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Peruvian Woman's Recipe wins Food Network's "Ultimate Recipe Showdown"

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© Food Network

(LIP-do) -- Limeña Amparo Alam has made her compatriots around the world proud when her "Peruvian Herb-Roasted Chicken" won cable channel The Food Network's "Ultimate Recipe Showdown" contest earlier this year. The 51-year-old mother won a $25,000 grand prize in the chicken category of the competition. Not only that, her dish, which is accompanied by sweet potato fries, will be featured on the menu of over 600 T.G.I. Fridays restaurants all over the United States.

The recipe, which Alam said was a version her mom used to make for her birthday, features a roasted chicken, marinated in fresh limejuice and rubbed with cumin, basil and garlic, along with classic Peruvian ingredients such as huacatay. Out of the 100 possible points needed to win the competition, Alam received a 99 for her delectable bird.

Alam went up against eight other finalists in the chicken category and beat out Michelle Anderson, winner of last year's National Chicken Cooking Contest in the states. In the end, the judges gave it to Alam because of the chicken's spice and crisp skin.


To learn more about Amparo and how she won the contest, click here for our Gastronomy feature.

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# julio vicente says :
16 April, 2008 [ 18:27 ]

I didn't get to see the show, wish they can show it again.  I have been residing in LA for the past 30 years and have eaten in all the LA  Peruvian restaurants, most are Mom and Pop types of operation.  We need some Big Chain " Peruvian Brand" Restaurants to come and invest in LA.  The field is wide open.  LAMar, Pardo's Chicken, Brujas de Cachiche, Segundo Muelle, etc, etc, etc.... would take over the scene immediately.  I'm still waiting hopefully they'll come soon.  Let me know if you know of any of those restaurants in process to make a move to LA.  Thanks. 

# Anonymous Dave says :
16 April, 2008 [ 19:11 ]

Pardo's Chicken say they are in Miami...

# Jet says :
17 April, 2008 [ 03:10 ]

Question is whether TGI Fridays will give proper credit on its menu by indicating that this is a Peruvian dish?  I would hope so, but so many times I see Peruvian inspired recipes on various menus where no mention is made of its origins. Instead the restaurants will give it a name that sounds catchy instead and make it seem as if the restaurant itself thought up the recipe.

I guess we'll see.

# JUANITA LEON RUIZ DE CASTILLA says :
17 April, 2008 [ 05:55 ]

Congratulations to Amparo from Denmark!!

Juanita

# Diana says :
17 April, 2008 [ 08:53 ]

Jet: "Peruvian Herb-Roasted Chicken" is the name Friday's gave it, actually. Check it out here: http://www.tgifridays.com/menu/E208_ultimate_recipe_home.htm (week 1)

# Jorge says :
17 April, 2008 [ 08:54 ]

Yes, TGI Friday's featured that dish as Peruvian chicken, we were surprise when we saw that in the menu, i ordered and even if not exactly as our regular dishes is little spicy but very good, congrats !!!!

# Mari says :
17 April, 2008 [ 11:45 ]

Congratulations to Amparo from USA,  peruvian food is superb!!!!

# Julio says :
17 April, 2008 [ 11:48 ]

Nobu in Malibu and Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills have some Peruvian inspired dishes (Nobu Matsuhisa is the head Chef). I have actually met and tried his tiraditos, anticuchos de Pulpo and Cebiches, good by American Standards but extremely expensive and for us Peruvian Nahhhhh.  Kotosh & Kamiyama in Lomita is excellent, highly recommended (Peruvian Nikkei food).  We need "Peruvian Brands" Someone please tell me why don't they invest in LA.  There's no competition.  French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, American, Indian, Mediterranean, Argentinian, Brazilian, Ecuadorean, etc..... I have Tried them all just about and although they are not bad by American Standards they are not as good as any of the Peruvian dishes we are accostumed to eat, the difference is the quality of the ingredients and the spices are none like in PERU! Guaranteed!  The restaurants in San Francisco ie, Mochica, Fresca and Limon are making a statement.  Check them out.       

