Finger Licking Gorgeous Food on 'Peru, mucho gusto'

A well traveled lawyer from Ecuador told me that in his eyes Peruvian cuisine was the best, richest and most varied one could find in Latin America.
Writing about the International Year of the Potato has put the topic back on the front burner.
For all of us Northerners who need an education on the large palette of foods the country has to offer, the very official  Peru Export and Tourism Promotion Board decided to do just that with Peru, mucho gusto.

They state that "good cooking and an understanding of a finely spread table is maybe the most widespread habit among Peruvians. We eat all things and for every occasion: when babies are born, when the old die, when children turn into adults, when we want to tell the truth or a little, white lie in order to seduce, convince or love. A well spread table witnesses every occasion without exception".

The well designed site offers cuisines by region for example Arequipa where I noticed the local equivalent of tomates farcies, Rocoto Relleno: hot red peppers stuffed with minced meat, spices, cheese, eggs and milk.

As for Lima, they mention  African-Peruvian food which "includes grilled beef kebabs, “cau-cau” tripe and potato stew in coriander, yellow peppers and herbs, and “tacu-tacu”, a hot-fried beans and rice dough stuffed with beef or shellfish".

You can also use their postcards to share the good taste.

I chose the 'causa de cangrejo' which Chimichurri's Restaurant describes as "whipped yellow potato stuffed with a delicious combination of shrimp and crawfish tails, avocado and a touch of a creamy garlic sauce" (above) as my illustration.

Get cooking!

Related: Peru Taste: Heading for Lima, the Local Take on Peru's Cantinas and Restaurants