Holy Carbs
Holy carbs. That would be my one complaint about Peruvian food. And don’t get me wrong I love carbs (bread, pasta, pastries you name it) but when there is a side of rice AND potatoes with both lunch and dinner it becomes a bit too much. Every morning my host mother has breakfast ready for me and one other girl at 8. Normally breakfast consist of eggs and ham, fruit, toast or any combination of the three. However, one day we got cheeseburgers for breakfast…. I’m not sure if that was because we are American or if that is something they eat for breakfast but my stomach was not going to handle that well at 8am. Lunch is provided by the school everyday and consists of traditional Peruvian foods which I will discuss shortly. Our dinner is placed in the fridge at some point during the day and when we get home from our activities of the day we reheat the food in the microwave. The portions of food are smaller than American restaurant portions but about the same as what I would normally eat at home.
As in most Latin American countries and most places other than the U.S., you should not drink the water. Therefore, you have to buy your water at the store or boil it. This can make eating vegetables difficult so most are very well cooked and are less common than I expected. Also, all fruits must be peeled and for this reason most people make fruit juices in their homes. Either that or they just drink Inka Cola, a bubblegum flavored drink that I did not enjoy at first but my TA proved to be right when he said “it’s an acquired taste”.
Some common Peruvian dishes are:
Lomo saltado: beef with tomatoes, peppers, and onions with a broth/soy sauce juice served with rice and potatoes
Aji de Gallina: shredded chiken with a type of peper (aji) that gives the cheese/cream sauce its color and a little bit of a kick (and a side of rice!)
This sauce is also poured over potatoes for papa a la huancaina.
Anticuchos: traditionally cow heart marinated, skewered, and cook but can be done with any kind of meat; this was definetly the most unique thing I have eaten thus far but I enjoyed it.
Pollo a la brasa: rotisserie style chicken typically served with French fries and rice
Mazamorra Morada: a gelatin like dessert made with purple corn and pieces of fruit (also used to make a common juice with the same dark purple color)
Suspiro a la Limeña: a caramel pudding dessert with whipped cream
Two things I have yet to try but I would like to are ceviche and cuy. Ceviche is fish cooked in a citrus marinade and in Peru there is some spices added too it. Cuy is guinea pig, which is the most unusual thing I have heard of Peru although, according to my professor, it tastes like the dark meat of a chicken. I am looking forward to trying these meals in the next 3 weeks.
