With the arrival of the first conquistadors to Inca lands, around the year 1542, a process began that, in terms of gastronomy, meant the unification of two entirely different cuisines. The case of culture and beliefs was different, where the strength of the conquerors served to dominate and subordinate the ancestral customs of the indigenous peoples of America.
Two different cultures, a unique result
The Andean cuisine had a strong presence of natural products from those lands. Corn and quinoa—unknown to the Spaniards until that moment—formed the basis of a range of dishes and cooking methods that were very different from those known by the conquerors. The inhabitants of the various pre-Columbian civilizations in the lands of current Peru had achieved a significant culinary tradition based on marine products.
On their part, when the Spaniards arrived, they brought their own culinary customs and their own products, most of which were unknown in these lands. Beef and pork were something never seen by the native peoples of America. The same happened with horses, which, in many conquered areas, besides being a transport element, became part of the carnivorous menu. With the Spaniards came products such as onions, radishes, and the use of bird eggs were unknown until their arrival.
Gradually, Spanish cuisine combined with Andean products and cooking methods paved the way for a new Peruvian culinary identity, born from this union. In Peruvian gastronomy, we do not see a phenomenon where dishes from one cuisine overshadow those of the other; instead, existing dishes from both cuisines were enriched by these new products.
The birth of colonial Peruvian cuisine
One of the most illustrative examples of this culinary fusion is the case of pachamanca, which, far from disappearing as a typical dish, or as a ritual, was enriched by incorporating beef, chicken, and pork into its preparation.
La huatia, a more traditional and older dish than pachamanca, also benefited from this fusion, as it incorporated beans and cheese into its preparation.
Andean cuisine willingly incorporated an invaluable contribution that crossed the seas with the conquerors: milk and its derivatives. Butter and cheeses quickly became ingredients in various dishes. Alongside dairy, sugar was also introduced, leading to the sweet tasting of delicious humitas even today in some places.
The Spaniards brought not only their own cuisine to these lands but also influenced by the cuisines they had received. For example, ceviche as we know it today bears deep influences from Arab cuisine, due to the Moors' presence in Spain.
Another dish that became prominent in Peruvian cuisine due to Spanish influence—despite not being of Spanish origin—is noodles. This is because Italian cuisine had deeply penetrated the palates of Europe and thus reached these lands. It is a mistake to think that pasta arrived in America with Italian immigrants at the end of the 19th century; by that time, it was already accepted and prepared in Peru.
When the whole is more than the sum of its parts
Colonial Peruvian cuisine is much more than the union of two gastronomic cultures; it is the multiplicative result that led to new and more flavorful dishes, taking the best from each culinary tradition.
Four main pillars can be identified that fueled it: the first is the foods, beverages, and preparation methods that existed prior to the conquest; the second is the specific contributions each region of Peru made to the overall gastronomy.
The third is the influence of the Spaniards regarding products and cooking methods, and lastly, the perseverance of many cooks in blending both cuisines.
This process turned Peruvian cuisine into a foundation for new and even more exquisite fusion dishes with other world cuisines, shaping the current cuisine we all enjoy since the 19th century.
