Peru Taste: Highlights

Peru celebrates National Cebiche Day

2009-06-27T23:00:00.001-04:00

On March 23rd of 2004, the National Institute of Culture of Peru (INC) declared Cebiche as Cultural Heritage, and afterwards on 2008 the Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) declared June 28th as the Cebiche Day.

This year Cebiche Day is going to be celebrated for first time all around the country with several activities, including gastronomic festivals where people will enjoy the different regional variations of this delicious and trditional dish. The main celebration will be held at the fishers' pier in Chorrillos, where the Minister of Production will be present.

Related news:

Cebiche’s National Day to be celebrated tomorrow in Chorrillos. ANDINA, June 27th of 2009.
Este domingo se celebrará el día del cebiche. El Comercio. June 26th of 2008.
Piura, Tumbes to prepare huge dish during Cebiche’s National Day. ANDINA, June 26th of 2009.
Trout cebiche tasting event on Cebiche’s National Day in Peru. ANDINA, June 25th of 2009.
Peruvians to celebrate National Cebiche Day on June 28. ANDINA, June 22nd of 2009.
El cebiche más grande del mundo es peruano (The biggest cebiche in the world is Peruvian). El Comercio, December 8th of 2009.

EAT! Vancouver 2009

2009-05-31T01:00:00.008-04:00

EAT! Vancouver is the biggest food, beverage and cooking festival in Canada. It was held at BC Stadium, Vancouver, British Columbia, from May 22nd to May 24th. The different areas or pavilions that the festival included were:

The Wellness Pavillion: In this area you could find organic, natural, fair trade and socially-responsible products.

World Culinary Travel Expo: The idea behind this area was to allow visitors to experience and discover the world through its culinary diversity. In this area you could also find numerous tour and cruise operators. Many countries were officially represented in here but there was not official Peruvian representation.

Wine, Beer & Spirits Tasting Pavilion: A meal wouldn't be complete without a proper drink. Here you were able to taste wines, beers and drinks from all around the world. Unfortunately Pisco was not present here.

Mott's Clamato Caesar School Stage: Over here you were going behind the bar to learn how to prepare this Canadian cocktail.

The Bite of Vancouver Restaurant Pavilion: Many of the Vancouver's favorite restaurants, both local and international, were serving their best and emblematic dishes. Over here we could find Brasas offering some wraps of pollo a la brasa (traditional Peruvian rotisserie chicken.
Pets EAT! Too Pavilion: Here you could find everything for ypur favorite pet nutrition. You were able to receive expert advise and buy or get samples of different pet products.

EAT! Vancouver was also host to different culinary competitions like:

B.C. Chefs' Association culinary salon cooking competition
B.C. Chefs' Association chocolate competition
The seventh annual Citytv's Master Chef Competition (Iron Chef style)

Lima gets ready to celebrate Potato Day

2009-05-25T02:11:00.005-04:00

Lima will host a food fair and an innovative cooking contest to mark celebrations for the National Potato Day on May 30th. Celebrations will include several activities during the whole week starting on May 25th. The National Potato Day is sponsored by the International Potato Centre (CIP) in Lima.

For more information see:

International Potato Center
Lima to celebrate Potato Day with food fair. ANDINA, May 24th of 2009.

Six Peruvian food franchises to enter in neighboring countries

2009-05-15T13:45:00.000-04:00

Due to the recent boom of the Peruvian cuisine, six Peruvian franchises are about to go to Colombia, Ecuador, Chile and Mexico. In this way new cities will be added to the list conformed by Santiago de Chile, Bogota, Miami, Los Angeles and Madrid, where Peruvian food frachises are already established and successful.

For more information see:

Seis franquicias gastronómicas peruanas negocian su ingreso a países vecinos. RPP, May 7th of 2009.

