A Gourmet Tour of Lima

While most people choose to fly right over Lima based on its past history of danger and internal strife, we had planned 3 days to get to know this increasingly thriving city. Today there are several safe neighborhoods including Miraflores (where we stayed) and dozens of gourmet restaurants. In fact, Lima is more well known for its food than anything else. And so, being in Lima for a few days and interested in the cuisine, we joined The Lima Gourmet Tour to learn more about the food and a few of the neighborhoods.

Our driver David arrived with a big smile on his face in his crisp white apron. We joined a comfortable, leather-seated mini van with 3 other people. Our van whisked us off to the first stop: the bohemian district, Barranco. We tried organic roasted coffee and learned a bit about the old neighborhood. It seems that the now quaint area was once riddled with crime, but one restaurant owner came in and opened a restaurant there, putting up many street lights to discourage bad behavior. Others followed in suit, and the government encouraged these establishments to keep their colonial buildings. The result is quite a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, etc., in an interesting area. In the same area we tried a local fruit milkshake (I can't remember the name of the fruit - green on the outside orange on the inside, and tasted sweet but not in any way that I can compare it to another fruit).

From Barranco, we winded down the streets to San Isidor district to visit their local market and have a fruit tasting. The first fruit we tried was a cousin of the passion fruit, but much less tart. We tried several other fruits, many of which I have had before. Still, it was refreshing to have a bit of each fruit and fun to watch all the locals hunt through the shop to find their perfect fruit. In the same market, we visited a fish vendor who showed us some of the day's catches: octopus, scallops, shrimp, fish, and more. It made me hungry just looking at it; I love fresh fish!

Our next stop was probably my favorite. We arrived Embarcado 41 Fusion (one of the city's top seafood restaurants) to learn how to make the local drink and dish. First they taught us about the liquor special to Peru - Pisco. Pisco is made with grapes and stars in their famous drink the Pisco Sour. The Pisco Sour requires Pisco (or course), egg whites, simple syrup (or sugar), and lime juice. We each had the chance to make them, and my arms were sure tired! After making the drinks, we were lead to a back table all set up for a cooking lesson. Our little metal bowls were set out with fresh fish and the table had all the necessary ingredients for ceviche. The head chef came out to give our lesson in Spanish, with our guide translating. He described each ingredient, why it was important and how much to add to our dish. Once we had finished, we got to the most exciting part - eating it! The strong lime taste mixed with cilantro, peppers, onions and, most importantly, the fresh white fish. To counter this strong taste, sweet potato and corn is added on the sides. It sounds terrible, but the result is an explosion of taste in your mouth.

Me making the Piscov Sour

Our finised Pisco Sours. Perfect!

The ceviche ingredients before we mixed it the first time.

Although I was quite full, this was not our last tasting stop. We finished at la Huaca Pucllana, a only recently uncovered archeological dig. The owner of the restaurant promised to restore the ruins if he was allowed to build a restaurant right next to them (a restaurant with a view!). We started with flavored Pisco Sours (mine was passion fruit!) and then homemade bread and butter. Next we were given a range of appetizers: scallops with Parmesan, octopus, beef heart, and mashed potato with salmon on top. Each had their own incredible flavors and I was struggling to push the last few bites down. Then the dessert arrived....

Huaca Pucllana Site

Four little glasses filled with dessert - rice pudding, brownie and dulce de leche, and others that I can't for the life of me remember. They were far too sweet for my taste, and though I tried them I wasn't able  to eat much more than a few bites. We were full, content, and knew a bit more about Lima than we had before. Not long after our van dropped us at the hotel for a much needed nap. Eating can really make you hungry!

If you are going to Peru, I do recommend taking the time to explore all the different incredible restaurants Lima has to offer. The tour we took was interesting and delicious, but I felt it was a bit overpriced and sometimes felt a bit too mechanical (but aren't all tours?). The most uncomfortable part was that our guide didn't eat with us, so it felt very awkward with all of us eating and him just watching us. Our guide was wonderful and informative and I did learn a lot (especially about ceviche and Pisco!) so I'm glad we went on the tour but I do know there is so much more Lima to explore! Maybe next time? It's only 9 hours from LAX!