our culinary vacations
AN ADVENTURE INTO PERUVIAN CUISINE AND CULTURE
Pica Peru Itineraries
Spend three days dining in top Lima restaurants, and then escape to the northern coast of Peru. Authentic Peruvian cooking classes will focus on fresh fish and seafood. Afternoons are wiled away in the sun or riding waves.
After a complete Peruvian culinary tour through Lima restaurants, Pica Peru travels to the historic heart of the Inca culture. Local products and market visits are the base of the interactive cooking classes. Trips to cultural ruins are an afternoon must.
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Peru's impressive geography covers coast, mountains, and jungle. It offers up to the table a diversity of fresh Peruvian ingredients, like saltwater fish, juicy jungle mangos, and hearty mountain potatoes. While pre-Colombian cultures ate simple preparations of these native Peruvian ingredients, the Spanish, in the lap of luxury, wanted only gourmet. They chopped, mixed, and roasted these diverse Peruvian ingredients into elaborate dishes and inaugurated a culture of fine dining. The Spanish colony fell in 1824, opening up Peru's economy, boarders, and culinary habits to the Chinese, Japanese, and Italians. Each immigrant group made its mark on Peru's menu. Now, the flavors and techniques of these cultures, as well as those of the native Peruvians, are the building blocks of modern day chefs. Dynamic dishes, like dessert flan of Andean cereal grains, are gaining international acclaim for their sophistication and creativity. As more travelers and journalists discover the sophistication of Peruvian food, they are falling to its pleasures, just as Peruvian locals have done for centuries.
Pica Peru Culinary Vacations begins its Peruvian cooking vacations in the dining rooms of respected Lima restaurants. Traveling from acclaimed culinary nooks (huariques) to gourmet restaurants, Pica Peru participants sample the diverse flavors of Peruvian food. They meet the chefs, hear the stories, and learn the historical influences behind Peruvian cuisine. Then, according to their chosen Peruvian culinary vacation, they travel to one of two countryside destinations: the beachside town of Mancora or the lush Sacred Valley and Cusco. There, in a combination of interactive Peruvian cooking classes and sightseeing, the stories of Peru's food and culture come to life.
With advance notice, Pica Peru can coordinate customized Peruvian culinary vacations.