Eating Boldly in Lima, Peru

Alpaca carcasses and Guinea Pig on the butchers counter in Lima, Peru. Photo: Claire Walter

Guinea Pigs destined for the dinner table as "cuy"
not to be a child's pet. Photo Claire Walter

Eating Boldly in Lima, Peru.

Guest post by Claire Walter

You might mistake the “animals” section of any of Peru’s larger food markets for a pet store. You’ll see cages populated by cute guinea pigs, but they are not destined for a pampered life in some niño’s bedroom but for the family dinner table. Home cooks may purchase the animals live and do the dirty work themselves, or purchase skinned, eviscerated and perhaps boned specimens. This rodent is not everyday fare but is considered a special-occasion dish.

Peppers hollowed out for stuffing but with what? 
Photo Claire Walter

When guinea pig appears on restaurant menus, it is listed as "cuy." It tastes much like rabbit, though usually somewhat gamier. Depending on the part of country, it might be served in a spicy sauce with potatoes or rice, fried and topped with achiote sauce or baked. I’ve been told that in Cuzco, it is baked whole, as a small suckling pig would be, but with a hot pepper rather than an apple in its mouth. I never saw that, nor did I ever see or taste picuro, a lowland rodent that is also eaten.

First-time visitors to the Andes are schooled in

Alpaca on the menu prepared two ways.
 Photo Claire Walter 

the differences among the four Andean camelids (llamas, alpacas, guanacos and vicuñas). Llamas and alpacas are domestic livestock, while guanacos and vicuñas are wild. An alpaca might end up on your dinner plate. You probably won’t see a live alpaca being led into a market, but you will see skinned loin quarters in the butcher section. Peruvians also eat pork, goat, mutton and venison. And many are fond of organ meats. Chirimpico is a stew made from a baby goat’s entrails, onions, garlic, hot peppers, cilantro, squash and tender corn.

This corn is similar to the ancient maise that powered the rise
 of the Peruvian culture 5000 years ago.
Photo Claire Walter

If the meats make you squeamish, know that Peruvian cuisine also features fabulous seafood. The country is, after all, right on the Pacific Ocean where the cool current from Antarctica brings nutrient-rich waters to the Peruvian coast. The result is super-fresh seafood. Peruvians are particularly fond of ceviche, raw fish marinated in lime juice and usually served with raw onions. Sea bass is the favorite fish for ceviche, but other white fish and shrimp are also used. Ceviche is so much a part of Peruvian culinary culture that the country declared June 28 to be Día Nacional del Cebiche in honor of this beloved dish, but it is celebrated mostly in and around Lima.

The number and variety of vegetables, tubers and grains that originated in Peru will boggle your mind. Potatoes? Corn? Both Peruvian and in a rainbow of colors.  So many vegetables, both native and introduced, thrive in the country’s climate zones from sea level to Andean. You’ll find them in markets and on menus.

Picarones are Peruvian donuts.
Photo by Carlos Varela 

And what of dessert? Picarones are Peruvian donuts made by deep frying a combination of sweet potato, squash, flour, yeast, sugar and anise. What’s the Spanish word for “addictive”?













Claire Walter is an award-winning travel and food writer and blogger, and the author, co-.author or contributor to some 20 books.  She blogs about travel at http://travel-babel.com and about restaurants and food at http://Culinary-Colorado.com

Take your daughter to work day Peruvian-style. Photo Claire Walter

More post on Peru here on Travel Boldly

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Peru: Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu. Unusual choices for a honeymoon? 

Inca Princess - Cusco, Peru  

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Me and My Llama - Peru 

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Trekking to Machu Picchu - Peru 

Inti Raymi Fireworks Celebration - Urabamba, Peru 

New Rules for visiting Machu Picchu, Peru

New Rules for visiting Machu Picchu, Peru.

We new it was coming.  

In an attempt to limited the impact of daily visitors that number over 5 times more people than every resided in mountain fortress at the height of the Incan civilization. 

The number of daily maximum visitors is being raised to 5,940 people. In establishing the new Machu Picchu visitor numbers the Peruvian government rejected UNESCO’s recommendation of 2,500. Though the new regulations for Machu Picchu will spread visitors out over entire day weather than concentrating visits in early morning hours when light is best for travel photography. The day will be broken into 2 periods 6 AM to noon and noon to 5:30 PM.  The park will be cleared at noon of the  3,267 morning visitors allowing the 2,673 afternoon adventures to take over. It is possible to buy tickets for both sessions.