# Mari says :
17 April, 2008 [ 11:59 ]

I wonder if all those up scale restaurants that make Peruvian dishes are putting on the menu that those dishes are Peruvian.

# julio says :
17 April, 2008 [ 12:11 ]

Mari Hi;
Nobu and Matsuhisa yes they do state that they are Peruvian dishes and mention the spices bla bla bla.  Nobu admits that his food became famous as a result of his Peruvian experience.  TGI Fridays yakkhhh, not a place a frequent, not because is not upscale but because American Chain restaurants for the most part are full of preservatives, not good.    

# Angel says :
17 April, 2008 [ 13:05 ]

Yes, they do give credit to Her and that is a Peruvian dish, I visited the TGI Friday last Saturday in Fredericksburg, VA and her dish was listed as Peruvian Herb-Roasted Chicken.

# Kentucky Fried Chicken says :
17 April, 2008 [ 13:26 ]

If Pardo's was to branch out in the U.S., especialy in the southern states, I would be put out of business. Along with all the other greasy fast food chicken outlets. Churches Fried Chicken, "Really BAD," Popeyes Chicken & Hartz Chicken as well. People don't know the meaning of really good chicken unless they have visited Pardo's.

# Julio says :
17 April, 2008 [ 13:43 ]

Pardo's or Caravana would be the Bomb in LA.       

# michelle says :
17 April, 2008 [ 14:23 ]

i didnt see the show pero hace como 6 semana fui al T.G.I. Fridays de Manhattan en NY ( uno q queda cerca a Time Square) y vi el dish en el menu. I TRIED y esta buenisimo

# michelle says :
17 April, 2008 [ 14:26 ]

El se llama "Peru chicken" y viene con camote frito(sweet potatoe). Es como el pollo a la brasa pero con camote frito but si quieres lo cambias a french fries. cuesta como algo de $14 o algo asi el plato.

# julio says :
17 April, 2008 [ 14:34 ]

Anyone in LA, Orange County, San Fernando Valley, San Diego, etc.. know of any good Peruvian Restaurants in Los Angeles, other than the regular Peruvian Mom and Pop restaurants all over the city?         

# Matt says :
17 April, 2008 [ 15:10 ]

Julio, there is a Pardo's Chicken in New York:

Pardo´s Chicken Nueva York
92 7th. Ave South, New York, NY 10014
Teléf.: (212) 488-3900
E-mai Administración:
pardosvillage@verizon.net

Also, in Santiago Chile.

FYI, they have franchising opportunities....

# julio says :
17 April, 2008 [ 16:14 ]

Thanks Matt.  I hope someone listens to our prayers in the West Coast.  

# Mari says :
17 April, 2008 [ 22:19 ]

What about our ceviche? there is a famous lady chef from Panama that claims ceviche as a "national" dish of Panama , then Douglas Rodriguez a chef from Ecuador with a restaurant in New York says that ceviche is from Ecuador in his book "The Great Ceviche" he states that the best cevicherias are on Ecuador, he even "talks" about tiraditos, another peruvian delicacy. 
There is a lot of nonsense about the story of ceviche in this book.
Everybody knows that ceviche originated in Peru from the Incas, we have diferent kinds of ceviche, ask Gaston Acurio, we even have ceviche de Pato, de carne, ceviche is our National dish, we eat ceviche all the time, to say Peru is to say Ceviche, Anthony Bourdain the famous chef from the Travel Chanel chose Peru as a destination for ceviche.
What this people that claim some peruvian dishes as theirs, are going to say next time?  that our Lomo Saltado is from Mexico , Ecuador  or Chile , or our very peruvian Picarones, are from some place else????  
God Bless our Peru, for all the superb excellent food!!
Thanks Julio, for your answer about the peruvian dishes at Nobu.

