All About The Best Peruvian Food

The Peruvians have perfected preparation of many different kinds of foods including, but certainly not limited to all sorts of fishes and shellfish, duck, lamb, pork, hundreds of vegetables and many thick, rich sauces.

One of the reasons the original Inca Civilization of Peru was able to survive in the Pre-HIspanic times was attributed to their mastery of storing plenty of food in store houses.

Myth has it that they had enough food stored to feed their people for as many as seven years without a single soul going hungry. From slating meat to dry in the brightest sun, to quickly freezing foods during the coldest of nights, the Incas were able to save everything they grew and it was certainly an art form.


Peruvian Cousine

Very few things have changed since then. Peruvian food has quickly become a favorite of travelers from around the globe. People everywhere seem to love the Peruvian cuisine creations.

Fans of Peru food flock to Peruvian menus for the most tantalizing treats.

Peru foods include such things as corn (maize), chicken, seafood, guinea pig, plantains, several hundred varieties of potatoes, and many other vegetables.

Peruvian cuisine is famous for its soups and stews that are filled with vegetables. They like to use many colorful and flavorful foods and herbs to create the broth for theser delectable soups.

Having easy access to the ocean, the original Peruvian tribes were able to make many dishes from fish, seafood, and even algae. There were also feasts made from specially prepared dolphin and sea lions.

The inhabitants of coastal Peru learned to use algae both fresh as a preservative and dried as a sweet herb. The blue alga was sweet enough to be dried, crushed and used like granulated sugar.

Carrots, corn and chili peppers were used in many of their favorite dishes. Yellow peppers were used to add color to their foods and for flavor.

Specialty Foods

Initially only the nobles were allowed to partake in meals containing alpacas. The common people were allowed to feast on Guinea pigs. According to the nobles the alpacas had to be at least three years old before they could be consumed, but since Guinea pigs multiplied so rapidly they were much more plentiful.

Guinea pigs are still served today, called Cuy, and they are prepared both fried and baked.

Only the Emperor and his closest family members were allowed fresh fish and wild duck. These dishes are all incorporated in current Peruvian cuisine. Peruvian cuisine is famous for the wonderful ways these foods are prepared.

Lima - Cuisine Capital of the Western Hemisphere

It has taken generations for the Peruvian people to fine tune their culinary creations, and it has certainly paid off for them. Their dedication to the culinary arts has allowed Peruvian cuisine to receive recognition from some world renowned food critics.

Of course Peruvian cuisine has adapted some dishes as time has passed, but Peruvian chefs are very artful in preparing seafood, fruits, and vegetables. They have also incorporated some of the techniques from Italy and some from the Spanish.

Chicha Morada: Discover the Benefits for you Health

For Peruvians "Chicha morada" is a very well known soft drink, prepared by boiling water with purple corn, fruits, cinnamon, cloves and finally, sweetened with sugar and lime juice. In Peru , the Purple Corn has been used per centuries. Purple corn is fast approaching classification as a functional food an integral component of the diet that provides energy and essential nutrients.

Researchers in the fields of food and nutrition are intensely searching for functional foods in almost every corner of the world and from a diversity of plants. Purple corn (frequently referred to as blue corn) is botanically the same species as regular table corn. Yet by a twist of nature, this corn produces kernels with one of the deepest shades of purple found anywhere in the world.

Research has shown that purple corn contains cell-protecting antioxidants with the ability to inhibit carcinogen-induced tumors in rats. Many plant-derived substances are believed to show these properties, but few have also demonstrated anti-inflammatory capabilities and the potential to help prevent obesity.
he kernels of purple corn ( maiz morado in Spanish) have long been used by the people of the Peruvian Andes to color foods and beverages, a practice just beginning to become popularized in the industrialized world.

Rich in Anthocyanins

Anthocyanins are responsible for the purple, violet, and red colors attending many plants. Anthocyanins belong to an even larger class of plant chemicals known as flavonoids and are found in diverse plants, including many food plants.
esearchers at the Horticultural Sciences Department of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, recently determined that the mean anthocyanin content of whole, fresh purple corn from Peru was 16.4 mg/g, which was much higher than fresh blueberries (1.3-3.8 mg/g).

Powerful Antioxidant

Digging deeper, the most abundant anthocyanin found in purple corn, called "C3G" (3- O -? -D-glucoside 6,7 ), has been keeping researchers very busy lately. In a number of tests designed to assess the potential health benefits of this anthocyanin, one study after another has proven its antioxidant strength.

Other health benefits:

a. Promotes tissue regeneration/healing
b. Prevents cardiovascular disease
c. Delays/slows degenerative processes
d. Has an anti-aging effect on the skin
e. Increases blood flow
f. Has a diuretic effect

Sweet Potatoe: Learn more about the Peruvian Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato. Moche Culture. 300 A.D. Larco Museum Collection, Peru. Sweet potatoes are native to the tropical parts of South America , and were domesticated there at least 5,000 years ago in Peru.

