I HEART Peru(vian Food)

Foods I'll Miss The Most, I Think.

• Aji from Pardo's (it's a sauce made from the aji pepper that you dunk your roasted chicken into - or drink with a straw, whatever)
• Mangos & Grenadilla & Pineapple & the Fresh Orange Juice - oh, the fruits I missed growing up in Connecticut
• Anticuchos - grilled beef hearts - done right with the perfect marinade - delicioso!
  

• Mate de Coca & Lemongrass tea from Machu Picchu Santuary Lodge - unfortunately I can't travel with coca leaves for obvious reasons, so this one will have to wait until we return to MP!
  
• Pulpo Bebe a la Parrilla (Grilled Baby Octopus)... Mmmmmmmmmm, especially from Laeñe
• Tacu-Tacu - a mash made from rice and beans, then lightly fried
• Papitas con Huancaina sauce (potatoes with a creamy, peppery? sauce)
  
• Choclo con queso in Ollantaytambo (corn with a salty fresh cheese)
• A good empanada (but not with the powdered sugar, I don't like the savory/sweet mix)
  
• A GOOD Pisco Sour (until I drank too many one night - and haven't had one in 2 years!)
• Lucuma ice cream
• Cusqueña beer (some people complain about the Peruvian beer and/or lack of variety - I love it - especially on a hot summer day!)
• The fantastic fresh fish and cevicherias

Really I could go on all day. The food here is, in a word, AMAZING! It's fresh and best of all, cheap! I knew nothing of Peruvian cuisine before I moved here. I thought it was like a lot of other Central and South American cuisines with rice and beans and a little kick. While there is some of that, it doesn't define the food here. I'm not sure I could do it justice by trying to summarize it in a sentence, so I won't! Come down here and experience it yourself!

What would have made this post SUPER special is if I ate all of these things this past week and took my own photos of them... Unfortunately, life has been horrendous and my to-do list can't include go to different restaurants, order these foods and take photos. But, now, I'm hungry and wish I had AND wish I could eat all of these one last time or maybe two or three more times in this next week. Maybe there's still time!