Peruvian Cuisine - Recipes, Ingredients and Traditions of Peruvian gastronomy for the world

Some traditional dishes in Peru have a strong influence from African immigrants that arrived in the XVIII century. One of those are the anticuchos, which are small pieces of grilled skewered meat, usually beef heart. The meat acquires a strong taste when marinated in vinegar and spices (such as cumin, aji pepper and garlic) and often come with a boiled potato, salad and corn. Ingredients: • 1 Beef heart or 500 grams / 2 lb of beef rump steak • Salt • 3 to 4 cloves of smashed garlic • ½ cup of red wine vinegar • 2 tablespoons of olive oil • 1 tablespoon of ground cumin • 1 large chili peppers, finely chopped without seeds Preparation: Work on the beef heart in order to get rid of veins and fat. Cut the heart or rump steak in small 3 to 4cm (1 to 1½ in) cubes. In a large bowl mix the vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, crushed garlic, chili pepper and ground cumin. Add the heart cubes and let the heart marinate for several hours or overnight. If you are using rump steak you do no...

The famous Pisco sour, invented in Peru around 1900, is made with Pisco (a very classy grape brandy from the Andean country) and has a bit of bite of secret ingredients to create the balance in this creamy, frothy, limey drink. Ingredients: 3 cups of pisco 1 ½ cup of sugar 2 cups of lemon juice 1 egg's white Ice flakes Add drops of Amargo Angostura Preparation: First, prepare the PISCO SOUR only in a blender. Place the egg white and blend for a few seconds. Add the ice only until it reaches the middle of glass (this is the secret to get that the drink has a very heavy texture) move it and add all the ingredients but the Angostura. Mix it all. It might be necessary to add some ice water and rectify the quality of a great PISCO SOUR. Enjoy.

One of the most traditional marine dishes of the Peruvian coast, the "Choros a la Chalaca" (Chalaca style mussels) is delicious, refreshing and exotic. Ingredients: 36 mussels (boiled until open, left intact on a half shell) 6 tomatoes (I use roma, finely diced) 3/4 cup cilantro (diced) 1 small red onion (finely minced) 1 (16 ounce) can yellow peppers (aji amarillo) 1 tablespoon msg 2 limes, juice of Preparation: First of all, place the can of aji amarillos with their juices in a blender and puree for 1 minutes. Then, place the tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and blended aji's in a large bowl. Add the msg and the lime juice. Place the mussels on a half shell on a serving platter and top each with one tablespoon of the Aji mixture. Finally, serve with a nice cold beer and enjoy!

A soup from the coast of Peru, made with chicken and noodles. It has a strong taste and people usually eat it in the morning, specially after a party night. Ingredients for Caldo de Gallina: 1 5–6-lb. stewing chicken or hen 2 leeks, trimmed, roughly chopped, and washed well 2 ibs celery, roughly chopped 2 carrots, roughly chopped 1 1" piece ginger, peeled and smashed 1 head garlic, halved crosswise 6 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and left whole 6 oz. dried egg noodles Kosher salt, to taste 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro 4 scallions, thinly sliced 2 limes, quartered 1 fresh red chile (such as fresno), stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped Preparation: We must start by rinsing the chicken under cold water and remove and discard giblets (or set aside for another use). Put chicken, leeks, celery, carrots, ginger, garlic, and 5 quarts cold water into an 8-quart stockpot. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to mediu...

The delicious Chicha morada is a traditional beverage of the Peruvian Coast. It is made from a curious type of cereal calle purple corn, which is exactly the same as the regular corn, but in a very dark purple color. It is a very refreshing drink, and mixed with a little ice, it's perfect for summer. Ingredients: • 1 ½ lb (¾ k) purple corn • Peelings from 2 lb (1 k) cooking apples • Peelings from 1 large pineapple • 4 key limes • 1 cup sugar, or to taste • 4 whole cloves Preparation: To prepare it, bring to a boil the well washed apple and pineapple peelings, the corn and cloves with 3 quarts water. Simmer for half an hour, and then strain. Repeat simmering process with same ingredients and 3 quarts clean water. We have to strain and mix both liquids. Finally, add sugar and lemon juice. Serve chilled. Note: Add sugar and key lime to the Chicha only when ready to use. In fact, before adding sugar and key it can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days.

The popular "arroz con leche" is one of the most traditional dessert in Peruvian culture. Part of the gastronomy in the coast of the country, this dessert in made with rice, milk, sugar, cinnamon and a secret orange tip. Pay attention: Ingredients: * 1/2 cup of rice * 3 cups of water * 2 1/2 cups of sweetened condensed milk (2 cans) * 1 3/4 cups of evaporated milk * 1/4 cup of port wine * 1 stick cinnamon * Skin of 1/2 orange * Powdered cinnamon Preparation: First Boil the rice with the orange skin and the stick cinnamon for 15 minutes; the rice must be well cooked. Remove from the fire and take out the cinnamon and the skin. Later, you must add the two types of milk. Boil on a low flame for 5 minutes, stiring all the time with a wooden spoon. We should add the port wine and continue boiling for 3 minutes more. Then let it cool down. As we know, some people like to eat the "arroz con leche" warm; others, cold. Serve in a glass and sprinkle with the pow...