# RC says :
23 April, 2008 [ 18:05 ]

What a joke...Roasted Chicken... wow  what a novelty!
What will they think of next....

You would have to work hard to make any roasted meat taste bad... LOL
But it takes BRAINS to make something that is both HEALTHY and TASTY.

 

# Anonymous Joe says :
23 April, 2008 [ 21:44 ]

RC, you seem quite confused.

# HaHa says :
24 April, 2008 [ 01:48 ]

This comment was deleted

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# JUANITA LEON RUIZ DE CASTILLA says :
24 April, 2008 [ 03:43 ]

The Ceviche - on the book of Douglas Rodriguez seems to me of bad taste that in he does not indicate that it is a typical Peruvian plate and it is not place considered the history at all in his book. The Ceviche eats up everywhere and that the recipe is changing in accordance with the place, we can agree. I on my part have just written to him. Giving my criticism on the book.
http://www.chefdouglasrodriguez.com/
La historia del ceviche
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceviche#Etimolog.C3.ADa_y_origen
un saludo para todos

desde Dinamarca

Juanita

# Anonymous Mike says :
24 April, 2008 [ 08:46 ]

Has anyone ever eaten ceviche in Ecuador? I did, in two places.
Both times they used pre-cooked chicken, one time they added chopped tomatoes, the other it seemed like ketchup.

The also all eat chifa covered in ketchup.

My conclusion is that Ecuatorianos do not have tongues.

# Limena says :
24 April, 2008 [ 09:00 ]

This comment was deleted



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# Thomas Aquinas says :
24 April, 2008 [ 09:04 ]

No wonder Humula almost won...
All these nationalists make Peru look like it is stuck in
the 15th century..

I for one am proud to be a member of planet Earth

All nationalities and peoples are equal and the same
in my view.

# Ourtaged Citizen says :
24 April, 2008 [ 09:08 ]

This comment was deleted



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# Anonymous Joe says :
24 April, 2008 [ 09:26 ]

Thomas, you are planet Earths member?

# karl wockenfuss says :
24 April, 2008 [ 13:03 ]

All I can say is fantastic!!!!!!!!!!
 I thought I would have to wait for my next trip to Miraflores for that wonderful chicken.
Be rest assured TGIF did justice to that wonderful dish and I can only hope that it remains on their menu.
My wife and I reside in New Hamshire and her being from Peru we both long for Peruvian traditional dishes.
Thank you so much for the article and as always Living in Peru!
Sincerely,
Karl and Patsy Wockenfuss

# Alam says :
24 April, 2008 [ 16:36 ]

This comment was deleted.


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# When says :
24 April, 2008 [ 17:46 ]

When are people going to start eating healthy
and begin to applaud those cooks who make healthy good
tasting food. Greasy high fat foods are always tasty but they
are NOT good for your health.

# jealous much says :
24 April, 2008 [ 18:03 ]

when: stop spamming this thread. sounds to me like you were one of amparo's competitors and are still bitter about the outcome.

# Doctor Smith says :
24 April, 2008 [ 19:00 ]

An honest look at the nutritional value of chicken reveals that chicken meat is not low in fat, and "not even close." A 3.5-ounce piece of broiled lean steak is fifty-six percent fat as a percentage of calories, and chicken contains nearly the same at fifty-one percent. Compare that with the fat in a baked potato (one percent), steamed cauliflower (six percent) and baked beans (four percent) and any ideas that chicken is a health food go out the window. Fancy packages can't disguise the fact that chicken and all meats are muscles, and muscles are made of protein and fat  Also, the combination of fat, protein and carcinogens found in cooked chicken creates troubling risks for colon cancer.  Chicken not only gives you a load of fat you don't want, it's Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs) are potent carcinogens produced from creatine, amino acids and sugars in poultry and other meats during cooking. These same chemicals are found in tobacco smoke and are fifteen times more concentrated in grilled chicken than beef.  HCAs may be one of the reasons that meat-eaters have much higher colon cancer rates; about three hundred percent higher compared to vegetarians.