Peru celebrates Pisco Sour Day

2009-02-07T21:43:00.001-05:00

Since a couple of years ago, every first Saturday of February Peru celebrates the Pisco Sour Day. Many activities and events are held country wide in order to honor the Peruvian flagship drink.

Pisco Sour is an internationally renown drink prepared with a mixture of pisco, lemon, egg white, simple syrup, Angostura bitters and ice.

For more information on Pisco Sour and this year's Pisco Sour Day celebration see:

Pisco. Peru Taste Highlights, July 31st of 2007.
Peru celebrates “Pisco Sour Day” today. ANDINA, February 7th of 2009.
Limean districts celebrate Pisco Sour Day. ANDINA, February 7th of 2009.
Peru Pisco exports expected to grow at 30% rates in the next years . ANDINA, February 7th of 2009.

Gaston Acurio was awarded at Madrid Fusion 2009

2009-01-31T14:16:00.000-05:00

Madrid Fusion 2009, the VII International Summit of Gastronomy, was held from January 19th to 22nd. This prestigious summit gathered the world's best and renown chefs.

The world renown Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio, as well as other organizations as Greenpeace, FAO, Slow Food, FROM and Sea Food Choices, was presented an award because of his work in defense of the environment and biodiversity.

In this summit Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, another Peruvian renown chef, participated with the lecture "A stock of food to discover", where he talked about the new and endless possibilities of Amazonian products in gastronomy.

For more information see:

Madrid Fusion
Gastón Acurio
Gastón Acurio será reconocido en Madrid Fusión. El Comercio, January 17th of 2009.
Homenajean a Gastón Acurio en congreso gastronómico Madrid Fusión. Peru.com, January 21st of 2009.
Gastón Acurio fue premiado en cumbre Madrid Fusión. El Comercio, January 21st of 2009.

Peruvian Cuisine in The History Channel

2008-12-08T11:25:00.001-05:00

Two programs of Historia a La Carta (History a la Carte) dedicated to Peruvian Food will be broadcast by the The History Channel tonight.

The first program will be El Vuelo del Pisco at 9:00 pm, in which you will know many of the secrets of the National Drink of Peru.

The second one will be El Cebiche Más Bonito at 10:00 pm. This program will explore the most representative dish of the Peruvian cuisine.

For more information see:

El Vuelo del Pisco, The History Channel
El Cebiche Más Bonito, The History Channel
Pisco, Peru Taste Highlights, July 31 of 2007.

Peru Grand Tasting Fall 2008

2008-11-18T22:10:00.000-05:00

Peru Grand Tasting Fall 2008 had great evenings of dinings in New York and Boston in early November where people had the chance to enjoy different Peruvian traditional dishes and drinks and now it is visiting Washington, DC. On November 19th, guests will be received at Las Canteras Restaurant.

See full article at:

Flavors of Peru invites Obama to attend Peru Grand Tasting in Washington DC. ANDINA, November 14 of 2008.

At the II Fair of Tourism, Gastronomy and Entertainment

2008-11-02T19:00:00.002-05:00

The Second Fair of Tourism, Gastronomy and Entertainment organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Lima (CCL) took place during this weekend, from October 31 to November 2. Many restaurants, wine and pisco makers, cuisine schools, tourism agencies, air and terrestrial transport companies, social clubs and many other organizations related with the gastronomy, tourism and entertainment sectors were displaying, offering and selling their products and services.

Besides visiting the stands and sample their products, you were also able to enjoy a great variety of dishes, participate in draws, attend lectures and demos while enjoying different shows.

For more informatio see:

Second Fair of Tourism, Gastronomy and Entertainment in Lima. Peru Taste Highlights, October 20 of 2008.

Promotion of rich Arequipa's cuisine

2008-10-25T19:08:00.001-04:00

PromPerú (the Commssion for the Promotion of Peru) and the Regional Government of Arequipa presented at the Meliá Lima hotel "La Ruta del Paladar". This is an initiative that looks to promote the gastronomic services of Arequipa.

