Get to know of piquant cuisine in festival at Le Meridien
By Mehru Jaffer
JAKARTA (JP): Beware of Eduardo Vargas the Peruvian chef, as his love for food is rather contagious. Parked at the Le Meridien for 12 days, the chubby-cheeked and broad-chested Eduardo is happily spooning out generous portions from Peruvian dishes that he claims are older than the ancient Inca Indians.
His speciality is the humble potato that in his hands acquires a complex layered taste meant to please the gods.
After all, the potato originated in Peru. And there the vegetable has been perfected as a food over centuries of trial and error. In the Andes, the place where the potato was first found, farmers cultivate no fewer than 4,000 varieties.
In Eduardo's home, potatoes come in pink, white, blue, yellow or brown colors. Some are round, others finger-like and some no larger than a grape. And the texture and flavor of each variety is as dramatically different as its look; from starchy to waxy, from nutty to bitter-sweet.
And after painstakingly preparing foods ranging from a sizzling combination of pre-Hispanic and Spanish kitchens to European specialties, the big and burly Eduardo insists on following one around the buffet table, piling one's plate with morsels prepared from produce of the Amazon jungle region, the cold, dry Andes Mountains and the arid, warm coastal areas.
Peruvian cuisine has had many influences -- from Indians and Spanish conquistadors, who made Lima their South American capital, to waves of Italian, Chinese, African and Japanese immigrants.
The Asian touch is found in Ceviche; fresh raw fish marinated in tart lime juice, seasoned with red onion, garlic, coriander and crunchy, raw chilies, garnished with lettuce, sweet potatoes and starchy Andean corn. The tangy Ceviche is a must if Peruvian cuisine is what you have in mind for the day.
European flavors linger in the Chupe de Camarones, a fragrant crayfish soup laden with fish fillets, yellow potatoes, corn, rice, peas and fresh cheese garnished with chilies and topped with poached eggs.
African aromas cover Lima's favorite Picarones; anise- sweetened, deep fried pastries made from a pumpkin dough. And it is impossible to divorce the Incas from the national dish Anticuchos de Res -- small pieces of beef heart, marinated and grilled on skewers.
"There is not much difference between what Indonesians eat and Peruvians," says Eduardo adding that like the Indonesians, Peruvians also eat large portions of rice, along with fresh fish and vegetables, prepared with delicate spices and hot chilies with an assortment of sauces and condiments, followed by tropical fruit.
One way of preparing rice is to color it deep yellow with turmeric and in the 1500 year old pre-Inca Pachamanca tradition, mix with different cuts of meat, sweet potatoes, string beans, corn and potatoes, then wrap in banana leaves and bury in a pit for several hours. The banana leaves and warm earth impart a special flavor to the food.
The Aji chilly, of which there are said to be over a hundred different varieties, is the soul of Peruvian food. Aji de gallina is the irresistible traditional dish from Lima that is a mix of shredded chicken with walnuts, parmesan cheese and Peruvian peppers served on bed of rice and potato with a black olive on top.
With years of guerrilla warfare and difficult struggles to repair the economy, the last thing on the mind of Peruvians was to promote their delicately spiced food abroad. However, with encouraging economic growth in recent times, the country is once again opening up to the world, making its cuisine one of the most popular after French and Chinese.
Professional cooking, too, is only now being considered as a profession in Peru. Another reason why so little is known about Peruvian cooking is that until recently recipes and methods were just oral traditions.
Out of more than 500 recipes that exist in grandmother's kitchen, some of the most popular ones are fast becoming the chosen meal on many a plate around the globe. Eduardo hopes this new trend will continue and the cuisine that he considers is the best in the world will no longer be merely one of South America's best-kept secrets.
Eduardo, who is based in Singapore, is having the time of his life giving back to Asia recipes the region has contributed to the Peruvian kitchen.
The Peruvian food and cultural festival has Indonesians feasting on Eduardo's food and swinging to music performed by a South American trio while surrounded by an exhibition of Jorge Virgil, Peru's favorite painter.
Both the feast and the festival at Le Meridien end on May 7. More information is available on telephone numbers 2513131 and 5711633.