# Roasted Meat says :
24 April, 2008 [ 19:03 ]

When meat [any meat including chicken] or fish are subjected to high heat [over 350 degrees], the proteins in these foods can produce cancer causing chemicals [heterocyclic amines], that are known to cause a variety of cancers.

Grilling usually generates a lot of smoke, because the fat drips off on hot coals. When this happens, another cancer causing chemicals [aromatic hydrocarbons] are formed. They imbed themselves into the food as the smoke rises up.

The highest concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons seems to be found in charred barbecued meat, poultry or fish.

# Paul Seville says :
24 April, 2008 [ 19:20 ]

Congratulations to Amparo but..... herb-roasted chicken? This dish is pretty much universal and it can be easily debated where it originated from. Sure, everyone does it a little bit differently but in the end it's just slightly above junk food. Chicken (not Peruvian by origin and not of the best quality in Peru), fries (N.American fast-food "invention" using a Peruvian food product), typical garden salad (served wordlwide since forever using ingredients native to numerous countries).

I'd have had no trouble if the winning dish was something more cultural, in this case ceviche. I don't like ceviche but at least it would have been more ethnic for a Peruvian dish. Herb-roasted chicken is just more popular in Peru compared to other places that serve virtually the same thing because hey, they prefer Mcdonalds or KFC for their quick fixes, plus something like herb-roasted chicken with fries and salad is more expensive on the menu elsewhere, while in Peru almost anyone can afford it... so they eat a lot of it. In Canada I can get better, even at a franchise like Swiss Chalet... melt-in-your-mouth stuff compared to the Peruvian version.

Sorry but that's how I see it personally and not intended to take away from Amparo's win.

# LOL says :
24 April, 2008 [ 20:30 ]

when, dr. smith, roasted meat (aka, the same person): get a life, would you? no one ever claimed this chicken was a health food. and eating is one of the greatest pleasures in life. anything high in fat in excess is harmful, but if we didn't enjoy delicious foods like amparo's chicken every once in a while, we'd all be pretty un-happy people.

# Anonymous Dave says :
24 April, 2008 [ 20:32 ]

Paul Saville is another lost soul, stuck somewhere in the depths of his own stupidity and inability to read.

Since when, I ask, is roasting chicken with Huacatay universal? Maybe I am completely crazy and I could walk into a small Chinese restaurant, or perhaps Indian one, and eat Chicken with a Huacatay sauce or something. Perhaps I am a complete idiot and McDonalds now offers the McHuacatay.

I don't think so though, so I suppose it is Paul who is the complete idiot.

# Fate says :
24 April, 2008 [ 23:20 ]

Anonymous Dave and LOL 

Here is hoping you get the CANCER and HEART DISEASE
you deserve for beign a selfish glutton

Remember what I told you when you end up in the emergency
room with inoperable CANCER

# Sally says :
24 April, 2008 [ 23:22 ]

Dave,

So if I put some Huacatay in Indian Curry
does that make Peruvian?

Wow what a concept.
Now anything can Be Peruvian
Just add Huacatay

# Anonymous Dave says :
25 April, 2008 [ 00:02 ]

Sally, perhaps English isn't your first language or you are tired, so I'll forgive your misunderstanding.

Fate, what are you talking about? Who said this was healthy food? Also, cancer victims don't often end up in the emergency room. The only way I can think of, at this time of night, that they could is if someone's tumor lept out of their head and pushed me in front of a car.

Besides, the vast majority of your daily activities cause cancer. Did you know the oxigen in the air your breath is cancer-causing?