Arequipa is well known for having one of the finest and most diverse cuisines in Peru. Centuries of tradition, the use of natural ingredients and spices, and a renovated passion for their gastronomic heritage blend together to offer exquisite traditional and innovative dishes.

For more information see:

Toda la oferta gastronómica de Arequipa. El Comercio. October 15 of 2008 (in Spanish)
A disfrutar de las delicias de Arequipa. Terra. October 14 of 2008. (in Spanish)

Turismo gastronómico en Arequipa. Especiales. Expreso. (in Spanish)

Arequipa launches gastronomic project to increase tourism. Peru Taste Highlights, June 9 of 2008. (in English)

Second Fair of Tourism, Gastronomy and Entertainment in Lima

2008-10-20T23:21:00.001-04:00

The Second Fair of Tourism, Gastronomy and Entertainment organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Lima (CCL) will be held from October 31 to November 2 at the Military Circle of Peru, located in the district of Jesus Maria in Lima, at Av. Salaverry 1680.

If interested in attending call 219-1795 or write to vipcam@camaralima.org.pe

For more information see:

CCL promueve el Turismo, la Gastronomía y el Entretenimiento. RPP, October 20 of 2008. (Spanish)
Second Fair of Tourism, Gastronomy, Entertainment to be held Oct.31, Nov. 1-2. ANDINA, October 19 of 2008. (English)

Pisco's XII National Festival and XV National Contest

2008-09-13T23:30:00.000-04:00

On September 12th, Peru's Ministry of Production, the National Commission of Pisco (CONAPISCO) and Surco Municipality inaugurated the XII National Festival and XV National Contest of Pisco, which will take place till Sunday 14th at Jockey Plaza Conventions Center in Lima, where more than two hundred distilleries and three hundred samples will compete in the National Contest. This event will include dance performaces, concerts, pisco sampling and tasting, exhibitions, flairtending and cocktail making contests.

For more information see:

Pisco XII festival & XV contest begin today in Lima. ANDINA, September 12 of 2008.

307 muestras de Pisco participan en concurso que se desarrolla hasta el domingo en el Jockey Plaza. ANDINA, September 12 of 2008.

Más de 200 bodegas se preparan para el Concurso Nacional del Pisco. El Comercio, September 11 of 2008.

XV Concurso Nacional del Pisco y XII Festival del Pisco 2008. CONAPISCO.

Pisco. Peru Taste Highlights, July 31 of 2007.

II Gastronomic Festival of Arequipa "Festiglotón"

2008-09-02T23:00:00.002-04:00

The Gastronomic Association of Arequipa (AGAR) is organizing the II Gastronomic Festival of Arequipa "Festiglotón", which will be held from the 2nd to the 5th of October of 2008 in the Main Square of Yanahuara.

During this event the best Arequipenian restaurants will exhibit and offer traditional regional dishes, as well as new trends and fusions with other cuisines. The Festival will also include music, dance and theater performances of national and foreign artists.

Gastronomic schools and institutes, winemakers, Pisco distilleries, cheese makers, bakeries, sausage makers, chocolate manufacturers and many other organizations and food providers will participate in this event too with a great and diverse exhibition and offer of products.

For more information see:

20 Peruvian Blogs Contest

2008-09-01T11:24:00.006-04:00

The award ceremony of the contest "20 Blogs Peruanos" (20 Peruvian Blogs) was held on the evening of Friday 29th of August of 2008 at María Angola Conventions Center in Miraflores.

The contest looked for the most voted Peruvian blogs in 20 different categories like art, science, cinema, sports, economy, education, literature, humour, family, music and gastromony, among others.

The three nominated blogs for the Gastronomy category were:

The winner blog in the Gastronomy category was Cucharas Bravas, while the most voted Peruvian blog among all categories was Peru Notas.

