjoyable one week agenda.

Peruvian cuisine is very varied with a wide range of dishes, preparations and regional tastes but there are some key factors that underpin the modern menu: excellent fruit and vegetables, fresh fish, attractively designed restaurants, and excellent service. The young crop of Chefs have studied at the Culinary Institute and the Paul Bocuse culinary school in Lima and have an amazing amount of overseas experience in Europe, Mexico, US, and Thailand and have brought back flavors, ideas, and a pride in offering quality and innovative food that makes Peruvian cuisine new and exciting.

The cuisine, as we know it today, has been influenced by ancient cultures, colonial invaders, and immigrants from a variety of countries. In the 15th century the Incas had a cuisine – Quechua - that included stews soups and the pachamanca which is a mixture of meats and vegetables cooked with hot stones in a pit. The potato featured heavily. Pizzaro the Spanish Conquistador arrived in the 16th century and the colonial population brought with them new species of plants and animals which found their way into the Peruvian cuisine. It is interesting to note that many of the Spaniards came from Andalusia which had been influenced for hundreds of years by the Moors from North Africa. They brought Mediterranean culinary influences and African slaves added yet another culinary influence to criollo (Creole) dishes. Peru became independent from Spain in 1824 and the influence of France on the prevailing revolutionary spirit was substantial. French cuisine too became popular. In the middle of the 19th century Chinese indentured servants arrived to provide labor for infrastructure projects, sugar plantations, and the guano (phosphate) industry. The Chinese brought with them Cantonese cuisine that later became very popular in Peru. Japanese immigrants arrived at the end of the 19th century and greatly influenced the use of fish in the national diet. All of these national and international groups left their marks on the choice of ingredients, the use of herbs and spices and the traditional and fusion dishes that developed over centuries.

What local ingredients make modern Peruvian food stand out? First on the list must be the variety of fish, shrimp, octopus, scallops, and squid. Not far behind come potatoes- after all, Peru is home to the potato and scientists have indentified thousands of varieties, sizes and colors. Next are the chili peppers (Ahi) and, again, they come in a large number of varieties such as Amarillo, Rocoto (round and hot), Panca (dried and hot), Mirasol (dried Amarillo) to name but a few. Corn (maize), beans and grains such as Quinoa, a small millet-like grain that was very important in pre-Inca cooking and Kiwicha, a similar but smaller version of quinoa are essential ingredients in many dishes. Achiote, a Peruvian jungle plant adds a tasty zest to stews and sauces. Herbs from the Inca culture such as huacatay (a species of marigold) add a special taste as does Aguaymanto or Cape gooseberry which stems from Inca times.

A typical restaurant dinner would begin with an aperitif of Pisco (grape brandy) sour (lime juice) or made with maracuya (passion fruit); small tapas-like dishes (anticuchos) made with seafood; a sampler plate of ceviche (essentially raw fish that marinates in lime juice) in different preparations; and causa (mashed potato base) sampler – colorful and tasty: We would follow this with a series of sampler dishes recommended by the chef. The dishes were large enough to be shared by up to four people and since we had a variety of menu items we could appreciate the culinary skills and the special tastes that were a signature of that particular chef. We usually shared two desserts and were impressed with the quality, taste, and artistic presentations.

I got a valuable lesson in how to prepare ceviche quickly and with a delicious result from Eduardo, the Chef at Rosa Nautica, a highly-rated seafood restaurant that juts out into the Pacific not far from the center of Lima. The technique is simple but the key to a delicious result is that fresh fish must be used, the preparation fast, and the dish served immediately. In addition to 8 ounces of fresh fish (enough for two people) the juice of up to 12- 14 key limes, one finely slivered red onion, salt to taste, and half each of a red and a yellow chili pepper. The dish is served with boiled corn, lettuce leaves, and boiled sweet potato By the way; sliced fresh scallops can also be used to make a delicious ceviche.

So does Lima deserve the culinary accolades? Yes indeed. The combination of a classic history of food fusion, excellent fresh ingredients, friendly and knowledgeable service, and a young, dedicated, and innovative pool of Chefs who deliver an exciting cuisine at reasonable prices is a formula for success.

By Vim Maguire