peru has one of the best cuisines on the planet! it’s one of the reasons i actually like this place. over the past few years, peruvian food has been making inroads in gourmet circles under the guise of novo-andino (or new andean). i did an interview with one of peru’s leading chef’s a few years back that can fill you in.

i have a cooking oriented blog where one of the thing’s i’ve been trying to do is post english-language versions of peruvian recipes so folks can learn more about it.

that said, the individual restaurant might be a disaster. i’ve been to some high-end “peruvian” places in the states who were just doing glorified mexican food. i’ve been to low-end peruvian places that were as bad as any other strip-mall ethnic food joint. but, if you find one that is the real deal, you have a gastronomical adventure in front of you, my friend.

number one question to find out. ask them if they use real aji amarillo. it’s a very distinct tasting pepper they use in just about everything here (it’s not hot at all) but is virtually impossible to find in the US. if they make the effort to get the peppers or the powder to cook with, the odds are good the rest of the stuff should pass muster.