Peruvian cuisine has achieved an excellent position on the global culinary scene over the years. The unique combinations and its wealth of ingredients and flavours have won it the latest Cultural Patrimony of the Americas Award.
Diverse is how this gastronomy is defined with its large array of typical dishes. Some of them are blended with Spanish products to bring out the best in Peru’s cuisine. This is the case with Maymanta restaurant, where its chef and creator, Omar Malpartida, combines local and Peruvian products to harness the best of both cuisines.
Classical Peruvian cuisine consists of lots of typical dishes
«We use a lot of fish and seafood from Ibiza and also local products like aubergines, fusing them with Peruvian food, which we have flown over every fifteen days,» Malpartida, the chef at Maymanta tells us.
Peruvian food is famous for its intensity of flavours and diversity of textures. «It’s a powerful cuisine, with lots of personality, and very, very appetising,» says Malpartida. To achieve this effect, Peru’s typical dishes always feature some aji pepper, lime and coriander.
«At Maymanta we use tradition to produce the classical Peruvian dishes, but we try to take risks and opt for plates that are not commercialised in Spain, such as pepián de choclo (corn, chilli pepper, and coriander stew),» the chef tells us. Raúl Gutiérrez, executive chef at Bless Ibiza, also coincides with Malpartida in these classic ingredients that are so essential in Peruvian cooking. The restaurants Epic and Llum Premium Pool Club, located in the Hotel Bless Ibiza, also offer Peruvian-inspired dishes, such as ceviches.
At Maymanta we use tradition to present Peruvian cuisine
Typical dishes
Some of these Peruvian classics are lomo saltado (stir-fried beef), ceviche and ají de gallina (spicy creamed chicken). At Maymanta these Peruvian staples are given an innovative twist. «To represent the union between Spain and Peru, we have created some dishes where we combine things like ají de gallina with a croquette,» says Malpartida. He tells us that for this fusion he also likes to blend things like ceviche with piquillo peppers, for example.
The influence of Gastón Azcurio
The food of Peru is becoming increasingly popular around the world. Little by little it has been arriving at the world’s top kitchens thanks to the huge efforts of leading chefs such as Gastón Acurio and Virgilio Martínez, who works with some fairly unconventional products from the Sierra de Perú. According to Raúl Gutiérrez: «Gastón Azcurio has relaunched the Peruvian cuisine to perfection. His dishes take us on a journey between Europe and Peru and end up developing internationally».
Omar Malpartida: «Peruvian cuisine still has a lot more to give»
In the opinion of Raúl Gutiérrez, «Peruvian cuisine opened up to the world years ago». «It’s a style of cuisine that fuses very well with Japanese and European influences, as well as those of Spain.» Raúl Gutiérrez also finds the different regions of Peru particularly interesting. «It’s a country that has managed to export all its dishes to the world, such as ceviche.
Despite this world acceptance of its food, Omar Malpartida highlights: «Although the food of Peru is becoming well known, it still has a lot more to give with the same products. We have a Peruvian Amazonian larder that we still don’t fully know ourselves, which is why there is still a long way to go gastronomically speaking». To achieve this goal, Malpartida is committed to «continue motivating chefs and entrepreneurs to open restaurants serving Peruvian cuisine in places where it is still unknown, like Thailand or Madagascar». What’s more, the chef proudly points out that «Peruvian gastronomy is reaching countries such as Norway, which seemed unimaginable a few years ago.»
Peru’s typical dishes always feature some aji pepper, lime and coriander
Nikkei cuisine
The fusion of cultures through Peruvian food has also reached as far as Japan, with Nikkei cuisine. This cuisine blends Japanese cutting and preparation techniques (especially with fish) with ingredients and seasonings from Peru. At Maymanta they also opt for this type of cuisine, which according to the chef «is a type of food that people adore».
Nikkei cuisine fuses classical Peruvian and Japanese cuisines
The menu at Maymanta makes a firm commitment to this style of cooking, with dishes like Tiradito de atún con leche de ponzu (sliced tuna loin with ponzu sauce) and avocado with wasabi. «These dishes are fresh and have lots of potential.
Gutiérrez: «In my opinion it’s always best not to manipulate the ingredients too much»
This summer they are particularly popular because they are light,» Malpartida points out. The restaurants at Bless Hotel Ibiza also favour this style of nikkei cuisine, with dishes such as white fish with a touch of ají amarillo, (Peruvian yellow sauce) «we present sushi with a Peruvian twist,» explains Gutiérrez, who highlights that «to prepare sushi rolls ceviche-style is typical of Peruvian cooking».
Respect for the raw ingredients
According to Raúl Gutiérrez , to bring out the best in the Peruvian dishes it’s always best «not to manipulate the raw ingredients too much». The chef says: «You can take some fish, for example, and prepare it in some good tiger’s milk, which is the base of ceviche». There are various types of ceviche on the menu at Bless. «To fuse local products with Peruvian food, we use sirvia, for example. We also have other more classic dishes, so we can appeal to all tastes,» he concludes.