Peru has always been the top spot for culinary travel globally. The foodie country is “South America’s premier culinary destination,” home to thousands of unique and delicious recipes and ingredients. Peru is the perfect place if you’re looking for a country to satisfy your inner foodie. Here are five main reasons why the country is the best in terms of food experiences.
Delicious food is available everywhere
Delicious food is part of everyday life in Peru. From Michelin star chefs to humble street vendors, food is served in the best and most creative ways. What makes Peru so beautiful in terms of food culture is that fantastic food is accessible to all; all fresh ingredients, traditional or modern, can be easily purchased by people to use in their cooking. As a result, the food is always delicious wherever you go in Peru.
Modern Peruvian cuisine has global influences
The great gastronomic cultures profoundly influence Peruvian gastronomy. First, Andean civilizations, over thousands of years, developed various varieties of crops, including corn and potatoes. The arrival of Spanish influences strengthened the Andean way of cooking by sharing techniques and recipes. And when Peru gained independence, an influx of French and Italian chefs emigrated to Peru to establish themselves in the culinary world. In the 1980s, Japanese chefs followed suit.
All of these historical events have led to what is today the gastronomic culture of Peru, a wonderful hot pot culinary experience cradled in a country full of natural ingredients.
Thousands of ingredients are available in the geography of Peru
Peru’s position in the world is unique and logistically peculiar. In the east it has access to almost all the natural resources of South America and in the west to the enormous marine ecology of the Pacific Ocean. Peru can combine different flavor profiles, such as mixing seafood with mountain crops. Both Western and Eastern ingredients come together perfectly in the country simply because they can.
Peruvian recipes are based on the freshest ingredients
Peruvian dishes can be so different, with so many ingredients to choose from, but there is one thing in common: freshness. No matter how simple, every Peruvian dish enhances the freshness of its components. Even drinks like Chicha Morada use the best variety of purple corn. One of the distinctive features of Peruvian food culture is that the ingredients used must be fresh.
Good food is always part of every occasion
Each family in Peru creates a variation of famous recipes made for different occasions – this level of commitment to good food translates into a community full of delicious gastronomy. In Peru every celebration always involves the preparation of foods worthy of celebration. This is how their food culture thrives and grows through thousands of years of ups and downs in their history.
Do you want to get your gastronomic trip to Peru off to a great start? Find a Peruvian restaurant in your area and experience the flavors for yourself.
