The Joy of Peruvian Food
One of the best parts of food and food culture is how they bring people together! It is a pleasure to be able to discuss international cuisine on The Culinary Exchange and introduce our readers to passionate food lovers from around the world. In this post, it is our pleasure to introduce Morena Cuadra and to learn something new about Peruvian food. Morena, along with Morena Escardo, is the author of the book The Peruvian Kitchen Cookbook. Our Q&A with Morena is below.
1. Why is Peruvian food gaining so much popularity?
Peruvian cuisine is a melting pot of different cultures. We have amazing native ingredients and countless dishes from all over the country. In Peru we love to cook from scratch and use the freshest ingredients from the market every day. There are hundreds of exotic dishes from the Andes and the Amazon jungle. On the coast, fish and seafood are kings, and they are incredibly good.
2. What would you consider the defining dish of Peruvian food and why?
There are many wonderful dishes but I would say that cebiche is the most popular one. The freshness of the fish, the unique lime, known as limón sutil, from the northern part of the country, and the limo chili pepper, give the dish a delicious flavor and texture. We serve cebiche with boiled sweet potato and giant kernel corn on the side -to tame the heat. This is a dish that has been made in our country since precolumbian times, using only fresh fish and chili pepper, so it has a long history on Peruvian tables.
3. What is the one ingredient in Peruvian food that you couldn’t live without?
Ají or chili peppers. I use different chili peppers in most of our dishes. Limes. Our amazing corn, known as choclo. Potatoes…
4. What is a common misconception that people have about Peruvian food?
Some people think that it is too hot, full of chili peppers. Actually we use them to give their color and flavor to the dishes, with only a touch of heat.
5. If you could tell people 1 thing about Peruvian cuisine, what would it be?
It´s flavorful and easy to make. Try it!
6. What are some less thought of spices that you should always have handy when cooking Peruvian cuisine? What herbs or spices would certainly be on hand in a Peruvian kitchen?
I use a lot of spices, like cumin and turmeric, and herbs, like cilantro and parsley. But I also use huacatay (black mint) in native dishes. It is a bit overpowering so a few leaves go a long way. Muña, paico, ruda, in Andean dishes. Sachaculantro in Amazonian dishes. From the Andes I use Maras´ salt, healthy, delicious and full of minerals. Ground chili and paprika are also very popular. And homecooks like to use MSG, something I totally disagree with.
7. What are some innovative ways to experiment with ceviche?
Peruvian cooks are very creative with cebiche. (By the way, this word can be spelled with c, s, b or v.) They make Asian fusion cebiches, Mediterranean cebiches, vegetarian versions with mushrooms or artichoke hearts; there are duck or chicken cebiches (with cooked meat, more like a stew that an actual cebiche). Some cebiches are served in Martini glasses and topped with pisco sour foam. The sides could be fried green plantain in the north of the country, or toasted dry corn. Or you can make fried cebiche. The possibilities are endless.
8. What was the inspiration for your book and what do you hope people learn from it? What was the most fun about writing it?
The Peruvian Kitchen has 100 recipes, and most of them are easy to make. We wanted our readers to know that Peruvian food is not time consuming or demanding but it´s delicious and fun to make at home. The challenge for us was to think of only 100 dishes because there are so many…
9. Is there a dish from way back that you dream about? Who made it for you and can you make it the same way?
When I came to Peru for the first time food was not as fancy as it is today but it was amazing. To me it was a revelation because it was so different to my Central American roots. I heard many stories about traditional dishes that were almost forgotten but I can´t recall any.
10. What would you tell someone interested in starting to cook Peruvian cuisine at home? What dish do you think they should start with?
I would suggest something easy, like arroz con pollo (rice with chicken and cilantro). Gratineed scallops, mussels with chalaca sauce, or fried yucca sticks with rocoto sauce.
11. Who is your favorite chef or cook? Why?
I love Pedro Miguel Schiaffino. He is the chef and owner of Malabar, and AmaZ, and he has given Amazonian cuisine a great exposure. He is one of the most creative chefs and uses a lot of ingredients and recipes from the jungle. I also like Central´s chef, Virgilio Martínez, one of the best in the world. His food is awesome. Gastón Acurio is Peru´s most famous chef. He is a great cook and he´s working very hard to give Peruvian food the status it should have.
12. What is the best meal you have had in the past month? What made it great?
I enjoy a good meal if the food is good and the company is great. Last weekend I had lunch with my sister and niece, who came to visit from Nicaragua. We had Peruvian food: fish from the Amazon river (paiche) with mashed yucca, cocona and aji charapita sauce; causa with crab and shrimp; fish fillet with macho sauce (full of seafood, not spicy but so good.) Suspiro limeño for dessert, lúcuma mousse, and merengado de chirimoya.
The Peruvian Kitchen Cookbook Is Available On Amazon.
More of Morena Cuadra’s cooking can be found on her blog Peru Delights.
She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+
I hope you enjoy!
Keep Eating! Keep Innovating!
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