Fine Cuisine? You’ll find it in Peru

When Peru is mentioned among travelers the words “Machu Picchu� and “Incas� are the first to be heard. What far fewer travelers know is that Peru has one of the finest cuisines anywhere in the world.

The flavors, aromas, colors and textures of Peruvian food have placed the nation’s cooking among the top ten of the world’s very finest culinary traditions.

Peru’s gastronomy is the product of several cultural influences, beginning with the ancestral civilizations of the pre-Hispanic period and moving on to the cuisine of the invading Spanish, which was gradually fused with local ingredients and traditions. The product of this fusion was then combined with the cookery of the waves of immigrants who came to settle in Peru, including Chinese, Italians and Japanese.

And what makes Peruvian food in all its manifestations absolutely unique is the huge variety of local ingredients produced throughout its territory, ranging from chili peppers, to corn, capsicums, limes and aromatic herbs.

Great chefs, food experts and those with a fine palate have chosen Peruvian gastronomy as one of the most exquisite on the planet and Peru has become an essential destination for those wanted to experience good food.

One of the most gratifying and enjoyable ways to learn about a country is, without any doubt, through its food. So, come visit us and delight in the flavors of Peru!

Peru - particularly in the capital, Lima is experiencing a culinary boom at present, as it enjoys unprecedented attention in the world of fine cuisine. The city boasts some of the best chefs, and they seem to compete among themselves to delight connoisseurs – whether they are Peruvian or from overseas - with their many creations.

While visiting Peru you can choose to spend a day –or a few days - discovering and learning about the flavors of Peru in the company of a specialist guide who will help you to interpret the aromas, colors and flavors of Peruvian cookery. As an introduction, you will be encouraged to sample the menus of some of the best restaurants in Lima.

And if you prefer a more individual and hands-on experience then join us to visit the local markets of Peru, where you will find all the ingredients used to prepare the finest gourmet dishes while enjoying the opportunity to witness at first hand the lives of local people. And, of course, we can offer you cookery classes with one of Peru’s most renowned chefs.

And if you want more, then we can add more flavor to your trip by taking you to some of the best restaurants in other Peruvian cities.

Below we list some of the most recommended of these eating establishments:

Cusco´s Gourmet Cuisine                                                           Book your tasty trip

Restaurants - Imperial Delicacies
Peruvian cuisine begins with the fortunate encounter of two great culinary schools of the sixteenth century: The Spanish and the Andean, to which have been added generous Negro (African) and Asian (Chinese and Japanese) components, with marked touches of Italian and French Cuisine. In the opinion of specialist, Peru has the best food in American Continent. The gastronomic connoisseur will no doubt soon recognize a continuous mixture of Creole, Indian, Negro and foreign elements in meals and that Peruvian cooks are extremely creative in trying the most incredible dishes. This prompts many to refer to it as a “novo Andean cuisine� or a “new Peruvian cuisine�.

We are a sophisticated destination. For instance Cusco attracts cultured people who are accustomed to the very best culinary fare and happily, we are now able to offer an authentic gourmet circuit, here you have some of the best culinary expressions:

1. Incanto is an absolute delight and has attracted to its tables, the most demanding tourists that seek out first class fare.
2. Inka Grill is located on the main square itself, where is served the bets Novo Andean and fusion cuisine.
3. Macondo, located in the San Blas hill, it offers us a divine cuisine from the Andes, jungle and also pop art.
4. MAP Café, gastronomic experience inextricably interwoven with the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, and its brief menu encapsulates the very best of haute cuisine.
5. Cicciolina offers the city´s most complete cellar and a variety of Tapas, Mediterranean food and an eclectic range of music.
6. Tango Beef, if it is the antithesis of Novo Andean that you are looking for, then a generously served meat, waits for you.

