Independence Day

Peru celebrated its Independence Day (Fiestas Patrias) earlier this week-July 28th and 29th-and, since Independence Day at home is celebrated with some specific food, I thought this would be a good time to talk about the traditional foods that I have sampled here.

As expected in the coastal region here, we eat a lot of fish-grilled, fried, etc.  But one of the most famous ways to eat it here is in ceviche, raw fish that is marinated in lemon juice.  I love ceviche and when I spend time in Lima, I try to eat at any opportunity.   

Ceviche is typically served with corn and camote, sweet potato.

A typical festival food here is anticuchos, kabobs made from beef hearts.  They are delicious.

These are typically served with boiled potatoes and corn.

In my first post, I mentioned not enjoying my first experience with causa; however, I've had it since and it's actually quiet tasty.  Causa is cold, mashed yellow potatoes, most typically layered with tuna and avocado and often topped with eggs and olives.

This weekend, I also had my first experience with grilled cuy, Guinea pig. I'm not sure that I'll seek it out in the future, but it wasn't bad.

This cuy is accompanied by papa a la huancaina, boiled potatoes covered in a spicy cheese sauce

And if the food wasn't decadent enough, they can be followed up by these heavenly desserts:

After you finish your anticuchos, you can pick up fresh picarones in the next festival booth.  Picarones are the love child of a funnel cake and a doughnut-fried dough drizzled with a clove-infused honey sauce.  When served piping hot, they are amazing!

If something sweeter is more your style, you can tickle your taste buds with Suspiro a la Limeña (literally, the sigh of a woman from Lima).

This custard is made with evaporated milk, so you can imagine how rich and creamy it is.

But what I eat more frequently at the plant are alfajores, cookies filled with manjar blanco, a caramel-like filling.  Decadent!

And with all these sweets, you, of course, need something to wash it down with:

If you are looking for something nationalistic and alcoholic, your best bet is a pisco sour.  Pisco is a grape brandy that can be paired with a variety of mixers.

If you want something family-friendly, you can try chicha morada, a beverage made by adding cloves and other spices to a base made from purple maize.

Also popular here is Inca Kola, a fluorescent yellow soda that tastes like bubble gum.  Personally, it's not my cup of tea, but it is popular.

With all of these being just a sampling of the food here, I now understand why USA Today predicted that Peruvian food will become a trend in the US.