It is true that Nikkei cuisine has been very fashionable in recent years, but it is by no means a passing culinary trend; rather, it is the result of a prudent fusion that began about two centuries ago.
When did Nikkei appear?
It was during the 19th century that significant migration flows from Japan to Peru and South America in general began.
In these distant and very different places, both culturally and in terms of raw materials, the Nikkeijin, or Japanese immigrants, have done their best to preserve their roots and traditions through cuisine, also adapting to what the local environment offers them.
Thus was born a path of fusion (which, as always, is reciprocal) between Japanese cuisine and Peruvian cuisine, resulting in dishes that are easily recognizable thanks to the originality of their combinations.
Unique ingredients
It is precisely through the use of particular ingredients that Nikkei dishes are characterized by their extraordinary balance between the rigor and delicacy of Japanese taste and the liveliness of South American flavor.
Next, we will find jalapeño peppers, yellow ají, potatoes, limes, corn, heart of palm, chili, tropical fruits along with rice, fish, seaweed, daikon, and miso.
We should never forget that cultural exchange is never a one-way street: even Peruvian cuisine has been influenced by Japanese traditions.
Until a few decades ago, no one in Peru ate octopus, which was considered waste from fishing: octopuses that ended up in fishermen's nets were discarded on the beaches, and nikkeijin recovered them as an ingredient usually used in Japanese cooking.
Over time, Peruvians also decided to try it, incorporating it into their dishes.