# Paul Seville says :
25 April, 2008 [ 20:01 ]

Anonymous Dave, perhaps you missed the part where I wrote "Sure, everyone does it a little bit differently"? Using huacatay in the peruvian recipe doesn't make the dish any more peruvian, and you ignoring the rest of what I wrote shows that you realize that. Lettuce (a usual part of the salad that comes with your broasted chicken) is not peruvian. Chicken is not peruvian. The potatoes are but them being in the form of fries is not peruvian. There's very little "peruvian" in this recipe, and cooking a chicken over an open fire isn't a peruvian invention either. Peruvian restaurants simply added what's almost a global fast-food menu item, changed a couple of herbs and spices for something else, and then claimed the entire dish as their own.

Even ceviche, as you and I and everyone else in Peru have them served, is only partially made up of true peruvian products. I wonder if you would enjoy them so much if the recipe only consisted of the original ingredients. The onion is not peruvian. The lime is not peruvian. The damn fish itself can be found near the shores of many countries.

Peruvian food is "fused" from many products from all over the world. Without those foreign products, it would be a pretty boring menu. Of course there are peruvian products used all over the world too but it seems only in Peru that people love to forget where many of their favourite vegetables and meats originate from. Changing one herb to a native one for some random recipe doesn't automatically make the entire dish native to where that herb's origins are.

@LOL: it's hillarious that you defend greasy food when it  comes to this brazed chicken recipe but if someone comes on here saying they prefer french food, everyone jumps all over them and talks about how horrible all that calorie-rich food tastes in France. Not saying it's you who is contradictory, it's many others who have said this here and I'm just mentioning this, as I think most people here who are peruvian are way too biased when it comes to evaluating their food versus the quality of the cuisine from other places, which they tend to automatically bash without ever even trying it.

# lol says :
25 April, 2008 [ 21:08 ]

Paul: Just because it isn't composed of ingredients native to peru, we consider "pollo a la brasa" a peruvian dish (the dish from what Amparo's was inspired from) because of the flavors and seasonings associated with this particular style of rotisserie chicken. Ratatouille is considered a French dish even though the ingredients it uses aren't all from France, right?

And don't use generalizations. I do love Peruvian food but am not above recognizing other quality cuisines, nor do I over-exaggerrate Peru's. I'm only "defending greasy food" because the person doing the opposite is sounding a bit ridiculous. I doubt the same kind of nonsense is going on in forums that are discussing the other Ultimate Showdown winners. The person posting this health nut junk obviously has something against Amparo or she wouldn't be spamming this thread with the same argument over and over again.

# Helen says :
25 April, 2008 [ 22:41 ]

In Usa we eat lots of fry and greasy food most of the time is part of the culture, hot dogs, hamburguers, french fries and lots of fry fish on fridays and people is very overweight since childhood, I didn't see that kind of fat people in Peru or Latin America.
And for Amparo , Good for her, I bet she made a lot of dollars with this Chain TGI Fridays.

# Jet says :
26 April, 2008 [ 13:02 ]

Wow Paul makes such absurd comments and so many assumptions and mis-conceptions.
Since onions, cows, and broccoli are not originally from china, does that mean that beef with oyster sauce is not truely chinese?

Since cows are not navtive to the usa, and since wheat in not native to the usa, does that mean hamburgers are not truely american?

Since tomatos are not native to italy... does that mean that spaghetti in marinara sauce is not truely italian?

Who ever said that all of the components in a recipe have to be native to the country in which the recipe or flavor of that food was created in order to say that the dish is from that country?
That is a completely idiotic assertion lol

I dont know of any creadible chef or conniseur that would agree with that line of thinking. 

And no, its not JUST the huacatay that makes pollo a la brasa a Peruvian dish.  And it wasn't just thought up in some peruvian restaurant.  It has made it's way in to many peruvian restaurants because its a very popular dish in peru.

The big mistake here is using a name like "herb roasted chicken".  The method of cooking is inconsequential as to the authenticity or origins of the dish.  Further, it adds to confusion, because people that don't know the difference would say, "oh.... it's just herb roasted chicken, I make that all the time". 
Imagine if Ceviche for example appeared on menus thru out the world as just "marinated fish".  I know I would think... well i made some marinated fish last week, big deal. I would have no idea that it was a dish from peru or what made it different from the fish i marinated in soy sauce and grilled on the barbeque last week.

