newsletter
september 2007
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*Peru's food varies regionally. In this month's newsletter, we tell the food story of three major Peruvian cities.
Cusco
On a short walk through the center of Cusco, you will pass Incan stone walls, Spanish colonial churches, and modern foreign-run bars and cafes. The town is cultural mishmash that allows for a dynamic dining scene. On the outskirts of Cusco, open only for lunch, is Quinta Zarate. There, you can dine on age-old Peruvian dishes like grilled cuy (guinea pig), a rich, dark meat, or spicy, beef-stuffed rocoto peppers. Closer to the town center, in the San Blas neighborhood, is the bustling foreign-owned Jack's Café Bar, where locals and tourists alike stop for heaping salads or plates of scrambled eggs and toast. In the center of town, both Peruvian and western cuisine are elevated to gourmet standards. In the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the novoandino MAP Café serves up dishes like roasted beef tenderloin with a creamy, red-wine-infused quinotto (risotto made with the Andean grain quinoa). And nearby, the Australian-Peruvian owned Ciccolina serves juicy alpaca steaks in a four-pepper sauce with a side of tender, Peruvian potato gnocchi.
Arequipa
In Arequipa, early weekday mornings have the feeling of Spain 30 years ago. School children, in dark uniforms, wander through the narrow streets and church bells chime in the background. Arequipa is a town that never shed its traditional past, and the town's cuisine reflects that. On the outskirts of town, picanterías, mom-and-pop restaurants, have for decades served the traditional stews and braised meats that define the town. At 3 a.m. on weekends, Arequipeños line up at the classic picanterías for a breakfast of adobo, a spicy stewed meat dish. Some restaurants, though, have taken the concept of the picantería to a gourmet level. Sol de Mayo, which turned 107 this year, is one of them. When you dine there, be sure to try the solterito de queso, a cheese and bean salad, chupe de camarones, a hearty crayfish stew, and adobo de cerdo, a spicy, braised pork dish.
Iquitos
The humid jungle heat of Iquitos clings to you, begging for a cool dip in the nearby Amazon or a 24-hour fanning service. Since neither one of these options is truly practical, the people of Iquitos opt for popsicles made of tangy jungle fruits like camu camu, and lunches of fresh heart of palm salads and chicarrones de largarte, tender fried alligator nuggets. These light and flavorful meals are typical of Iquitos - a town that eats local jungle ingredients, in light preparations, so that it can handle its hot climate. Juanes, rice, chicken, and egg patties, wrapped in banana leaves are typical of fast, street-side lunches. Grilled paiche or dorado, flaky white Amazon fish, are often served for larger mid-day meals. Only when the sun goes down do the people of Iquitos venture into richer or less traditional dishes. Then, they might eat grilled red meat or even hamburgers. (Note: we do not encourage the consumption of lagarte, as it is a threaten species in Peru.)