Peruvian cuisine might not be on the map in the same way as some of its Latin American neighbours, things are set to change and there’s a lot to shout about. It has a strong identity, whilst empanadas might be Latin American thoroughfare Peruvian dishes are uniquely Peruvian and brilliantly diverse. Not surprising when you consider that Peru has 30 microclimates ranging over the Sechura Desert into the Andes and onto the Amazon jungle.
Peruvian food isn’t for the faint-hearted, anticucho (heart) is a street-food staple. Needless to say, If you’re as adventurous with your culinary exploits as you are about travel and you haven’t already visited, then you need to head to Peru.
You might have noticed cevicherias popping up or have heard that a popular Peruvian dish is guinea pig, but did you know that Peru is the birthplace of the potato? It boasts no less than 3000 varieties as well as a museum dedicated to this humble root vegetable.
Facts aside, we wanted to share a typical Peruvian dish that doesn’t involve hunting down purple corn, guinea pig or heart.
Peruvian Tacu Tacu
What do you do when you have leftover rice and beans? Make tasty Tacu Tacu of course!
Originally created as a way of utilising leftover food to fill the stomachs of working African slaves who arrived in the country towards the end of the slave-trade, Tacu Tacu is a common and nutritious Peruvian dish bursting with flavour. The dish itself is commonly served in a pancake form with a side of steak, plantain and a fried egg on top.
Why not give it a go with our handy recipe for it below?
Ingredients you will need
- 1 chopped brown onion
- 2 cloves of fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder (or chilli paste)
- 1 ½ cups of long-grain rice (cooked)
- 1 tin of beans to your taste (canary or butter beans is recommended)
- 1 egg
Method
- We begin by preparing the seasoned beans. Fry the garlic, onion and season with chilli in a frying pan over a medium-low heat until lightly browned.
- Stir in the beans and mix together in the pan.
- Stir in the pre-cooked rice and turn up the heat in order to fry the rice and bean mixture. Stir regularly to avoid burning, lightly mashing up the beans until a thick mixture is formed. Stop stirring for the last few minutes until the rice is golden brown and crisp at the bottom.
- Turn off your rice and bean mixture, leaving to settle and cool for a few minutes. Following this, Fry an egg in a separate pan.
- Serve to taste with your egg on top and voilà!
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