ArtAndes Blog

In April, The Peruvian Restaurant, Astrid & Gastón was recognized among the World’s Best 50 Restaurants in 2013, a prestigious selection sponsored by S. Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. Seven of the best fifteen restaurants in Latin America, are in Lima!!! Peruvian cuisine as we know it is the result of a consensual, mixing bowl with African, Andean, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese input. The world is discovering and appreciating Peru’s gastronomy because of its language. What we know today as Peruvian cuisine, from an emotional sense, is a conquest made in these last few years. Not the recipes, nor the structure, but the feeling.

The cooks went together to look for producers and farmers; a cook-farmer alliance was formed somehow, and managed to start a path of reconciliation between country and city, which had been waiting for 400 years. Today, cooks and farmers throughout Peru look at each other as equals, as friends, as partners, and they are thankful to each other. Cooks exist thanks to farmers, and producers can see in the cook someone that promotes their products and the dignity of their work. Being united, cooks and producers, can articulate a discourse that is compelling in the diner, that has started to modify an appraisal for Peruvian food. Peruvians now have a tool to promote Peru around the world.

ArtAndes Travel has always been focused on the culinary treasures of Peru. We were asking for cooking classes at the Colca Lodge back when guests NEVER went in the kitchen, now they anticipate our arrival with gusto and sharp knives! Back in the mid nineties when we started our unique travel itineraries, finding exciting food that embraced Andean ingredients was not easy, in fact it was one of the harder parts of our job, to find 16 dinners that were tasty and memorable. That started to change about 6 years ago, and although the culinary focus was always there for us, a trip for foodies without being a food trip, it's gotten very artful and downright exciting. One person; Gastón Acurio, has been responsible for initially putting Peruvian Cuisine on the map, and if he wanted to, he could also be the next President of Peru.

The most amazing result of the international spotlight on Peru's food, is the intense cultural pride amongst Peruvians. Cultural pride saves culture! I have seen pride help save an Indigenous weaving culture.
(Some info from Peru This Week)