Living in Peru : your everyday companion

US gastronomic website praises Peru's food

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Jennifer Iannolo, Director of the US based web Culinary Media Network, New York, said she “surrendered” to the Peruvian flavors.

The New Yorker journalist argues that in the days when he was in Peru, found out that our culture “is deeply in love with their food,” and also saw “a strong emotional connection with the kitchen and the table."

Iannolo, who admits she will need time to assimilate her experiences in Peru, says that “this really changes your life."

Iannolo highlights Peru's "national treasures": ceviche and pisco sour, and praises the flavor of the meat of guinea pig, "especially if it is toasted and crispy.”

The journalist notes that Peruvians spend its scarce economic resources in high-quality ingredients to ensure that the quality of their food, which is so important in their lives, remains intact. She also praises the good service provided by restaurants, from the humblest to the fanciest.

"Eating in Peru is enjoying its food and hospitality at a level rarely seen in America," says Iannolo.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

 | | | |

• Economy : Private investment in Peru to grow by 11 percent, Credit Suisse estimates
• Economy : Peru to provide some tax exceptions to encourage emigrants to come back
• TV/Entertainment : Peru's "Autobús" to be supporting band for Franz Ferdinand in Lima
• Business : Russia's Utair plans to use Peru as hub to expand throughout Latin America
• Transportation : Peru: Train trips to Machu Picchu available from March 29, says minister

# Chef Patty Carrion says :
7 November, 2009 [ 07:54 ]

I am very glad to hear such a good comment of Peruvian Food; especially from an American visitor. 
I know that they need more quality Peruvian Restaurants in USA; that's why I will be opening a very nice Restaurant in West Palm Beach, next year.
Just Peruvian food with good quality of ingredients and all the new booming dishes like; tiraditos, novu andino fusion and nikkei style.
I keep you posted so you can go and visit my Restaurant.

# David N says :
7 November, 2009 [ 20:54 ]

LOL, yeah let us know how that guinea pig goes over there in WPB...not a chance.

PE food is totally overrated, mainly by Peruvians. That special PE flavor is MSG.

# Edgerton says :
9 November, 2009 [ 09:20 ]

We all know about you, David N, so it is now a badge of approval, if David N hates it, then it is good.

There are many things in life you know you are doing well if you are pissing off the right people.  David N is one example of the right person to piss off.

# EC says :
9 November, 2009 [ 12:29 ]

Dear all:
"Peru can lay claim to one of the world's dozen or so great cuisines."
The Economist

# David N says :
9 November, 2009 [ 16:49 ]

LOL...5 years ago a British weekly newspaper printed some flattering sentence about PE food and suddenly peruvians have some overinflated opinion of themselves and their mushed up food.

Yes, if you like lots of white rice, aji, MSG, and the "mas barrato" or whatever ingredients, PE food is for you. BTW, watch out for that ceviche...often the cheap fish is pulled from the contaminated waters off Lima and loaded with worms and mercury.

# EC says :
11 November, 2009 [ 08:25 ]

.........Yes, if you like lots of white rice, aji, MSG, and the "mas barrato" or whatever ingredients, PE food is for you. BTW, watch out for that ceviche...often the cheap fish is pulled from the contaminated waters off Lima and loaded with worms and mercury........

man; where do you eat?. Spent a little money.

# Chef Patty says :
11 November, 2009 [ 12:49 ]

Don't tell me that you are a typical american that eats Cioppino or Jambalaya in a daily basis; well if you do, congratulations!! then you will know what we are talking about, other wise you need some Gastronomic Tour ASAP.
But if you like friend chicken or hamburguers then you are jellows.
By the way, I don't use MSG and my sea food I get it's from Piura.

# pedro says :
12 November, 2009 [ 10:51 ]

"Peru can lay claim to one of the world's dozen or so great cuisines."

That's ONE person's opinion, nothing more. The "great cuisines" of the world are the ones where there is usually a concensus among the many... peruvian cuisine is never included in that.

A "dozen or so" also isn't really all that flattering.

Then there are countries who don't advertise cuisine as part of their culture and are rarely mentioned as having food that should be among the world's best, but they exist, and some of you need to travel a bit to realize just what's out there. Peruvian food (in my opinion) is very, very ordinary and maybe only really appealing to seafood lovers (and yanks who never knew there was anything outside of Big Macs ;)). But even in terms of seafood, there is much better to be found, both in quality and taste. Sorry. I will admit that for some first-timers, the food may be *interesting* because some dishes are slightly unique, but live here long enough and it all starts to taste the same and you get tired of it soon enough that sometimes chowing down even a Big Mac is a relief ;)

# Capt Eric says :
24 November, 2009 [ 09:41 ]

Where did she eat. Out side of Cusco and San Isidro all you going to get is 3 carb dishes (little to no meat ) and the poorest quality sea food I have ever seen. After two years of living here I can honestly say " If its any good it gets shipped out of the country" So I ask . Where did she eat and is she still making payments on her meals she ate while she was here.

