BY MIKA NAGAMOTO
For our first group excursion in Lima, our professors decided to take us out to a traditional Peruvian lunch. In Peru, it’s common to eat larger lunches and smaller dinners. Lunch may be a three-course meal with appetizers, a main course, and dessert. I had heard that the food in Peru was amazing but the mouth-watering, jaw dropping, taste-bud loving food that we ate far exceeded my expectations. When we sat down we were immediately served chichi morada: a common drink in Peru that is commonly served warm. Chicha is made from purple corn, lime, cinnamon, clove, pineapple, and sugar. I quickly gulped down several large glasses of this sweet drink and sense then have looked for chicha at every restaurant I go to. After we were served drinks, heaping plates of steaming food were brought out to us. What appeared to be a full meal was actually only the appetizers. Below is a list of all of the incredible appetizers we ate.
- Anticuchos: Tender cow hearts marinated in vinegar and spices and served with Peruvian yellow corn
- Causa Rellena de Cangrejo: Yellow potato rolls with avocado, lime, onion, and yellow chili pepper
- Papa a la Huancaína: A common dish served cold with yellow potatoes, quail eggs, olives, and a popular Huacaína sauce made from ají amarillo paste, various white cheeses, garlic, and milk
![Introduction to Peruvian Food](https://ieo.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Introduction-to-Peruvian-Food.jpg)
Although the appetizers certainly satisfied my hunger, soon after we were brought more heaping plates of food for our main course. Our meal included:
- Arroz con Pollo: Pulled chicken with cilantro rice, peas, carrots, and bell peppers
- Lomo Saltado: Strips of steak cooked with grilled peppers and served over yellow potato fries
- Ají de Gallina: pulled chicken serves with Huacaína sauce, and olives
- Carapulcra: A modern version of an Incan stew made with tender pork, papa seca (dehydrated potatoes), ají panca, garlic, and cloves
![Introduction to Peruvian food2](https://ieo.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Introduction-to-Peruvian-food2.jpg)
Finally, our meal ended with a grand finale: dessert. Peruvian “dulces” are often very sweet and creamy.. I was overwhelmed by how incredible everything tasted. Here’s a list of some of the desserts we
- Picarones: Fried dough made from squash and sweet potatoes
- Leche Asada: Baked milk pudding made from eggs, milk, and vanilla
- Pan Tres Leche: Sweet, moist, cake made with three types of milk (hence the name) evaporated mile, condensed milk, and heavy cream
- Arroz con Leche y Mazamorra morada: Sweet, rice pudding served with thick, purple corn pudding
- Manjar Blanco (Dulce de Leche): A sweet, carmel-like pudding made into a sticky dessert with milk, vanilla, and sugar
![introduciton to peruvian food 3](https://ieo.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/introduciton-to-peruvian-food-3.jpg)
Mika Nagamoto studied abroad in Lima and Iquitos, Peru, in summer 2018: https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/GlobalHealth-Lima/