Food and Cooking of Peru

Peruvian cuisine is considered to be one of the most diverse in the world, and on a par with French, Chinese and Indian cuisine in terms of sophistication. Thanks to its Inca origins and to Spanish, Basque, African, Sino-Cantonese, Japanese and finally Italian, French and British immigration, Peruvian cooking combines the flavours of four continents. With this eclectic variety of traditional dishes, 28 different climates, and terrain that includes coasts, mountains, forest and jungle, Peruvian gastronomy is in constant evolution. Inca cuisine is present in Peruvian cooking mostly in the use of maize, potatoes, yucca and chillies – the much-loved Peruvian Tamales date back to the Incas, who would make them on special occasions. This Andean inheritance was developed and incorporated by the food traditions of the Spanish Conquistadors, and later by the waves of immigrants that have arrived in Peru ever since. Ceviche, one of Peru’s most popular dishes, perfectly defines this fusion of Peruvian cooking, fresh fish from Peru’s rich coastal fishing areas, mixed with Andean peppers, together with onions introduced by the Conquistadors, marinaded in lemon juice from North Africa in a method that has its roots in Japan and Italy, and served with Incan potatoes and maize. With many favorite dishes, such as the delicious fried pork Chicharonnes, the irresistible little pastries, Empanaditas, the popular street food Humitas and Butifarras, this book also introduces dishes that have yet to travel further than the borders of Peru. These include satisfying and tasty soups that are meals in themselves, delicious corn, potato and bean side dishes, fish in tangy, spicy sauces, meat, richly flavoured with chillies, and tempting sweets and desserts that reflect the Peruvian love of almonds, sugar and pastry. Peru’s cuisine is a triumph of fusion cooking; more than any other cuisine in the world it is a unique blend of the ancient with the modern, bound together by an extraordinary geographical diversity, fuelled by an abundance of natural ingredients, and inspired by the best of different cooking traditions from around the world. With this book you can feast on food that combines the old world with the new, and explore the very best of one of the world’s most complex cooking traditions.

Author Biography

Flor Arcaya de Deliot was born in Lima, where she lived for some years. Her travels since then have given her a taste for national and regional dishes from the countries she has visited, but have also reinforced her love for Peruvian cuisine. Flor has written two Peruvian cookery books and one of her recipes obtained an honourable mention in the annual International Competition for the Potato, organized by the San Martin University in Peru and Unesco.