Chocolate, rediscovered Lost & Found (68% cacao) chocolate bar from Vancouver, B.C.-based Gem Chocolates is made from the world’s rarest cocoa beans. Called Pure Nacional, Fortunato No. 4., it was once the world’s dominant fine chocolate, but was struck by disease in 1916. Almost a century later in 2007, cacao pods were discovered in Peru. Gem Chocolates has won awards for its chocolates made with Pure Nacional.
News>file Every major publication worldwide has heralded Peruvian cuisine as the new food trend. Forbes calls it the “It Cuisine,” while both the Wall Street Journal and the BBC call it the next big thing. Scan the local bookstore and you’ll see books dedicated to Peruvian cuisine. Top chefs too have become enamoured of the country — Danny Meyer and Eric Ripert even made the trek to the South American nation. Combining the indigenous Quechua ingredients with immigrant Spanish, Chinese, African, Italian and Japanese influences, Peruvian food is an eclectic mix. “Part of the reason Peru is such a culinary hot spot is because its cuisine is an incredible fusion of local abundance and global flavour,” write Manuel Villacorta and Jamie Shaw in their book Peruvian Power Foods. According to La Mar Miami executive chef Diego Oka, who has worked with the renowned Gastón Acurio for more than 13 years, the five most important ingredients in Peruvian cuisine are ají (chili pepper), potatoes, choclo (Peruvian corn), huacatay (a culinary herb known as black mint) and limes. With a diverse geography that spans from the Pacific Ocean to the highlands of the Andes through jungle and valleys, Peru has an impressive number of dishes that vary by region. “Peruvian cuisine as a whole does not have specific flavours,
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WE ALL SCREAM HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ICE CREAM The University of Guelph’s Ice Cream Technology Course celebrates its
but rather each region in Peru has its own characteristics — the north, south, coast, Andes and Amazon. For example, in the Amazon we have and are still finding new fruits to flavour our dishes. On the coast from north to south we have amazing seafood, and in the Andes there are filling potato stews,” says Oka. Some of the most famous dishes include Ceviche, fresh fish mixed with fresh lime juice, red onions, aji pepper and cilantro; Causa cangrejo, chilled mashed potatoes rolled into cylinders and topped with crab meat and huancaina sauce (spicy cream sauce); and Anticuchos, skewers of grilled, marinated meat. In addition to food, Peru is producing excellent wine alongside its staple grape brandy cousin pisco. The enduring appeal of Peruvian cuisine remains its ability to surprise and delight. “The traditions of Peruvian food remain the same as they have always been...In recent years, many Peruvians who are proud of our food started showing our culture to the world through cooking. They were discovering ingredients that they never saw before. For a chef that’s the most amazing thing, finding new flavours,” says Oka. — Kailash Maharaj and Shivana Maharaj
100th anniversary in 2014. The annual hands-on course is the only one of its kind in Canada. To mark the occasion, the university is holding an industrywide open symposium on Dec. 5, followed by a gala celebration luncheon. Food science professor Doug Goff teaches the course, which takes place Dec. 1 to 4, and is regarded as a Canadian expert on making ice cream. He says he has 40 to 50 manufacturers, suppliers and regulators attend the course each year. Goff, whose father worked in the ice cream business, says while there’s been an explosion of flavours in recent years, there’s more to ice cream than just flavour. Fat content, fat structure, air content, the size of ice crystals and the ingredients used are all factors that play an important part in the process.
Photo: University of Guelph
Photo: “Causa Cangrejo,” La Mar Miami
Why Peruvian cuisine is the next big food trend
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014
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