Taking a journey through the various eras of Peru's history, which spans thousands of years, we start with the nomads crossing the Bering Strait who survived by fishing, hunting, and gathering food.
From the coast to the mountains
A vast coastline, rugged landscapes with mountains, jungles, and plains, provides an inexhaustible supply of basic products necessary for human survival. These have not disappeared; on the contrary, they have been exploited by the various colonists arriving in Peruvian lands.
Meat and fish appear in almost all dishes on a Peruvian menu.
The more recent immigration patterns, jumping from ancient civilizations to the post-Columbus period, have seen Chinese, Italian, French, African, and Spanish populations land on coastal regions and spread throughout the country.
Carrying Habits
They brought with them a series of eating habits, recipes, and customs deeply rooted. However, due to the lack of key ingredients, they were forced to adapt their preparations and create new fusion foods; this term is actually the catchphrase of foreign observers of Peruvian cuisine.
Nonetheless, there is no deliberate push to cross boundaries between culinary practices; it is more accurate to say that Peru’s different gastronomies aim to preserve their roots while making the necessary compromises due to the available products in the country.
This has led, for example, to chifa cuisine, a Chinese-Peruvian hybrid, which replaces the usual Chinese restaurants in most nations.
One dish born from this unlikely union is chaufa rice, a fried rice dish prepared with pork, beef, or shrimp, Chinese onion, egg, and vegetables.
With Peru leading the culinary revolution, it is only a matter of time before other Latin American cuisines become "the new neighborhood kid".