Drawings of sweet potatoes have been found in pre-Columbian ceramics when ancient tombs were discovered. The sweet potato was already widely established in the Americas by the time Europeans first arrived there. Later, it spread from there, to the Old World .

Sweet potato varieties exist in many colours of skin and flesh, ranging from white to deep purple, although white and yellow-orange flesh are the most common.

The first Europeans to taste sweet potatoes were members of Columbus ' expedition in 1492. Later explorers found many varieties under an assortment of local names, but the name which stayed was the indigenous Taino name of batata. This name was later transmuted to the similar name for a different vegetable—the ordinary potato, causing confusion from which it never recovered. The first record of the name "sweet potato" is found in the Oxford English Dictionary of 1775.

The sweet potato was also grown before western exploration in Polynesia , where it is known as the kumara . Sweet potato has been radiocarbon-dated in the Cook Islands to 1000 AD, and current thinking is that it was brought to central Polynesia circa 700 AD, possibly by Polynesians who had travelled to South America and back, and spread across Polynesia to Hawaii and New Zealand from there. It is possible, however, that South Americans brought it to the Pacific. Sweet potatoes are now cultivated throughout tropical and warm temperate regions wherever there is sufficient water to support their growth.

Today, China is the largest grower of sweet potatoes; providing about 80% of the world's supply, 130 million tons were produced in one year (in 1990; about half that of common potatoes). Historically, most of China 's sweet potatoes were grown for human consumption, but now most (60%) are grown to feed pigs . The rest are grown for human food and for other products. Some are grown for export, mainly to Japan. China grows over 100 varieties of sweet potato.

Good nutrition from a sweet source

Besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates , dietary fiber , beta carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), vitamin C , and vitamin B6 .

In 1992, the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the nutritional value of sweet potatoes to other vegetables. Considering fibre content, complex carbohydrates , protein , vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium , the sweet potato ranked highest in nutritional value.

Sweet potato varieties with dark orange flesh have more beta carotene than those with light coloured flesh and their increased cultivation is being encouraged in Africa where Vitamin A deficiency is a serious health problem. Despite the name "sweet", it may be a beneficial food for diabetics, as preliminary studies on animals have revealed that it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and to lower insulin resistance.

This root vegetable qualified as an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.

Sweet potatoes have healing properties as an antioxidant food. Both beta-carotene and vitamin C are very powerful antioxidants that work in the body to eliminate free radicals.

Culinary uses

Candied sweet potatoes are a side dish consisting mainly of sweet potatoes prepared with brown sugar, marshmallows , maple syrup , molasses , orange juice , marron glacé , or other sweet ingredients.

Baked sweet potatoes are sometimes offered in restaurants as an alternative to baked potatoes . They are often topped with brown sugar and butter. In Dominican Republic sweet potato is enjoyed for breakfast. In China sweet potatoes are often baked in a large iron drum and sold as street food during winter.

Sweet potato fries or chips are another common preparation, and are made by julienning and deep frying sweet potatoes, in the fashion of French fried potatoes .

Sweet potato greens are a common side dish in Taiwanese cuisine, often boiled or sautéed and served with a garlic & soy sauce mixture, or simply salted before serving.

Steamed/Boiled chunks: for a simple and healthy snack, chunks of sweet potato may be boiled in water or cooked in the microwave.

Would You Like to Know More About Quinoa?: All About this Peruvian Cereal

Quinoa is a cereal grain from the Andes of Peru and South America, closely related to the amaranth. Quinoa´s origins are truly ancient. It was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, used by the Inca civilization.

Quinoa was known then, and is still nowadays known, as the mother grain. Each year the Inca, using a golden spade, planted the first quinoa seeds of the season, and at the solstice, priests bearing gold vessels filled with quinoa made offerings to their god Inti, the Sun. The grain thrives at high altitudes of approximately 9,000 to 13,000 feet above sea level.

Quinoa (pronounced kee-noo-ah) contains more protein than any other grain; an average of 16.2 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for rice, 9.9 percent for millet, and 14 percent for wheat. Its protein is of an unusually high quality, with an essential amino acid balance similar to milk. Quinoa, combined with other grains or soy will boost their protein value. It also provides starch, sugars, oil (high in essential linoleic acid), fiber, minerals and vitamins.

Easy on the stomach

Quinoa is light, tasty and easy to digest. It has a delicious flavor of its own.

Delicious and extremely versatile

It may be used in place of almost any other grain, including rice, to make everything from appetizers to desserts. Just takes 15 minutes to prepare a whole dish.

Perfect for summer and winter

Quinoa´s lightness makes it easy to combine in cold dishes like salads, ideal source of good summertime nutrition for grownups and children. In winter it can be eaten hot, combined with meats or vegetables.

More Information about Peru: http://www.incastreasures.com