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Reel In A Crowd
episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • cooking • 25m
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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • cooking • 25m
G
It sounds like a simple enough question: what is Peruvian cuisine? Yet, as those who understand the cuisine’s diverse backstory know, there’s no simple answer.
According to the Lima-born restaurateur and chef behind , , Peru's cuisine can’t be narrowed down to just one form – and it certainly can’t be reduced to plates of ceviche and coupes of pisco sours. (Although is a work of art, as he expertly displays in ).
Saravia explains that just as the experienced Italian or Thai diner acknowledges the many influences that shape their regional plate, the initiated Peruvian-style diner realises the multiple geographic and historical factors that define Peruvian cuisine.
A modern take on Peru's diverse Nikkei cuisine at Morena: ora king salmon tiradito pickled carrots. Credit: Arianna Harry Photography/Arianna Harry Photography
“We have the coast, which is washed by the Pacific Ocean. The Sierra [a region of the Peruvian Andes] that divides our country from north to south, creating many different micro-climates. Then, we have the Amazon jungle which, again, provides many kinds of micro-climates.”
The beauty of Peruvian cuisine is that every region and town has its own style of food.
The result is a diverse mix of Peruvian ingredients, food traditions and recipes. On the coast, you can indulge in seafood-led dishes like (a layered dish made with mashed potatoes, seafood, and a variety of sauces) and (a creamy shrimp soup). Over in the Peruvian Amazon jungle, juane (rice mixed with chicken or pork, eggs, olives, and local herbs and spices) is widespread.
The many influences on Peruvian cuisine
In addition to geographical diversity, the other biggest influence on Peruvian cuisine over time
, the food that Peru's inhabitants have eaten has always been deeply tied to the country's identity, as well as social, religious, and agricultural celebrations. From the Incas who cultivated many grains and vegetables (sweet potatoes, cassava, tomatoes, peanuts, quinoa and kiwicha) to the Spanish colonialists in the 16th century who introduced garlic and onions, Indigenous groups and multiple migrant groups — all have left a diverse impression on Peruvian cuisine.
“Many people came to Peru from China, Japan and Africa at different times throughout our history. Each migrant group brought their own cuisine and ingredients to Peru. So although Peru has its own set of very traditional dishes, we also have a range of other cuisines that are Peruvian as well.”
![FarmersDaughters-0003-web_Photo Credit - DUYDASH[4].JPG](https://images.sbs.com.au/9b/b4/3e40cccf400591eca3b4d47a4e42/farmersdaughters-0003-web-photo-credit-duydash4.JPG?imwidth=1280)
The restaurateur and Peruvian cuisine champion, Alejandro Saravia, hard at work in the kitchen at one of his restaurants, Farmer's Daughters, Victoria.
“When you see a plate of Nikkei cuisine, it is clearly Japanese food. But when you taste what’s on the plate, you taste the blend of the two cuisines.”
Each migrant group brought their own cuisine and ingredients to Peru.
For example, yakisoba saltado is a popular Nikkei dish that combines stir-fried noodles with the Peruvian ingredients of yellow pepper and potatoes. Then there’s tiradito, a Japanese Peruvian take on traditional ceviche. “With tiradito, we slice the fish thinner than sashimi and cover it in a light sauce that cures or cooks it.”
On you’ll find ora king salmon tiradito with chilli and pickled heirloom carrots. There’s also spanner crab chupe, udon noodles and prawn crumb. These fine dining examples fuse Australian ingredients like South Coast NSW seafood, with Nikkei flavours and methods. In a way, Saravia's food is another style of Peruvian fusion food, merging Australian produce with Nikkei cuisine.
“We try our best to bring the traditional flavours of Peru to Australia — but don't expect a traditional restaurant [at Morena].”
Peruvian cuisine in Australia
More recently, a gastronomical revolution has been influencing Peruvian cuisine within Peru and around the world.
In Australia, Peruvian restaurants are steadily growing in number. In Sydney alone, there is Saravia's Morena, Callao at Barangaroo, Pepito's in Marrickville and Moche Peruvian Fusion Cuisine in Pyrmont (just to name a few).
“The quality of Peruvian restaurants that are opening now are quite high. This will help the Australian public to recognise the quality and standards that Peruvian cuisine can reach.”
However, relative to other cuisines, the Peruvian food scene in Australia is still small. “Peruvian food is a very new cuisine for Australia,” Saravia says. “One of the reasons is obviously the distance between Australia and Peru. In Australia, there’s also a very strong food influence from Asia and Europe, due to migration patterns. There is a much smaller food influence from Latin America.”
Taking the world by storm
Despite this, Saravia believes it's now time for Peruvian-style cuisine to shine in Australia. “The quality of Peruvian restaurants that are opening now are quite high. This will help the Australian public to recognise the quality and standards that Peruvian cuisine can reach.”
Elsewhere in the world – including global food capitals like London, New York and Dubai – Peruvian food has been gaining in popularity for its diversity and sheer richness of flavours for several years now.
This can partly be credited to state support, as is often the case when it comes to marketing a cuisine globally. government launched a gastronomy project to promote culinary traditions and grow the nation's restaurant industry.
Saravia tells SBS this sparked a food resurgence, as chefs became fascinated with rediscovering native ingredients and celebrating ancient food traditions. He says many Peruvian chefs who travelled overseas for work returned back to Peru with a wealth of international kitchen experience. This helped to further fuel the country's pursuit of gastronomical excellence.
“All of these different influences have worked together harmoniously to boost the local restaurant industry. Today, Lima is considered the gastronomical capital of Latin America.”
Peru's culinary fame has been characterised by its diversity, with an academic study labelling it as "one of the most diverse [cuisines] in the world". Peruvian gastronomy is globally recognised due to its excellence, variety, colors, flavors, and textures. Restaurants in Lima have been named among the top five , for the past running.
Spanner crab chupe, udon noodles and prawn crumb, as served at Morena in Sydney. This fine dining example of Nikkei food fuses Japanese and Peruvian cuisines with Australian seafood. Credit: Arianna Harry Photography/Arianna Harry Photography
The chef hopes that in the next five-to-ten years, there will be a greater mix of casual and fine dining restaurants offering Peruvian styles of cuisine in Australia.
“One day, I would love to see Australians say ‘let’s go to eat some Peruvian food’ just as often as they currently say ‘let’s go get some Thai food’.
"I also hope more Australians will come to associate Peruvian dishes with diversity, freshness and innovation. It truly is a cuisine that is well-balanced and offers something for everyone.”
