Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [37]
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The Exotic Kitchens of Peru by noted food writer Copeland Marks is not only a comprehensive cookbook, but an excellent guide to understanding the origins of many Peruvian dishes.
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Though Peru exports coffee to the world, the locals tend to drink it instant. Many restaurants provide hot water and a packet of Nescafé. In more cosmopolitan cities, however, cafes serving espresso and cappuccino have proliferated. Tea and mates (herbal teas) are also widely available. The latter includes manzanilla (chamomile), menta (mint) and mate de coca, a coca-leaf tea. The last will not get you high, but it can soothe stomach ailments and help with high-altitude acclimatization.
Local beers are good and generally inexpensive. The best-known brands are Pilsen Callao, Brahma, Cristal and Cusqueña, all of which are light lagers. Arequipeña and Trujillana are regional brews served in and around those cities. Some brands, such as Pilsen, offer cerveza negra (dark beer) as well.
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Cuy was an important source of protein for pre-Columbian native people in an area that ranged from Venezuela to central Chile.
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In the Andes, homemade chicha (corn beer) is very popular. It tastes slightly bitter, is low in alcoholic content and is found almost exclusively at small markets and private homes (though some high-end restaurants now sell it as well). In the Andes, a red flag posted near a door indicates that chicha is available.
Local wines have improved greatly over the years (though they are generally not as good as vintages from Chile and Argentina). The best local labels are Tabernero, Tacama, Ocucaje and Vista Alegre. Also very popular is pisco (see boxed text, below).
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President Alejandro Toledo designated the first Saturday of every February ‘Pisco Sour Day’ in 2003 as a way to promote the Peruvian liquor.
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CELEBRATIONS
Every Peruvian town has some celebratory day in which everyone pours into the streets to drink, dance and eat – and then drink some more. These events are usually centered on religious holidays, such as Carnaval (Shrove Tuesday), or civil ones, such as Fiestas Patrias (National Independence Days). For these occasions, entire marketplaces spring up in town squares selling chicharrones, lechón (suckling pig), boiled corn with cheese and plenty of beer. During October, bakeries (mainly along the coast) are stocked with turrón de Doña Pepa, a sticky, molasses-drenched cake eaten in honor of El Señor de los Milagros. Pastelería San Martín in Lima has the finest turrón around; Click here.
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A PISCO PRIMER
It is the national beverage: pisco, the omnipresent grape brandy served at events from the insignificant to the momentous. Production dates back to the early days of the Spanish colony in Ica, where it was distilled on private haciendas and then sold to sailors making their way through the port of Pisco. In its early years, pisco was the local firewater: a great way to get ripped – and wake up the following morning feeling as if you had been hammered over the head.
By the early 20th century, the pisco sour (pisco with lime juice and sugar) arrived on the scene, and with the assistance of a few skilled bartenders at the Gran Hotel Bolívar (Click here) and the Hotel Maury (Click here) in Lima it became the national drink.
In recent decades, production of pisco has become increasingly sophisticated. The result is excellent piscos that are nuanced and flavorful (without the morning-after effects). The three principal types of Peruvian pisco are Quebranta, Italia and acholado. Quebranta (a pure-smelling pisco) and Italia