It is not only the natural beauty of the Urubamba Valley which delights visitors. Proof of this is there for all to see in the menus of the private Hacienda Huayoccari that receives guests to private luncheons by appointment only, it admist beautiful surroundings, breath-taking garden views over the Sacred Valley and an impressive collection of Inca and Colonial art and artifacts. Huacatay restaurant, 3 Keros (where is offered pork ribs which should not be missed) and Crepes y extras (a good place for Canapés, with its art gallery this is retreat of those bohemians who make it to Urubamba)

Hidden places of Peru
Restaurante Malabar
Designer cooking, restaurant that experiments with Peruvian ingredients and claim the traditions and gastronomy of a country.
http://www.malabar.com.pe/restaurante.htm

Restaurante Royal
Chifa Peruvian-Chinese Food, specialties: Chinese cebiche, crunchy porklet with small sand wiches, spicy hot chicken wings, shrimp sauté, Royal Cantonese rice, Tausi seafood, chita fish in soy sauce and more.

Costanera 700
Nikei Peruvian-Japanese Cuisine, bring us the joy of Peruvian tiradito carpaccio, cebiche, Costanera shrimp, tempura, Chaufa (“Cantonesse� rice, Peruvian style), Chinese noodles, again in a typical Peruvian version, and chita fish in a salt crust. You can´t miss it.

La Red
Holes in the wall. Peruvian Bistros. A family restaurant serving well made budget homely dishes. It´s all granny´s cooking. Good tacu-tacu but even better Peruavian mestizo food.

Toshiro
The first Japanese restaurant in the Americas that give us the gift of some of the world´s best Japanese cooking with a Peruvian touch.

Classic Peruvian dishes
Whether from the coast, the highlands or the jungle, Peruvian dishes have some things in common: their generosity, wealth and variety.

In the Coast:

• El ceviche (fish cut into neat cubes marinated in green lemon juice and hot ground peppers either some hours or only 20 to 30 minutes, and to which red onions cut into stipes, salt, pepper and slices of limo hot peppers, served with corn cob and sweet potatoes),
• La sangrecita
• Ají de gallina (Yellow potatoes and ground dried yellow hot peppers are added to a sauce  made of bread crumbs soaked in milk, powdered groundnuts and finely shredded pieces of chicken. This sauce is topped with abundant parmesan cheese and slices of hard-boiled eggs and black olives. Finally, this creamy golden mantle is spread over the potatoes),
• La causa limeña (Meshed potatoes, with onions, lemon, ground hot peppers, hard boils eggs, mayonnaise and either chicken),
• Carapulcra (dried potatoes and diced pork dressed with red chilli and peanuts),
• Cabrito al horno, Cau-cau (tripe and potatoes, dressed with chilli pepper)
• Tamales limeños (solid ground corn spiced mass wrapped with banana leaves and steamed)
• Anticuchos (Marinated beef heart cut into cubes and boiled over charcoal fire)
• Mazamorra morada (unique pudding-like mixture made from purple corn and diced fruit),
• Picaron (like a doughnut or cruller made with sweet potato flour, pumpkin and yeast, and served with sweet syrup).
• Pisco sauer (national drink made from pisco, lemon, ice cubes, egg), chicha morada and wine, etc.

In the Sierra:

• El cuy chactado, el lechón.
• Pachamanca or earth pot (it is a ritual feast consisting of marinated meats: beef, lamb, pork, poultry; potatoes, bean sweet potatoes and corn. It is cooked in the ground in a hole previously lined with red-hot stones and covered with aromatic herbs, banana leaves and topped with grass and earth),
• Papa a la Huancaina (Huancayo style steamed, potatoes covered with a yellow sauce made with cheese and hot peppers).
• Sopa de chairo, laguas de maíz y morralla (potato soup), picantes, adobos (marinated dishes).
• Chupe de camarones (shrimp chowder; a fish and shrimp soup with milk, eggs, oregano)
• Rocoto relleno (stuffed red hot peppers), chiriuchu, la chicha de jora (a pre-Inka alcoholic corn beverage), frutillada, la patasca, etc.

In the Jungle:
It is a World of exotic cuisine varying from palm cabbages to fish from the big Amazon River:

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