It is true that Nikkei cuisine has been very fashionable in recent years, but by no means is it a passing culinary trend; rather, it is the result of a prudent fusion that began about two centuries ago.
When did nikkei emerge?
It was during the 19th century that an important migratory flow 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 everything possible to preserve their roots and traditions through cooking, also adapting to what the local nature offers them.
This is how a fusion pathway was born (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 vivacity of South American flavors.
Next, you will find jalapeño chiles, yellow aji, potatoes, limes, corn, hearts of palm, chiles, and tropical fruits along with rice, fish, seaweed, daikon, and miso.
We never forget that cultural fusion 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, considered a waste of fishing: the octopuses that ended up in fishermen's nets were thrown onto the beaches, and nikkeijin would recover them as an ingredient commonly used in Japanese cuisine.
Over time, Peruvians also decided to try it, incorporating it into their dishes.
