Indian Food Cuisine

Diverse crops Grains of Quinoa Peru is considered an important center for the genetic diversity of the world s crops Maize corn 35 varieties Tomatoes 15 species Potatoes 2 000 varieties in Peru and 3 000 in the world The International Potato Center which goes by its Spanish name s initials CIP short for Centro Internacional de la Papa that is devoted to the investigation and genetic conservation of the potato is located in Lima Peru Sweet potatoes 2 016 varieties Peanuts are found as decorative pieces made of gold in several pre Columbian tombs Peanuts were later taken by Spanish and Portuguese merchants to Africa Fish 2 000 species of fish both freshwater and saltwater more than any other country on Earth Fruit 650 native species It is also famed for its large number of species of bananas The variety of climate itself can provide for the bringing of fruits from all the world From Peru the Spanish brought back to Europe foods which would become staples for many peoples aro und the world Peruvian potatoes Potatoes Potatoes were considered livestock feed in Europe until French chemist Antoine Augustin Parmentier began serving dishes made from the tubers at his lavish banquets His guests were immediately convinced that potatoes were fit for human consumption Parmentier s introduction of the potato is still discussed in Europe today Maize Maize is native to all of Central and South America Tomatoes Tomatoes were introduced to Europe from Latin America and many other food products From its interaction with Africa through Spain Peru imported diverse foods such as bananas okra and yams Cultivation of ancient plants Peruvian corn Some plants that were cultivated by the ancient societies of Peru have now been rediscovered by modern Peruvians and are carefully studied by scientists Due to the characteristics of its land and climate and due to the nutritional quality of its products some Peruvian plants will play a vital role in the nutrition of the futu re this is true for quinoa which is an excellent source of essential amino acids and kaiwa which appear to be and are prepared like cereals but are not cereals Root vegetables such as maca and real cereals like kiwicha are also plants nutritionists are researching today For many of Peru s inhabitants these foodstocks allow for adequate nutrition even though living standards are poor The abandoning of many of these staples during the Spanish domination and republican eras has brought down nutritional levels in the country Some of these foodstocks have been used since 1985 by NASA for astronaut food like quinoa kiwicha and maca Peruvian cuisine is often made spicy by means of aj pepper a basic ingredient Some Peruvian chili peppers are not spicy but serve to give taste and color to dishes Rice often accompanies dishes in Peruvian cuisine and the regional sources of foods and traditions give rise to countless varieties of preparation and dishes Fine Peruvian cuisine emphasizes the mix of colors and ingredients in a dynamically growing restaurateur industry and trends led by young and talented chefs The following are just a few of the many dishes which are generally popular with the Peruvians Some of these originated in other parts of Peru but most are well known and can be found in some part of Lima Regional differences Peru is a country that holds not just a variety of ethnic mixes since times ranging from the Inca Empire the Viceroyalty and the Republic but also a climatic variety of 28 individual climates The mixing of cultures and the variety of climates differ from city to city so geography climate culture and ethnic mix determine the variety of local cuisine Cuisine of the Coast Ceviche Mixto The cuisine of the coast can be said to have five strong influences Japanese the Moorish the African the Chinese and the local native The Pacific Ocean is the principal source of aquatic resources for Peru Peru is one of the world s top two producers an d exporters of unusually high protein fishmeal for use in livestock aquaculture feed Its richness in fish and other aquatic life is enormous and many oceanic plant and animal species can only be found in Peru As important as the Pacific is to Peru s biodiversity freshwater biomes such as the Amazon River and Lake Titicaca also play a large role in the ecological make up of the country Every coastal region being distinct in flora and fauna populations adapts its cuisine in accordance to the resources available in its waters Ceviche with its many different variations pure combination or mixed with fish and shellfish is a good example of this regional adaptation Ceviche is found in almost all Peruvian restaurants specialized