food « Life in Peru

Parrilla para 2

Occasionally we order a “parrilla para 2″, or “grill for 2″ from the Tablon restaurant chain. There’s a ton of yummie food and in our case, it’s more like a “grill for 2-and-a-half”, plus leftovers. Goes great with a Cerveza Cusqueña or a glass of wine.

Parilla para 2 ... y medio

Now Cusco isn’t exactly Texas when it comes to steak. Instead of a 32oz T-bone, this “parilla” has a small steak, a pork chop, various types of sausage plus a bunch of food you wouldn’t typically see in the US: tongue, heart and some other pieces that I don’t quite recognize

I don't know what most of it is either

Peru is a poor country with only a small percentage of arable land due to the mountains, desert (coast) and jungle, so it is only natural that many types of food are standard fare. Here in the mountains we eat mostly chicken and pork, but I’ve also had goat, alpaca and of course “cuy” or guinea pig, a local specialty.

May 22, 2010 Posted by wwelvaert | Life in Peru | Peruvian food, food, parilla | 1 Comment

Weekend lunch

Nothing better than enjoying lunch outside under the Andean sun. One of our favorite trips is going out to Saylla for some chicharron (fried pork), as we did this past Saturday.

Enjoying lunch outdoors

How cute is that?

Playing on papi's favorite traditional blanket!

Relaxing after eating a big lunch

There must be 20 or more restaurants in Saylla, and practically all of them are “chicharronerias”, it’s what the little town is known for. If you drive further down the “Valley of the South” you can have cuy in Tipon or pata (duck) in Lucre. From Cusco you can take the local busses like we do, and there are also many tour operators who offer day-trips to the “Valley of the South”.

April 15, 2010 Posted by wwelvaert | Life in Peru | Peru, food, Saylla, Chicharron, lunch, sun | 2 Comments

Plato Sol de Mayo

Patricia got hungry today, you know, nursing the baby and all…

Plato Sol de Mayo

We went to our favorite restaurant in Urubamba, “Sol de Mayo” and Patricia ordered their perennial house special, “Plato Sol de Mayo”. In case you can’t make out the details in the old cellphone picture, the plate consists of a salad with yummie white Andean cheese, a potato – which Peru claims to have invented – noodles, corn, chicken, beef, chicharron and cuy.

There are a lot of places where you can enjoy typical Andean food, but if you’re in Urubamba I highly recommend “Sol de Mayo”. It’s located only 3 blocks right behind the main bus terminal in Urubamba, it’s not overpriced or touristy, and you definitely won’t leave hungry!

December 6, 2009 Posted by wwelvaert | Life in Peru | Peruvian food, food, andean food, sol de mayo, urubamba | 3 Comments

Prevent brain loss – move to Cusco

A new study claims obese people have severe brain degeneration.

“A new study finds obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals. Their brains look 16 years older than the brains of lean individuals, researchers said today. “

So why would living in Cusco make a difference? The report continues that…

“The main cause, experts say: bad diet, including an increased reliance on highly processed foods…”

In other words, if everything you eat has “high fructose corn syrup” in it, you might want to consider spending a few months in Cusco. Food here is fresh and delicious. Gringos in Cusco lose weight, lots of it.

Typical Andean food

August 25, 2009 Posted by wwelvaert | Life in Peru | brain, Cusco, food, fresh, lose weight, obesity, Peru | 5 Comments

Papa rellena

We are by no means experts when it comes to cooking typical Peruvian food, or comida criolla, but yesterday our papa rellenas actually came out looking good.

Homemade papa rellena

Papa rellenas are typical Peruvian food, served often at the local restaurants that offer daily specials known as “Menu”.

So how do you make papa rellena? Again, I’m no expert, but basically you make mashed potatos and roll them around some ground beef and vegetables like peas, carrots, peppers – all cooked and cut into small pieces, of course. Then you fry the rolled potato in a pan to make it crispy brown on the outside, yummie!!

Don’t try frying them in a deep fryer, just take my word for it

August 14, 2009 Posted by wwelvaert | Life in Peru | Peruvian food, food, papa rellena, comida criolla | 5 Comments

Chicharron

We took a trip to Saylla today for a lunch of chicharron, or fried pork. I lived in “the South” for 15 years, so I know fried food, but if you like meat you can’t beat chicharron, it is great. Chicharron is generally served with corn, potatoes and a salad. On the side you have a dish of “aji”, the green hot sauce that is typical here in Cusco.

Chicharron, or fried pork

Los Kqantus, our favorite chicharroneria

We are caseros, or regulars, at “Los Kqantus” in Saylla. Saylla is a small town about 20 minutes outside of Cusco, known for chicharron. There must be 20 or so restaurants in Saylla, all Chicharronerias.

Que rico!!!

Enjoying the sun

It bears repeating, the food is fantastic. But the experience is even better since we usually eat outside, overlooking the mountains and the countryside. The weather in Cusco is perfect in the early afternoon: sunny, 78-ish and no humidity.

Saylla is a quiet, small town. After lunch we walk through the countryside to the next town, Huasao, where we take the bus back to Cusco.

Countryside near Saylla, Peru

Bus back to Cusco, from the main square of Huasao

Tough life we have here in Peru, si

How to get to Saylla: from Cusco take a “combi” to Saylla, Huasao or Oropesa, any of these stop in Saylla. Just ask the locals where to take the bus to Saylla. A good place to get on the “combi” is any bus stop on Avenida Cultura. “Los Kqantus” is near the 3rd bus stop in Saylla, about a block back from the main highway.

On the way back the busses get very crowded, if you want to get a seat it is best to walk to the main square (Plaza de Armas) in Huasao, where the buses leave from.

The main square in Huasao, Peru

May 17, 2009 Posted by wwelvaert | Life in Peru | Peru, Cusco, Comida Peruana, food, Saylla, Chicharron, "Los Kqantus" | 4 Comments

Ceviche

Patricia had ceviche at a small seaside restaurant in Huanchaco last week. Ceviche is a typical Peruvian dish: fresh, uncooked fish, typically marinated in citrus and spices.