First International Gastronomic Fair "Perú, Mucho Gusto"

2008-08-27T09:00:00.002-04:00

The Peruvian Association of Gastronomy (Asociación Peruana de Gastronomía - APEGA) is organizing the First International Gastronomic Fair "Perú, Mucho Gusto", which will be held from the 26th to the 28th of September of 2008 at Cuartel San Martín in Miraflores, Lima.

This event will gather national and international chefs, producers, providers and restaurants. It will have a market area, a gourmet area where restaurants will offer their dishes at special prices and an exhibition and congress area.

For more information see:

Primera Feria Internacional "Perú, Mucho Gusto"
Lima acogerá en setiembre la primera feria Perú, Mucho Gusto. El Comercio, August 24 of 2008. (Includes video with Gastón Acurio)
Camino a la internacionalización. El Comercio, August 24 of 2008.
Huancavelica en feria Perú Mucho Gusto. Press release of the Regional Government of Huancavelica, August 19 of 2008.

Day of the Peruvian Coffee

2008-08-26T23:50:00.000-04:00

The Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture announced that the fourth Friday of August of every year has been declared as Day of the Peruvian Coffee, because this product is recognized worldwide for its high quality and also because it is a source of direct and indirect employment for more than two million Peruvian people.

Peru is one of the top ten producers of coffee, it is the 6th worldwide exporter. Coffee production contributes greatly to the Peruvian economy, 95% of the production is exported, and it is considered as one of the Peruvian Flagship Products.

For more information see:

Fourth Friday of August is declared “Peru’s Coffee Day”. ANDINA, August 22 of 2008.
Declaran "Día del café peruano" el cuarto viernes de agosto. RPP, August 22 of 2008.
Declaran al café y al espárrago como nuevos productos bandera del Perú. El Comercio, June 30 of 2008.
Productos Bandera. ANDINA. (Multimedia presentation)

Cañete hosted 6th Pisco Regional Contest in Lima

2008-08-25T02:05:00.003-04:00

With the participation of 120 pisco producers across the Lima region, Lima's regional government organized in the town of San Vicente de Cañete the 6th Pisco Regional Contest from August 22 to 24 on the occasion of Cañete's 452th Foundation Anniversary.

For more information see:

Peru: Cañete to host 6th Pisco Regional Contest in Lima. ANDINA, August 22 of 2008.
Pisco. Peru Taste, July 31 of 2007.
The History Channel difunde en documental origen peruano del Pisco. RPP, August 22 of 2008.

Lima regional government to launch Pisco Route

2008-08-19T22:21:00.003-04:00

Lima’s regional government will boost the Route of the Pisco in the ambit of the Lima Region, reported the regional president Nelson Chui Mejía after launching the 6th Contest of Pisco in Lunahuaná.

The regional government has approved a directive to develop this route. “We will place signs. For instance, people who visit Lunahuaná will be informed about the Pisco Route in this zone. Besides Lunahuaná, other zones such as Quilmaná and Santa Cruz de Flores will take part in this project”, said Chui Mejía.

See full article and more information about pisco at:

Lima regional government to launch Pisco Route. ANDINA, August 19 of 2008.
Pisco. Peru Taste, July 31 of 2007.

Gastronomic Tour of the Historical Centre of Lima

2008-08-08T00:40:00.007-04:00

Towards APEC 2008 Forum, which will take place in November in Peru, Lima's city council presented today the program "Gastronomic Tour of the Historical Centre of Lima", in order for visitors of this important meeting to taste the best of Peruvian gastronomy.

More than 220 restaurants were selected for this program, whose owners have improved their facilities, service quality and food handling.

For more information see:

New gastronomic tour is presented at Historic Centre of Lima. ANDINA, August 6 of 2008.

Presentarán el nuevo circuito gastronómico del Centro Histórico de Lima. El Comercio, August 6 of 2008.

Cebiche is considered the most representative Peruvian dish

2008-07-28T09:00:00.003-04:00

According to a survey of the Universidad Católica, cebiche is seen as the Peruvian National Dish.

