(Cusco, Peru)

July 4 was a free day for us in Cusco, so I decided to splurge and take an “optional” (e.g. for an extra fee) culinary tour.  I am wary of optional tours but this one turned out to be well worth  it.  A bonus was that there were only two of us on the tour, although Miguel also brought along an apprentice to observe.

We began the tour by going to a huge traditional market in a “non-touristed” section of Cusco.  Along the way, our guide Miguel pointed out a number of notable local restaurants and street food vendors…and explained some of the economics.

According to Miguel, a typical Peruvian income is barely 800 soles/month (around US$300/month).  Meals are available for between 3 and 5 soles (let’s say US$1.50).  This contrasts with the prices in tourist restaurants, where main courses are many times more expensive.  However, this doesn’t mean that tourists should run to “eat local”, as there are some issues that could make a good deal become very bad.  It mostly has to do with the different bacteria present in North and South America.  It works both ways; I’ll be talking about this and some other health issues in a later post.

The market itself was logically organized.   Closest to the entrance were the “fast food” stalls, while farther away were sections devoted to cheese (see photo at top), vegetables, fruit, bread, seafood and other specialties.  Miguel had arranged for us to have fresh samples of cheese, chocolate and (especially) fruit.  I’d like to describe them all, but I can only remember the name of the prickly pear.  There was another fruit (see photo above) from which you had to scoop out a glutinous grey jelly with your fingers – it sounds grim but tasted great.  I bought some chocolate that contained salt from the same salt pans I had visited a few days before.

Just before we left, Miguel showed us the “toad bucket”.  Apparently, toad juice is a traditional remedy for certain male afflictions.  There was also a roadside guinea pig vendor:  these were not pets, however, but lunch.

Miguel hailed a local cab to take us to the restaurant where we would prepare our own meal.  Prices are negotiated in advance:  this ride cost 3.50 soles (about US$1.25) for all 4 of us.  It was chaotic and the rules of the road were improvised…but somehow I didn’t feel unsafe.

At the restaurant, we immediately began work on preparing “Lomo Saltado”, a typical Peruvian dish that actually has Japanese roots.  It is essentially a beef stir-fry with soy sauce and vinegar, although I elected to make mine with alpaca instead.  I had alpaca a couple of times earlier in the trip and it is a lot like steak, except that it is more tender and much less fatty.

I have even more respect for chefs, as a result of my experience.  I did fine with the chopping and marinating, but mixing and tossing the ingredients over the flame proved to be quite a challenge.  It didn’t help that the hood was quite low and forced me to stand at an awkward angle, but I think I would have had trouble even if I could get closer to the flame.  Some well-timed interventions from Miguel helped me complete the task without any problems.

It tasted great – definitely the best lomo saltado I had while in Peru.  But we weren’t done yet!  With a lethal-looking assortment of liquors , it was time to mix drinks!  Our main focus was on the famous Pisco Sour, except that we upped the ante by using passion-fruit liquor instead of lime juice.  I counted 3 heaping ounces of alcohol in this concoction, although it may well have been more.  These variations made the Pisco Sour sweeter and even more potent!  We made another strawberry/pisco/ginger drink after that, but for some reason the details aren’t as clear.  I blame the altitude.

I’m really glad that I took the culinary tour.  We gained lots of insight into not only Peruvian cuisine, but also the dual economies that operate in Peru.  I really feel like I experienced Peruvian life today, even if it was only for a couple of hours.