Lima & Peruvian Cuisine
I can probably think of a hundred reasons to visit Peru… It is the heart and soul of the Incan Empire and more. Even before the Incas there were the great civilizations of the south. This area of Peru has the lowest annual rainfall in the world, which has protected ancient ruins and artifacts for over 2,500 years. Caral Pyramid is the largest pyramid city in South America. The Nazca culture with its famous Nazca line geoglyphs and mummies are also located in the south. The mysteries of Lake Titicaca are on the Bolivian border. The razor-edged Andes and the Amazon River to the east make incredible eco tours. However, the heart and soul of Peru is Lima and Cusco.
At 11,000 feet above sea level, Cusco is the ancient capital of the Incas. By itself it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. More importantly it is the drop off site for Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, and Sacsayhuaman. Truly one of the wonders of the world. Lima, on the other hand, is now more of a colonial city. With 8 million people it is the capital of Peru. It has incredible museums and dance hall taverns to entice any traveler. But what really drew me to Lima was the food. Peruvian cuisine is the finest in South America and one of the greatest cuisines of the world. So, as I was planning my trip to attend a friend’s wedding in Buenos Aires, I had to include a few days in Lima.
I’ll start off by talking about the street food in Lima. All cuisines have great street food. Pizza in Italy, satay in Thailand, noodles in China, hamburgers in the USA, and of course, tacos in Mexico. In fact, you might think the street food in Peru is tacos. Not so! The street food in Lima is called Chaufa. It is an amazing combination of Peruvian/Chinese palates, creating a kind of Peruvian fried rice and guinea pig hombow. Peru is the only place to find these amazing stands and I enjoyed several of them. A night of chaufa and a Peruvian tavern is a bohemian night unmatched.
All that said, what I know to be true, is that the haut Peruvian cuisine is as fine as any in the world, restaurants included. This is exactly what I was really looking for. You see, Peru is incredibly abundant with natural food resources. Ceviche originated from down there, it’s called, “Leche de Tigre” or Tiger’s Milk. There are over 100 different kinds of yams. From all the seafood of the southern pacific and the produce of the coastal farmlands, to the very exotic products of the amazon, Peru is a cornucopia of flavors. The resources are unlimited.
Throughout my research, I came up with 3 great restaurants in Lima. All three have been on the Pellegrino Top Fifty Restaurants in the World list. Two have been in the top 10 consistently, and one was ranked #1 in 2023.
Astrid and Gaston is an older restaurant that was started by a chef couple from Paris in 1994 in an old mansion in the swanky Miraflores neighborhood. There is a second location in Cusco too. The couple was astounded by the abundance of products and to this day they are still exploring these resources with a constantly changing tasting menu. Things like Artichoke and sole leche de tigre and Nikkei chili aji, a highland yellow pepper (Nikkei is a Japanese Peruvian fusion cuisine). Astrid and Gaston is a classic restaurant and one I would suggest as your first stop for an amazing introduction to Peruvian cuisine.
Next stop Maido, which means “Welcome” in Japanese. Here, Nikkei Cuisine is at its finest form. Chef Tsumura was born in Lima, but his family is from Osaka. He studied in the USA and then went to Osaka to become a sushi master in some famous restaurants there. He later returned home to Lima to use his skills for Nikkei.
A note here: Japanese and Peruvian fusion is not only linked together by immigrant history, but also by the love of raw seafood. Tigre de leche for Peru and sushi for Japan. Chef Tsumura’s book Nikkeies Peru is the prototype book on Nikkei cooking.
Here is an example of Tiradito, which is a classic example of Nikkei. Tiradito is a cross between sashimi, ceviche and seafood carpaccio. Thinly sliced raw fish like sashimi but with a sauce like carpaccio, using ceviche spices but not marinated.
Knowing that I have traveled all over the world and have eaten in 35 – 3 Star Michelin restaurants, people often ask me what my favorite of all time was. It is a difficult question for me to answer. From Alain Ducasse to Eleven Madison, it has been a privilege to have enjoyed these restaurants, but my mind (and pallet) always brings me back to Peru’s Central. If I were to only recommend one restaurant, this would be it. Virgilio Martínez Véliz is clearly one of the greatest most creative chefs of the world. He is known for his use of applying modern cooking techniques to indigenous Peruvian ingredients. He lists his menu items by elevation where seafood would be below sea level, potatoes and quinoa at 11,000 feet in the Andes, and river fish from low level jungles. It goes on forever. He combines these gifts with modern molecular gastronomy techniques. Chefs presentation is second to none. I had piranha with nitro sparged tigre de leche. It was a white fish with spiced lime snowflakes. Chef Virgilio is very fortunate to have a wealth of resources at his disposal, the likes of which you can’t find anywhere else. However, what he does with them makes this a one-of-a-kind experience and the top of a very selective list for me.
A final note: If there is one flaw in these restaurants it is their wine programs. Avoid Peruvian wines like the plague. Even though Chile and Argentina have made great strides in winemaking, this is mostly in red wines. Nikkei and other dishes require whites, and no one praises south American whites. Ask your Som for an exception or look for European wines. Obviously, wines from Spain are big there.
Cheers,
Chris