When I was in italy I was servered a noodle dish that was very lightly cooked in a pan that looked much like a wok or a spanish paella pan.  The cooking method was indentical to stir-frying. 

So then, would I now say, oh well that dish obviously isn't italian, because its just stir fried, and stir frying is done all over the world. 

Well i could say something like that, but it would be a rather idiotic statement lol
Its not the method of cooking.... its the recipe itself, the flavors, and where that particular recipe was first done in this fashion that makes it original to the country of origin.
In america did we invent cooking beef on a grill?  No?  Then would it be fair to say that hamburgers can't be american since people in europe were already doing this long before the american hamburger existed, and since cows are not from america, neither does the wheat used to make the bun, or the lettuce or onions, or pickles either.  Ofcourse not!  It's not the cooking method that makes the hamburger an american food.  It was the recipe, the fashion in which its assembled, etc.  Otherwise, we would have to say the hamburger is really from Hamburg?
Pollo a la brasa as a recipe and type of flavor is a peruvian dish. You won't find chicken that has that particular taste anwhere else, unless they are putting it on their menu.
Also, it doesnt have to just be served with pan fried potatos.
Usually, this would include camote or yams, and choclo a particular type of peruvian corn and served with either inca cola a peruvian soft drink or chicha morada, a peruvian beverage made from purple maize, not french fries!
  In reality, the pan fried potato is common with many peruvian dishes.  Only restaurants that are lazy replace them with french fries instead of genuine pan friend potatos.  A good example of that would be Lomo Saltado.  Another very famous peruvian dish that includes pan fried potatos, but which many restaurants in the usa make a grave mistake of replacing with french fries instead.   
In Lomo saltado, the pan fried potatos are added in at the last minute and only after they have been thuroghly browned in a seperate skillet, so that each potato wedge has taken on a golden to dark brown color on all sides of each individual wedge.  This "seals" the outside of the potato slices that allows it to keep in shape once it's mixed into the rest of the dish which has alot of sauce in it.  Also, this browning effect or carmellizing dramatically enhances the flavor not only of the potato but the end result of the other part of the dish that was cooked seperately and then added together at the end.

-So yes, spaghetti in marinara is italian (even though noodles arent from italy and the tomato is not from italy)
-The hamburger (from hamburg) is american (even though wheat isnt from america, nor is the onion, the lettuce, the pickle)
-The hot dog (frankfurter... hmmmmm frankfurt?) is american, (even though the wheat bun isnt from america, nor the tomato used to creat the ketchup)
-Beef in oyster sauce is chinese, (even though the cow isnt from china, nor is the type of brocolli used in that dish, or the onion)
-Quebec Toirtier is from canada, (even though NOT EVEN ONE of the ingredients in it is native to canada) and it is simply just a "meat pie" it is the particular recipe that makes it canadian. 
So are we to say now that.... oh its just a meat pie, that's all, how is that canadian?.  hahaha... so much ignorance.
And finally.... with pollo a la brasa, it's not JUST the huacatay, its not JUST the lime rub, its not JUST the aji amarillo, the cumin, the achiote,  or the fact that it should be marinated for 6 hours before cooking, or that it shold be cooked a certain way, etc... IT'S ALL OF THIS TOGETHER that makes pollo a la brasa distinct and VERY peruvian. 
How you SERVE the pollo a la brasa ofcourse is up to you. If TGIF wants to serve it with french fries, so bit it.  They also offer sweet potato as an option.
You want to make it more authentic?  Look up papa a la huancaina, and make that your side item instead. Or even a very simple side item like papas pichu. Make some chicha morada to drink with it, that can be found in most import shops or even an inca cola.
I know of one pollo a la brasa restaurant that offers arroz chau-fa as a side item.

