Hello Peru! After 4 hour flight we arrived in Lima, and nearly instantly we got see that Peru is quite different from Chile. Our accommodation is in the Miroflores district, a lively and touristy part of Lima, and it is buzzing. In some ways it reminded us a bit of Asia, making it a fun experience walking around and exploring the town.
Whilst in Lima we went on a Gastro-bike tour. A fun way to explore the city, and along the way one of the highlights was having a chef masterclass on the local way of making Ceviche. Apparently it was created in Pre-Inca times when the fishermen would say out to sea for the day, and rather than sail back for lunch they would make a light meal of fish, with some onions, marinated in some salt and tumbo (a sour passion fruit in the shape of a banana). And so Ceviche was born. Nowadays they use lime juice to make the ceviche. The acidity of the juice “cooks” the fish, and also makes it very fresh tasting. The most basic version is just 4 ingredients: (white) fish, salt, onion and lime juice, but it can change depending on region and chef. For example adding chilli/pepper is quite common, as well as corriander. On Easter island they replaced the fish with tuna. Hundreds of variations, but they are all yummy.
The bike tour also took us to the boulevard above the beach, as most of Lima is on top of the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was a beautiful view with the sun slowly setting on the surfers and people going for an evening stroll. right on top we got to see a few parks, including the Lover’s Park (specifically designed for lovers), and old Navy lighthouse (Faro de la Marina) and a park honouring the Nazca lines (which we will see in a few days time).
We also did a walking tour, that took us to a local Mercado (Market), and got to experience a lot of new fruit. This included the Tumbo and another type of passion fruit called Granadilla which turn out to be very sweet. The local area is very fertile and most of the produce is grown not far away. These include prickly pears (They call it Tuna as the inside looks like red tuna meat), Aquaymanto (also known as a golden berry or Cape Gooseberry), and of course the local Chirimoya. We also learnt that there are around 4000 varieties of potatoes in Peru, but less than 2000 are edible, it might take a while to try all of them... One vegetable that also stood was the purple corns. So purple that they were nearly black. These are used to make a drink with sugar and cinnamon, which we got to try. It was an interesting flavour, but not really our choice for beverage.
The tour took us to downtown Lima, and we got to see some of the more historic parts of town. Along the way we learnt more about Peru’s history, with its independence wars (1821 & 1824) from the Spaniards. This took as to San Martin square with his statue (him on a horse of course). Just off the square, there is Lima’s oldest bakery where we got to try Turron de Dona Pepa. This is a famous cake that they bake mostly in October for the procession of miracles. The legend goes that a famous cook (Ms Pepa) had to stop cooking due to an illness of her hands, and when she prayed during the procession, her hands were cured the next day. She decided to make something special to celebrate, and the following night she dreamt of making this cake, which she remembered the recipe for when she woke up. And the rest is history. Apparently she never took credit for the recipe, and instead said that it was a gift from God. The cake itself is more like long biscuits made with sesame and anise, layered with burnt honey and topped with lots of sprinkles… again, not really the Wozny palate with the slight liquorice taste.
Another stop was the Main square (Plaza Mayor de Lima), with the presidential palace, cathedral and city hall. The Spanish and Moorish influences are very clearly seen in the buildings here. The cathedral is placed in this location for a very special reason. It is on top of an old Inca temple, the Spaniards demolished the old temple and built on top of it to show that Catholicism is superior to the old Inca religion.
We also got to try out some Peruvian chocolate. It’s still a relatively new industry in Peru, but they realised that they have the perfect climate to grow Cocao beans and also coffee beans. They are replacing the coca plants with these to help the environment, as the coca plant is the raw ingredient to make cocaine, which in the refining process releases a lot of chemical waste into the local environment.
Lima has been a fantastic first stop on our Peruvian adventures, with its great atmosphere and yummy food.
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