# HUH?? says :
24 November, 2009 [ 14:19 ]

I am Peruvian but not of the blind, nationalist variety. However, that being said....Peruvian food is far and away the best in South America and is among the best in the world. I have had the great fortune to travel extensively and this opinion is only reinforced everytime I travel back home. I left Peru as a child and was immediately struck at how crappy the food was here in the states. As far as South America goes...no one compares. My wife is from Colombia and as much as I love Colombia I have to admit their food is very dull and tasteless compared to Peruvian.  The only other Latin cuisine that compares in complexity and variety is Mexican.

Will any cuisine get old if you eat it everyday??? of course it will if taste is an important part of your eating experience. I love Japanese but I couln't eat it everyday. Same for Thai, Vietnamese, Lebanese and Greek. All great cuisines that would get old if eaten everyday.

Its like some of you are talking about another country. Everytime I go back I am stunned at the quality of the food. And no I am not talking about Astrid & Gaston or any other such high prices restaurants. I am talking everyday fare.

Last time in Paris I was there for 3 months. By the third month I was ready for a change. I admit it...I had a big mac; something I never eat. And I actually enjoyed it. Variety is the spice of life.

# mericorps says :
24 November, 2009 [ 21:42 ]

Captian Eric,

Clearly you need some help in getting around Peru.

I have lived here 3 years and traveled all up and down this country and found many gems and treasures of restaurants in all the provinces.

Sorry you were not able to encounter these treasures.

# David N says :
25 November, 2009 [ 18:46 ]

This thread again.  PE food...blech.  I've eaten at the finest restaurants in the country...no big deal.  Yes it definitely gets old quick.  I've been spending 3 to 4 months every year down here in Peru for 20+ years, and the food is nothing to get excited about.  Lots of potato and rice, the cheap stuff.  Sure I can find a decent steak for about S/50, but so what?  Nothing Peruvian about that, and the beef is typically imported either from the US or Argentinia. 

In PE they skimp out on proteins, that's the expensive ingredient.  Take Lomo Saltado for example...mix in lots of onions, tomatoes, rice, and french fries, and only a small amount of meat is needed and the meat's poor quality is covered up by tons of vinegar and spices.

I always eat much better back home in the US...there are plenty of great restaurants there with variety and good quality ingredients.  To state food in the US consists of Big Macs and McDonalds is silly.  I never eat that junk or at any other chain restaurants, in PE, the US, or anywhere else.  

BTW, sure is fun to see Peruvians line up at Burger King, Chili's, TGI Friday's, and especially Kentucky Fried Chicken here in Lima.  That stuff is the worst representation of US chain food and Peruvians can't seem to get enough of it.  And so much for that South American coffee...Starbuck's is king in Lima lol. 

# Carlos says :
27 February, 2010 [ 02:37 ]

Being a Peruvian-American, I have to admit that Peruvian cuisine is one that gets old quickly.  Many people (mostly Peruvian) say that it is one of the largest cuisines in the world, but if you see a list of Peruvian dishes, you'll see that 1/3 of them are all ceviches, which are basically all prepared the same way: lime juice, onions, cilantro, aji, salt, and MSG.  I'm sorry, but ALL latinamerican food utilizes MSG, whether it be in seasoning salt, bouillon cube, or just plain white crystals.  If you were going to start counting a cuisine's dishes the way peruvians count theirs, then all the permutations of hamburgers in the US would make American cuisine quite large, indeed.  A cuisine's greatness is judged by its techniques and manipulation of flavors.  There is very little to no unique technique involved in Peruvian cuisine, and the flavors are very simple, there are only a few seasonings involved in each dish, and every dish is primarily flavored with Aji.  We do not have the wide array of chiles that Mexico has, and the Peruvian palate is very simple and does not incorporate a great deal of flavors, such as sweet, bitter, or umami....it's mostly salty and sour.  Peruvian cuisine is one of those that I can only really enjoy a couple of times a year.  There is something missing in it to make it a truly enjoyable cuisine. 

Name

Email

Notify me via e-mail of new comments to this entry

Code :

Comment

• Comments are the property of their respective authors, and LivinginPeru.com is not responsible for the content of these comments
• Only comments in English will be published
• Por ahora solo se permiten comentarios en ingles.
• Any offensive, injurious, profane or disrespectful comments will not be published
• You must include a real email address (this WILL be verified) for your comments to be published
• Repeat comments, or comments of a similar nature written by the same person will not be published
• All comments are sent to a moderator before publication
• Referring to the topic indicated in the article will increase your chances of publication
• Repeat offenses of the above guidelines will result in the removal of your ability to comment