In second and third place were the cuy chactado and the papa a la huancaína. Some other dishes that were mentioned in the survey were arroz con pollo, pachamanca, rocoto relleno and lomo saltado.

See full article at:

Peruanos consideran al cebiche como la comida más representativa del país. RPP, July 27 of 2008.

Pisco flowing from the fountain at the center of Lima's main square

2008-07-27T16:55:00.001-04:00

The Municipality of Lima filled the main Fountain on the Plaza Mayor (Main Square in Lima) with 2000 liters of Pisco for everyone to enjoy it.

Among those who enjoyed the Pisco were Peruvian president Alan García Pérez, prime minister Jorge del Castillo, foreign minister Jose Antonio García Belaunde, and other State ministers.

The free Pisco tasting is organized by the Municipality of Lima with the support of private sector to celebrate the National Holidays and will include dance and music performances. The show will start at 11 a.m. and will last until around 10 p.m.

For more informtaion see:

Mañana brotará pisco de la pileta de Plaza de Armas de Lima. RPP, July 26 of 2008.
Lima celebrates Peru’s Independence Day with over 2,000 liters of free Pisco. ANDINA, July 27 of 2008.
Peru's president enjoyed Pisco in downtown Lima celebration. ANDINA, July 27 of 2008.

Night of the Peruvian Cuisine

2008-07-27T12:08:00.004-04:00

For second year in a row, the Night of the Peruvian Cuisine (Noche de la Comida Peruana) will be celebrated on July 27th. The idea behind this celebration is to receive and celebrate the Independence Day (July 28th) with typical national dishes.

On the night of July 27th there will be a big show at the Circuito Mágico de las Aguas (Magical Water Tour) in the Parque de la Reserva in Lima, which is reopening on Saturday to celebrate its first anniversary of operations. Over there many national artists like Fabiola de la Cuba, Grupo La Sarita and Maricarmen Marín will perform and people will have the chance to enjoy many different dishes from the rich Peruvian Cuisine.

For more information see:

Anuncian segunda edición de la Noche de la Comida Peruana, July 11 of 2008, RPP.
Celebre Fiestas Patrias en la Noche de la Comida Peruana con Inca Kola, July 17 of 2008, RPP.
Lima’s Magical Water Tour to celebrate first anniversary with special show, July 25 of 2006, ANDINA.

Peruvian artichoke exports to US increased in January-May

2008-07-18T15:45:00.000-04:00

In the January-May period of 2008, the United States was the first destination market of Peruvian artichokes increasing its participation from 43 to 54 percent compared to the same period last year, reported today the Exporters Association (Adex).

In total, the export of artichokes totaled 24 million 919 thousand dollars in the first five months of the year, 38 percent more compared to the same period of last year.

See full article at ANDINA (in English)

Ayacucho farmers to export 454 tons of purple corn to Japan

2008-07-14T19:22:00.001-04:00

Purple corn producers from the Andean region of Ayacucho expect to export 454 tons of this product to Japan in a joint work with the export-oriented agricultural company Agrocóndor, which will be responsible for purchasing and processing purple corn cobs, said today the executive president of Sierra Exportadora, Gaston Benza Pflucker.

See full article at ANDINA (in English)

Inkaterra Machu Picchu ranks among top 100 hotels in the world

2008-07-13T20:08:00.000-04:00

The prestigious magazine Travel & Leisure of the US American Express Group published in its last edition an exclusive list of the World’s Best Hotels in 2008 which includes the Peruvian hotel Inkaterra Machu Picchu, located in Cusco region (Peru).

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel had already been considered as the four best ecotourist hotels in the world by Trip Advisor, the biggest traveler’s community in the world.

Now, the Peruvian hotel holds position 98 of the Travel & Leisure list, considered one of the best travel magazines in the world, after going through an exhaustive test of quality.

See full article at ANDINA (in English)