ancestral traditions and Peruvian cuisine
Section: News , Food - April 2, 2007
Rodolfo Tafur
When the English came to Peru, they found an empire that did not know the word God, and if they had to refer to deities we now call, they called Fathers because they conceptualized their breeders and communicating the link between his Father (God) and man was the food; so as to please and pay their respects was and still is in many cases through food, unlike the Europeans who used the word. Del Inca Empire emerged to conquer the world: potatoes, corn, quinoa, lima beans, tomatoes, groundnuts, cassava, the arracachas, lucuma, cherimoya ... .. and we can continue listing them, we are sure that a high percentage of all food the world consumes. The products that came with the Europeans were acclimated and in many cases their fruits were becoming much more delicious than what was harvested in Europe, shows only a button sugar cane. I remember the lectures of Dr. Virgilio ROEL Pineda (Historian and Economist): The word comes from the word Taino PERU PIRU which means place of plenty. But not only must take the name of the product to answer this question, we refer to our legends, our stories.
Rodolfo Hinojosa, also a poet and expert on Peruvian cuisine in their talks said that Mexicans are born to be artists, Brazilians for players, the Chileans are very good for diplomacy, and we Peruvians are born to cook, eat delicious . I think this statement has much truth and to prove it we just have to remind the Legend of the Ayar brothers, that its true meaning is QUINUA, legend says and began the great empire of the Incas.
According to legend, the great Inca Empire creators tube as four brothers were the same as the names of Ayar Cachi, which means Quinoa with Sal, the second was called Ayar Uchu, translation is Quinoa with Aji, Ayar Auco that many connoisseurs means Quinoa with beans and finally, as our historians, Ayar Manco mean who cares Quinoa. Look, those who founded the empire of the Incas had the names of dishes!. Our birth is gastronomic, since then we worry about food, love, as well as if not enough are one of the few countries in the world (if not the only) We have Mother (Goddess) of food and cooking, this is called Kery Awich, which means the dearest and its representative in the house is Grandma in the absence of her mother or older sister otherwise provided female physical form within the kitchen is the BATAN, and his work (the "Gods" in the Andean world worked) was to verify that all food entering the home is the optimum, so his place was the door the kitchen, next to the stove or in the kitchen, for all this and more we love our food, decorate and if any foreign preparation we like, this Peruvian, fusion was the daily bread, but ask the Chinese, Italians, Japanese, Moors, Arabs. Our kitchen door never closed, the English learned to eat here in Peru, the rich Italian dishes with our products, which would be of them without our tomato ... .. ha ... ... better not to write.
We all eat, eat the corpse, eat the river, come the mountain, eat the lagoon, is that we cook to fill the soul first and then the stomach, are experiential and animists, everything is alive, everything has a soul and so So all have to eat. The Ying and Yang ... ... hahaha, this duality we had centuries ago in food, "The ORJO and THE CHINA" means any food that grows facing the sun is male, and any food that grows under the earth is female, look!,
The balance is in our dishes, so we are here in Peru, holistic. To start a conversation in Peru is always in between a food, any visit, we accompanied our dishes, we are tied to them. Our food and our drinks play an integral role, just look here on Peruvian soil, we took the same bottle and one glass .... "What you take, I take ... ... in the glass that you take I also took "That's loyalty, friendship and this form or habit reinforces the authority, leadership and convening power. We can never take a glass of Beer alone, if we do is that some sadness overwhelms us the heart, but with one or more friends we are glad that bottle to the soul. They say that the French were the inventors of the restaurants, odd ... ... .. Do not believe me, hahaha, let's review this legend recorded by the English chronicler Miguel Cabello de Balboa in 1546. THE LEGEND OF NAYLAMPCabello
Balboa tells us that the Mochica-Chimu region (northern Peru) is a legend that the Indians of that place told him as follows. "Many years ago that nobody remembers, came to the northern beaches of Peru, a great nobleman who had the name Naylamp and emerged from the sea bringing many delicious and fresh fish (as we love the ceviche) was accompanied by an impressive entourage where his wife called CETERNI, and plus 40 concubines.
Among his principal captains were among them one called Pita Zofia who was a musician who played large seashells, Nina Guintu was responsible for their drinks of this great man, another girl had called as custom Cola who had the care of their litter and chairs, Fong SIDgen dust shells poured announcing the passing of this great God and founder, Occhocalo was his cook, the manager of the anointing and had the name colors Xam Muchec and finally this Ollopcopoc who cared for her dresses and feather ... ... . his clothes was white and green, the colors of a lima bean to call it .... "
How can define this Legend?, perhaps not in this legend the elements needed for a meal is a pleasure, it has everything what it takes to build a restaurant. But wait, there is evidence in this legend can not be ignored,: According to the story of Miguel Cabello de Balboa, here in Peru officially born COOK FIRST OF ALL AMERICA, your name and if we continue to review OCCHOCALO find that the first bartender was officially born here (Nina Guintu) and to the first advertiser (Fong Sigdo). In addition we plot the legend accompanying the act a food or drink (essential in Peru), the presence of CETERNI, the companion and wife. Here in Peru
combines the incombinable, break all the rules of the food to be transformed into an art in culinary art, that's what we do after all this, and Chilean friends know the answer to your question: what Peruvians have cooked so rich? Rodolfo
TAFUR ZEVALLOS Chef Culinary Researcher Professor of History at the Chef's
