A Mosaic of Flavors

Peruvian gastronomy is exceptionally rich by its variety, originality, culinary heritage and fusion. Lima, the country's capital, is considered the gastronomic capital of South America, and in December 2016, the World Travel Awards recognized Peru, for the fifth consecutive year, as the best culinary destination in the world.

Peruvian cuisine is a mix of indigenous traditions and European, Asian and African influences thanks to migratory flows, thus offering a remarkable gastronomic heritage. Among the most popular kitchen mergers, the Chifa, a Peruvian/Chinese fusion and the Nikkei, a Peruvian/Japanese fusion.

Los Alfajores
- For 20 people. Easy. Preparation: 34 minutes. Cooking time: 10 minutes.
- Ingredients: 200g of flour. 200g cornflour. 3 egg yolks. 200g of soft butter. 160g of caster sugar. 2 teaspoons of yeast. 2 teaspoons of baking soda. Lemon zest. A handful of grated coconut. Milk or raspberry jam or chocolate.
- Preparation: In a bowl, mix the butter, the three egg yolks and the sugar, until the dough is homogeneous. In a second container, mix the flour, cornflour, yeast and baking soda. Add this mixture gradually to the first preparation and add the lemon zest. Then, knead the dough until forming a very homogeneous ball.
Roll the work surface and spread the dough about 0.7 cm thick. With a cookie cutter, form small or large discs. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 175 ° C until golden brown. Let cool and garnish with milk jam, chocolate or raspberry jam. Finally, roll each biscuit in grated coconut.
- Tip: To add more smoothness, you can cover each biscuit with chocolate, icing or powdered sugar. Or vary the icings, which will make a nice assortment.

Fried trucha
- For 4 people. Easy. Preparation: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 20 minutes.
- Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of chopped chives. 80g of butter. 50g of parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper. ½ mustard glass of white wine. 1.5 liters of broth. 400g of quinoa. 3 onions. 4 trout pavers. (Optional: 4 eggs to make an omelet, to be placed between risotto and trout).
- Preparation: in a frying pan, brown the chives and onions with the butter; add the salmon and cook, then add the white wine. Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa, boil some water in a saucepan and place the quinoa. Once cooked, add over the court bouillon gently, and let simmer for a few minutes, stirring. Wait until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the stock broth in small amounts as it is absorbed. Pour the quinoa into hollow plates and top with trout and parmesan.
- Tip: you can replace the risotto with potatoes.

Pancetta Chicharron
- For 4 people. Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 60 minutes.
- Ingredients: 1.8 Kg of pork belly. 2 liters of water. 2 teaspoons of salt. 1 teaspoon of oregano .1 teaspoon of pepper, 1/4 cup of sour orange juice or lemon. 1 cup of cooking oil. 6 slices of lemon to serve. 700g of sweet potatoes.
- Preparation: In a pot, mix pork, water, salt, oregano, pepper and sour orange. Simmer uncovered over medium heat until all liquid has evaporated. Change cauldron and choose a low-thick and thick aluminum, add the oil and fry covered with a frying medium, to avoid splashing oil, until you get a dark gold color and when the skin is crisp. Remove from heat and let cool a little. Peel sweet potatoes, cut into thin slices and fry in oil. Cut the meat into 5 cm pieces and serve. Decorate with slices of lemon and potatoes.
- Tip: You can present them as hamburgers in rolls by spreading the meat, onion and sweet potato.

TOP 5
The musts.

Potato
Called "papa" in Spanish, it is one of the staple foods of Peruvian gastronomy.

Aji
The most used pepper in the Peruvian cuisine.

Corn
There are more than 300 varieties of corn in Peru.

Chicha morada
Purple corn drink.

Pisco
Peruvian national brandy, distilled from grapes.