Peruvian Cuisine

Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the world and is on par with French, Chinese and Indian cuisine. In January 2004, The Economist stated that "Perú can lay claim to one of the world´s dozen or so great cuisines", while at the Fourth International Summit of Gastronomy Madrid Fusión 2010, regarded as the world´s most important gastronomic forum, held in Spain between January 17 and 19, Lima was declared the "Gastronomic Capital of the Americas".

Thanks to its pre-Incas and Inca heritage and to Spanish, Basque, African, Sino-Cantonese, Japanese and finally Italian, French and British immigration (mainly throughout the 19th century), Peruvian cuisine combines the flavors of four continents. With the eclectic variety of traditional dishes, the Peruvian culinary arts are in constant evolution, and impossible to list in their entirety. Suffice it to mention that along the Peruvian coast alone there are more than two thousand different types of soups, and that there are more than 250 traditional desserts.

Peruvian cuisine has its own personality, whether it is Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese fusion), Chifa (Peruvian-Chinese fusion) or Criolla (Creole mixture of Peruvian and Spanish styles). Peruvian cuisine offers the flavors of a fascinating evolution of food and culture. Perú has 84 of 104 ecosystems that exist in the world, making its ingredients and dishes as varied as the imagination itself.

The great variety in Peruvian cuisine stems from three major influences:

• Perú´s unique geography
• Perú´s openness and blending of distinct ethnicities and cultures
• The incorporation of ancient cuisine into modern Peruvian cuisine

Perú is considered an important center for the genetic diversity of the world´s crops:

Maize (35 varieties)

Tomato 15 species

Potato 2,000 varieties (in Perú), and 3,000 in the world. The International Potato Center, which goes by its Spanish name´s initials (CIP short for Centro Internacional de la Papa) that is devoted to the investigation and genetic conservation of the potato, is located in Lima, Perú.

Sweet potato (2,016 varieties)

Fish: 2,000 species of fish, both freshwater and saltwater (more than any other country on Earth)

The new generation of Peruvian chefs is redefining Peruvian food, creating what has become known as the New Andean Cuisine. This cuisine emerged in the ´80s and this trend reintroduces ingredients from the ancient Andean culinary tradition, but is adapted with new techniques of preparation and presentation, both classical and modern. The recipes are basic, the food is delicious and at the same time healthy: lightly seasoned and low in fat. Among the most recognized ingredients are: quinoa, barley flakes, alpaca meat, dry potatoes, yucca, sauco, maca, etc.