The new rules will go into effect July 1, 2017 so you still have time to grab a quick flight to Peru for Inti Raymi and a visit to Machu Picchu via the trip from Cusco. If you have already purchased tickets prior to May 2nd these restrictions will not affect you. In addition to the split sessions, guides will now be mandatory and allowed to wrangle a maximum of 16 people.  You can be sure that guide rates will rise steadily from this point on.

Visiting Machu Picchu now is a far cry from when I visited the Incan citadel in June of 1984. We walked into Machu Picchu late in the afternoon via the Inca Trail and the stone ruins were mostly deserted. We had time to visit the Hotel bar before making our way down to Aguas Calientes campground along the Urubamba River.  Early the next morning well before sunrise I set off with two of the porters from tour group to climb the steep trail back to Machu Picchu the in the dark. I had drawn the short straw and missed out on the 3 seats available in a vehicle that was arranged for our film crew by Sobeck / Mountain Travel. I arrived to find the stone walls of Machu Picchu empty. It remained that way for over thirty minutes before a few early visitors began to wander among the Incan ruins. 

These days are long gone.

At least they have not yet adopted the recommendation to build a funicular to the top of Machu Picchu.

~Jerome Shaw

More post on Peru here on Travel Boldly

Eating Boldly in Lima, Peru

After Slow Travel in Tanzania - We Went Poco y Poco in Peru. You are never too old to travel. 

The King of the Incas. Inti Raymi / The Festival of the Sun at Sacsayhuamán in Cusco, Peru

Peru: Machu Picchu, Iquitos and the Amazon River. Unusual choices for a honeymoon? 

Peru: Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu. Unusual choices for a honeymoon? 

Inca Princess - Cusco, Peru  

Trekking Andes Mountains - Urubamba River Valley, Peru 

Me and My Llama - Peru 

Happy Guy - Wedding Guest in Urubamaba, Peru  

Trekking to Machu Picchu - Peru 

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Is Travel Is Too Expensive? Out Of Your Reach? Think Travel Scholarships. Explore the World!

Tianna, (left) one of the 2016 Explore the World Travel Scholarships is surrounded by children during her 

visit to Capte Town, South Africa.

Not everyone dreams of travel but many who do dream of traveling to far away places believe their dreams are out of their reach financially. This is especially true of those in their teens and twenties. For many it is a choice between furthering their education or travel.  Not necessarily.

Explore the World Travel Scholarships from HIUSA offer financial assistance to young people from 18-30 to travel and learn at the same time.

In 2016, 81 scholarships were awarded. In 2017 they have upped the number to 98. (Consider donating to the scholarship fund and help them break 100 make in 2018)

Tiana during a trip to South Africa made possible by an 

Explore the World Travel Scholarship

One of the 2016 scholarship recipients was Tianna, a 23-year-old from New York City who traveled abroad for the first time in her life, teaching and volunteering at a daycare center near Cape Town, South Africa, in July 2016.

“This trip has opened my eyes to how small of a space I occupy in this world. There is so much going on outside of the United States…this experience has taught me how privileged Americans are to have education and all that it comes with.”

HI USA CEO, Russ Hedge believes in the adage "Travel changes you. You change the world." He has put his company behind making educational travel more accessible for young people. “The Explore the World travel scholarship program is designed to assist young adults in underserved communities in realizing their travel dreams.  And it changes the lives of people around the
world.”

Ngozi, on a side trip to Egypt after her Arabic course in Jordan

Ngozi, a student at Howard University studying Political Science with a minor in Arabic used her scholarship award to travel to Amman, Jordan where she took part in and intensive Arabic course. Her trip brought her knowledge outside the course work, “I was there during Ramadan, the holiest part of the year for a predominantly Muslim country. I really appreciate the experience to see how they worship and how they care about each other. They’re about peace and equality. My quest is to educate people in America about Islamophobia and this misunderstanding.”

Explore the World is administered by 167 volunteers nationwide who believe in HI USA’s mission and purpose to create a more tolerant world.

There are some specific eligibility requirements but is worth a look to see if you qualify.

Eligibility criteria:
·          18 - 30 years old
·          Current Pell Grant recipient, former Pell Grant recipient, or have a current income level does not exceed 300% of poverty line

·          Permanent, legal resident of the USA

·          Have a strong desire and motivation to experience other people and cultures through international travel

·          Plans to take a trip outside the US between now and August 31, 2018, that incorporates education, volunteerism or service learning.

Additionally, candidates must be a resident of or attend school in one of the following 14 metro areas: Austin, Baltimore Boston, Chicago, DC, Houston, LA, Minneapolis, NYC, Portland, Richmond, San Diego, SF, or Seattle.