Peruvians toast Independence with native fare

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

For expatriates, nothing compares to the joy of celebrating Independence Day abroad with traditional flavors from home.

Just like various cultural activities usually held to commemorate the event, the flavor of popular dishes from home can evoke the memory of what fellow countrypeople are eating at the same festivity at home.

And to celebrate the 182nd anniversary of Peru's independence this year, the embassy, in cooperation with Hotel Borobudur Jakarta, and sponsored by Australia's Qantas airline, has invited guest chef Jessica Hurtado San Martin to prepare some of the country's popular dishes during its week-long food promotion due to last until Aug. 1, at Bogor Cafe.

For the event, chef Jessica has prepared around 30 of the most popular Peruvian dishes, including anticuchos (spit-roasted chicken and paprika), lomo saltado (pan-fried tenderloin strips) and aji de gallina (rice served with savory chicken topping, quail eggs and boiled potato) to treat Peruvians living in the capital with a taste of home.

The 26-year-old chef has also prepared some of the dishes that are usually served during Independence Day, like cebiche (fish marinated with lemon zest, salt and pepper), causa (potato with tuna or crabmeat or chicken filling) and papa a la huancaina (potato with cheese sauce).

The food is also accompanied by some famous, refreshing, cold beverages, namely chicha morada, Inca cola, algarrobina and the national pisco sour (a distilled grape brandy made from the quebranta grape grown in the Ica valley and around the Pisco city and Ica river).

"In Peru, one meal usually involves rice, served with main dishes like lomo saltado and/or cebiche. It is followed by dessert and a glass of Inca cola," said Jessica.

Rice, cassava and potatoes are important sources of starch, and to ensure an authentic Peruvian flavor, she has also brought with her important items from Peru, like chicha morada (a purplish traditional drink) and mazamorra morada (sweet dessert of cubed apple and pineapple with purplish sauce), aji panca and aji amarallo (red and yellow chilies).

She explained that Peruvian food had some similarities to that of its neighbors like Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.

"We use similar cooking ingredients but what makes the food in each of these countries unique is the flavor," said the chef, who is currently working at a Four Seasons hotel in Australia.

The country's culinary roots can be traced back to the period of the ancient Incas, an Indian tribe with a highly developed civilization that dominated Peru before the Spanish conquest.

During this pre-Hispanic period, maize and potato were widely served roasted or boiled, and, especially for potatoes, were used in stews.

According to www.culturalexpedition.com, apart from fish and meat, pre-Hispanic people also consumed llama, duck and, in certain areas, dog meat.

During the Spanish conquest, it received strong influence from the conqueror, mainly in the form of cooking methods and ingredients. However, after gaining independence, Peruvian culinary traditions also absorbed influences from other countries, such as China, Japan and other European countries, including France, to name but a few.

During the event, guests can savor the ancient dishes that have remained popular to this day, like tamales (a dish made from cornflour with chicken and egg filling, wrapped in banana leaves) and cebiche.

Cebiche was developed from the need to preserve fish through marination, and, in ancient times, locals preserved the fish using exotic, acidic fruit such as churuba, camu-camu and passion fruit. But people living in the coastal areas also added red onion, hot peppers and garlic to the concoction.

As colorful as its traditional dress, so are the flavors of Peruvian traditional dishes in the modern era. With all the foreign influences it has been subjected to for decades or even centuries, people living in the coastal areas, mountains and in the forest have developed their own typical flavors.

"I believe there is no one who knows all the country's many different flavors," Jessica said, while adding that, in terms of spiciness, Peruvian food very much resembled some Indonesian dishes.

As for dessert, the event also features famous sweet treats, like biscocho a las tres leche (trio milk cake), arroz con leche (rice pudding), mazamorra morada (apple and pineapple cubes, soaked in sweet purplish sauce) and of course, festival cake, prepared to celebrate a special occasion, turron de donna pepa, (anise cookie log).