in this country s world renowned fish and seafood Lima alone holds thousands of them from the simple to very fancy ones Typically served with camote or sweet potato The chupe de camarones shrimp cioppino is one of the most popular dishes of Peruvian coastal cuisine It is made from a thick freshwater shrimp crayfish stock soup potatoes milk and chili pepper Regarded as typical from Arequipa Chupe de Camarones is regularly found in Peruvian restaurants specialized in Arequipan cuisine Cuisine of Lima and Central Coast Anticuchos Tiradito Lomo saltado Chicharrn A center of immigration and centers of the Spanish Viceroyalty Lima and Trujillo have incorporated unique dishes brought from the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors and the receiving of many waves of immigrants African European Chinese and Japanese Besides international immigration large portion of which happened in Limahere has been since the second half of the 20th century a strong internal flow from rural areas to cities in particular to Lima This has strongly influenced Lima s cuisine with the incorporation of the immigrant s ingredients and techniques for example the Chinese extensive use of rice or the Japanese approach to preparing raw fish Creole cuisine is the m ost widespread in this cosmopolitan city Some international cuisines with a large presence include Chinese known locally as chifa and Italian The city s ubiquitous bakeries are another culinary treasure where one may find just out of the oven bread from 6 to 9 am and from 4 to 6 pm Few coastal cities bakeries produce bollos which are loaves of bread baked in stone and wood ovens from the Andes the great Peruvian mountains Anticuchos are brochettes made from a beef heart marinated in a various Peruvian spices and grilled often sided with boiled potatoes and corn They are commonly sold by street vendors and served shish kabob style but one may find them in creole food restaurants Also frequently sold by street vendors are tamales boiled corn with meat or cheese and wrapped in a banana leaf They are similar to humitas which consist of corn mixed with spices sugar onions filled with pork and olives and finally wrapped in the leaves of corn husks Tamales are a common breakfast fo od often served with lima and or Salsa Criolla Another favorite food to be found in many restaurants is Papas a la huancana Huancayo style potatoes a dish consisting of sliced boiled potatoes served on a bed of lettuce with a slightly spicy cheese sauce with olives Even if the name says that it is from Huancayo it is actually from Chosica in Lima made by a Huancaina a person from huancayo Ceviche often spelled cebiche in Peru is the flagship dish of coastal cuisine and one of Peru s favorites It is the quintessence of fusion Andean chili peppers onions and acidic aromatic lime of a species imported by the Spanish though with origins in Northern Africa limon in Spanish A spicy dish it consists generally of bite size pieces of white fish such as corvina or white sea bass marinated raw in lime juice mixed with chilis Ceviche is served with raw onions boiled sweet potatoes camote toasted corn cancha and sometimes a local green seaweed yuyo Leche de tigre tiger s milk is the Peru vian colloquial name for the juice produced from the ingredients of ceviche It has a light spicy flavor and serves as a good reconstituent Local custom recommends ceviche as a breakfast for sleepwalkers a hangover cure and as an aphrodisiac Unlike ceviche from Mexico and Ecuador it does not have tomatoes and unlike that of Tahiti it does not use coconut milk though both are abundant in Peru A variation available in Callao replaces mango for fish Tiradito is the younger brother of ceviche and shows more clearly the influence that Japanese cooks have had in Peru s seafood cuisine though some suggest that it s closer to Italian carpaccio popularized by Genovese immigrants The fish is sliced in fine strips about 6 cm by 2 cm that are similar to sashimi and then marinated in a mix of lime juice ginger and aj limo Unlike ceviche tiradito lacks onions which translates into a subtler taste Papa rellena stuffed potato mashed potatoes stuffed with ground minced meat eggs olives and va rious spices and then deep fried Arroz tapado covered rice uses the same stuffing of papa rellena but rather than used as a stuffing it is accompanied by rice Sancochado A hearty beef and vegetable stew which includes yuca cassava and camotes sweet potatoes A local staple found in many cheaper as well as more up market restaurants is lomo saltado sliced beef if made from the tenderloin it is lomo fino stir fried with onion tomato soy sauce vinegar chili aji and served