A fact I recently discovered, although it shouldn’t be news to me, is that I am, in fact, a foodie. It is no surprise then that I am amazed and enchanted by the food Lima has to offer. So amazed in fact that it I decided to do an entire blog post dedicated to it. Warning: It may contain pictures of food.
As previously mentioned, I visited a market and I wasn’t disappointed. I have yet to visit the fish market, but I heard good things, and I have enjoyed it’s “fruits” at my first and hopefully not last seafood barbecue.
Although, not all fish around here gets cooked. Lima is well known for it’s Cerviche, a type of fish dish where the fish is marinated in a citrus based sauce until it is chemically cooked in the juice. This is served many ways, but when we ordered it, it was served with fried fish (chicharrón) or with rice and seafood (arroz con mariscos)
The portions are massive, a medium dish can easily be shared between 4 people. Shared meals are actually very common here and a lot of the locals order to share.
Over the weekend we went to a restaurant and had what felt like a gazillion course meal. We had fried octopus, fried sardines, cerviche, roast pork rib and roast beef with beans. On the side we had chips, sweet potatoes, potatoes and some guys even tried the pepper (spoiler alert, it was hot).
To top it off I shared a dessert with some friends. This is something that I see all over and I have to say, they seem to have perfected the art of the caramel creme.
Some days we need some normal, home cooked food. Aside from actually cooking it myself, we we do have the option of the shop around the corner, La Cocina. This is one of the more regular spots, where they have one item on the menu each day, take it or leave it.
It often starts with a soup or a salad, followed by a main course and fruit or jelly for dessert.
This doesn’t mean they don’t serve interesting food. One of the most interesting things I had was a cross between a shepherds pie and a cornish. Meat covered in mashed potato and fried. Served with rice, because carbs on carbs is the thing here. I am not really sure if the pictures do the flavours justice, but it was amazing.
Another favourite is spaghetti and chicken. Nothing fancy, just hearty and satisfying. The pasta sauce is not unlike bolognaise, but also quite peruvian.
There are many little things that are distinctly peruvian. Dulce de leche is a kind of caramel, a bit like Caramel Treat, but different. I think it is served in pastries, and yesterday my bread lady on the corner (see #limalife) had a croissant with the goodness in.
Something else that surprises me is the massive corn, as you may have noticed in the pictures above (in the salad and the cerviche.) I had to try this for myself and cooked it at home. Surprisingly it is soft and tasty, despite the huge kernels. I ate it with butter and cheese, on recommendation from my colleague.
This is only a snapshot of what this country has to offer food wise. Don’t be surprised if you see a bit more about food in future…
mcharlottesmith 
There’s Nothing that beats corn and butter!
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