# CD says :
1 June, 2008 [ 02:01 ]

Jet, we all kn ow ingredients don't have to be native to make it a national dish. What is annoying is the tendency of Peruvian to fall into emotional nationalism and get hysterical. I live here since 2003 and I'm married to a peruvian and I was amazed by the fact most peruvians tend to belittle foreign influences. In fact, schools, medias and politicians seem to try very hard to make Peruvian culture as one self-contained entity. Denying fusions as a natural process. As for the famous Pollo a la  Brasa I agree with Paul. Yes, Italians use tomatoes on a daily basis and it said tomatoes aren't from italy. But come on! To insert a stick into a chicken and roast it over an open fire? it is probably the first recipe ever on this planet. To claim it as a National patrimony because of some spices is highly preposterous. It is even lazy.  As I said, I reckon a dish doesn't have to be made with native ingredients to be "peruvian". But one must not cross the line and fall into emotional nationalism. Yes Ceviche might be peruvian but I won't take the fallacious argument that Lime can't be found elsewhere (as heard and seen on some Tv ad). So many people here think that Lime IS peruvian and no one has ever even hade a glimpse of it out of Peru.  I live here, I am paid in soles and live among Peruvians and I hear that kind of commentary EVERYDAY as it seems everybody act towards me as some kind of ministers of Peruvian culture. Don't get me wrong, I like Peruvian food but sometimes I find people being a bit hysterical. 70% of my conversations here are about how Peruvian food is great. Even though I have been here 5 years.  Everytime I have the "nerves" to mention I like sushi or Thai food I get a sermon about how Peruvian food is the greatest. As if I had no rights to like anything else.  I guess my point that you shouldn’t feel threatened by what Paul said. You have many great things here but Pollo a la brasa ain’t that peruvian. It doesn’t mean that Pollo a la Brasa peruvian style isn’t any good but to say it is a peruvian thing would be like Germans saying that beer is German even though they are master when it comes to said beverage. No offence really but these things have to be said at some point.

BTW Tourtiere was originally made ou of a bird called Tourte that is not extincted. I am from canada.
BTW Tourtiere was made out of a bird named Tourte and iis now extincted.

No 

# msagastegui says :
10 June, 2008 [ 04:21 ]

About the last comment and what Paul said, is not extremly like that, people not talking about EVERYDAY about how greatest peruvian food is, for long time people just forget give some value to our food, so why not give new value to our food? when we go out to the country just we can't find something tasting similar or really good, of course are many delicious dishes around the world, but people just talk about food with which grew in  their childhood, sorry guys but peruvian food has something special I don't know you guys ;) mmm people are agree with other kind of foods eh!, so if you're living in Peru I remind you that chinese food is a very favorite kind of food in Peru and you must be know that, also we have a big japanese community, you can't said that we're not like sushi I know it's not really popular like chinese but peruvians likes all kind of food ;). Maybe "Pollo a la Brasa" it's not a representative dish for "peruvian food" or something that usually people like you guys thinking about what is "peruvian" of course "pollo a la Brasa" is something like fast food, but this dish is very popular, and the point is that this dish is made it in peruvian style so that's all! ... What about if we talking about the famous caesar salad? we know that it is a mexican creation, but this salad have any typical o exotic mexican ingredient? there not but it is a mexican salad right? Finally Amparo Alam won a "chicken category dish" in the tv show, so what you think that she has could be cook for this occasion??? about the Lime people people not to be a Peruvian fruit, just the kind of lime is particularly suitable for dishes that we do here is given another value to ingredients to create and complement our dishes, it's more acid and cook very well the fish for our Ceviche that's the point ;) just tasting different if we compare limes from others countrys. Also countrys built there dishes with the fruit or vegetales that grow up in their territory so that is a national food when you mixed the ingredients and created something or just improve it ;) mmm "pretty boring menu" ??? what? hahaha that's so funny you must be go to trip over Peru to find amazing dishes is not just you find in Lima... just get more information before  post it ;)