The Next Big Thing in World Cuisine

I had heard through the grapevine (amongst other sources) that Peruvian food was destined to be the next big thing in world cuisine – a cuisine that embodied fresh seafood, quality meats, unique fruits and grains, jungle cuisine, unique flavour combinations... it certainly got the juices going. So when Brujas de Cachiche (Bolognesi 472, Miraflores) was suggested as a great place for an introduction to Peru’s culinary prowess, I happily obliged.

Seeing the picture above in real, edible form was clearly going to make me a happy man, and indeed it did. Here you’ll see a seafood starter platter demonstrating the best of coastal cuisine; clockwise from bottom left: tiradito – raw slices of sole, marinated in local lime juice with chilli; deep fried prawns with a quinoa coating; anitchuchitas con pescado – fish kebabs, only better, I guess; conchitas  a la parmesana – baby scallops grilled with parmesan cheese; pulpo al olivo – octopus in a smooth olive sauce, and in the centre: causa de pulpa fresco de cangrejo – mashed potato cake stuffed with fresh crab meat (looks and tastes much better than my inadequate description). I could go on all day about each individual dish, but I won’t...

In the background of the picture you’ll see their ‘creole’ hors d’oeuvres, most notable of which was their rocoto relleno, a beef-mince stuffed bell pepper (with a kick), just delish.

Desserts, well, more new delicious things on show here, showcasing the best of Peru’s unique fruits. The yellow one in the bottom left depicts lucuma cream, the fruit responsible for a three week addiction which unfortunately had to end, the dark purple one in the top left depicts a chicha morada (fermented purple corn) dessert which you’ll normally find in drinkable form, and also of note was the chirimoya (aka custard apple, top right) blancmange (another creamy, sugary, moreish postre).

All of this goes well with a pisco sour or three.