or mixed with French fried potatoes aka chips and accompanied with rice Lima has an abundance of Peruvian style Chinese restaurants or chifas as they are known locally indeed arroz chaufa or Chinese style rice is one of the frequently sampled dishes that has found its way into Peruvian cuisine Arroz con pollo or rice with chicken is enjoyed for its rich flavored rice combined with chicken Chupe de pescado or fish cioppino is popular in Lima and along the coast Lima butter bean pallares salad a salad made with o bviously Peruvian Lima butter beans called pallares in Per boiled but still whole and mixed when cooled with a salsa of onions slices of tomatoes and green aj chili marinated in green Peruvian lime juice oil salt and vinegar Lima butter beans pallares have been part of the Peruvian cuisine for at least 6 000 years Butifarras a sandwich in a hamburger type bread roll and consisting of Peruvian ham with a special spicy sauce consisting of sliced onions sliced chili peppers lime salt pepper and oil Papa rellena Causa in its basic form is a mashed yellow potato dumpling mixed with key lime onion chili and oil Varieties can have avocado chicken tuna typically canned or even shellfish added to the mixture Also causa is very popular in Lima which distinguishes this dish by saying Causa Limea Causa is usually served cold with hard boiled eggs and olives Carapulcra is an appetizing stewed dish of pork and chicken dried potatoes red chilis peanuts and cumin The version from the Afro P eruvian Ica region uses fresh potatoes Empanadas peruanas Peruvian pastries meat pies These are not to be confused with the meat pies found in many northern Western countries They can be filled either with chicken beef cheese or be strictly vegetarian They have a unique taste due to the addition of olives and sometimes hard boiled eggs and raisins Aj de gallina chili chicken is thin strips of chicken served with a creamy yellow and spicy sauce made basically with aj amarillo yellow chilis cheese milk bread and walnuts Traditionally from non laying hens but today almost exclusvely made from more tender chickens Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe module on Aj de Gallina Escabeche criollo pickled fish Escabeche when the word is used alone normally refers to escabeche of fish Other varieties can use duck or chicken The escabeche dishes rely in the cooking on the heavy use of vinegar and onions together with other spices and chili Empanadas Ceviche sampler Cau cau is a meal consisti ng of mondongo or tripe stew and accompanied by rice There are a number of versions of Cau Cau In general cau cau is a style of cooking being there seafood cau cau shellfish cau cau etc Two noteworthy styles are the creole style simply called Tripe Cau Cau and the Italo Peruvian style The creole is made with strips of previously cooked tripe seasoned by a mixture of sauteed onions garlic yellow aji a pinch of turmeric salt and pepper and chunks of boiled potatoes The mixed is allowed to cook together to blend the tastes and acquire consistency It is then sprinkled with spearmint or mint The other common version is the Italian style It consists of strips of precooked tripe sauteed with a mixture of red onions peeled tomatoes tomato paste and dried mushrooms Porcini After the flavors blend it is seasoned with parsley and mixed with fried potato strips just prior to serving Some chefs add a few tablespoons of wine or pisco following the sautee step These recipes may have Africa n and Chinese influence as well as Italian Chicharrones a dish consisting of deep fried in its own fat and heavily salted pork There are at least two kinds of chicharrones pork skins and country style ribs first boiled until dried and until they render their own fat where the continue the browning process required for them to be called chicharrones There are other types of chicharrones including deep fried squid and other seafoods They can be served at breakfast or any time of day Cuisine of the Northern Coast The cuisine of the northern coast offers a difference in style from the central and southern varieties This is not only due to the coastal native Indian influence less Andean the Moorish and Spanish influence the African and the Gypsy influence Hindustani but also to the warmer coastal seas hotter climate and immense geographical latitude variety The widely different climates between Tumbes Piura Lambayeque La Libertad Cajamarca and San Martin contributes to the variet y of dishes in these areas Northern Style Dishes Shambar is a soup made with wheat pork rinds smoked ham assorted beans and green onions It is served with t

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