Peru 101

Welcome to Peru Ají, the official blog of Darkest Peru. Here I’ll be sharing my passion for Peruvian food with you. There will also be some recipes coming soon so you can bring a bit of Peru’s rich food culture to your own kitchen!

Fresh variety of Peruvian Ají

I grew up in Lima, Peru’s vibrant, noisy and sprawling capital. As an architect, I've always been fascinated by the link between spaces and food.

In Lima there’s a space for every type of food. We have bustling municipal mercados brimming with fresh fruits, where people sit sipping colourful natural jugos. In downtown Lima, street vendors cook sizzling anticuchos, juggle potion-like bottles of flavourings for emoliente and pluck piping hot picarones from vats of boiling oil. 

Every food has its sacred Peruvian space. Darkest Peru’s menu draws on the traditions of Chinese-Peruvian fusion. Many visitors to Lima are surprised at the number of Chifas serving up the product of over 150 years of Chinese immigration to Lima. 

And of course, I’d be letting my fellow countrymen down if I didn’t mention Ceviche. This dish of lime-cured fresh fish with camote and corn is a Peruvian staple found in cevicherias and restaurants right across Peru.

My interest in food and place has inspired many of my creative endeavours including this design project, where I explored a new way of paying homage to Peruvian street food.

Peruvian Street food - Antituchos (Source: Travesias www.travesiasdigital.com)

Now I’m embarking on a new culinary venture bringing Peruvian food to a new and decided space in London. Peruvian food is famous in Latin America, but surprisingly unknown outside my own continent. My mission is to change this and transport the vibrant food culture of Lima across the Atlantic to London! 

Follow the blog for updates on my new adventure and for the occasional tasty recipe. Or, better yet, swing by Darkest Peru and say Hola over some delicious Peruvian food and a coffee.