By Hani Al-Bahrani
(with photos) KUWAIT, Feb 9 (KUNA) -- Eating in Peru is a journey in itself, said Gustavo Bravo, Charge d'Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Peru in Kuwait on Sunday.
"Starting from the bountiful Peruvian Sea, where our 'cebiche' come swimming out, passing through the Andes with the hundreds of varieties of potato and moving on to the Amazon, loaded with the exotic for a natural and mysterious cuisine, we have just one great route that makes Peru a unique territory; it is the road that outlines our flavors," Mr. Bravo told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) in an exclusive interview.
His remarks came on the occasion of holding the First Peruvian Food Festival in Kuwait, to be organized at the Restaurant La Brasserie at JW Marriott from March 10-15. The event will be held with the collaboration of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters of Kuwait and will include shows of the Peruvian National Dance "Marinera", to be performed by a group of Peruvian professional dancers brought exclusively for the event.
"My country's cuisine benefits not only from its geography but from a long history of immigration. Peru's population is not only comprised of Europeans, mestizos (people of mixed heritage or descent) and indigenous peoples, but also Asians, especially Japanese and Chinese. The Chinese in particular have left a big impact on the cuisine, giving rise to its own type of Chinese food; Peruvian-Chinese, commonly known in Peru as 'Chifa'.
"Whenever hearing from a Peruvian that ours is the best cuisine, always remember that this is not one hundred percent naive bravado; but it is due to the beliefs that, if there is such a thing as a sixth sense, then us, the Peruvians, have received ours to double the sense of taste," Bravo noted.
Peru has won the top honor as World's Leading Culinary Destination at the 19th World Travel Awards held in New Delhi, India, last December.
Renowned for its ingredients and traditional dishes, the Peruvian cuisine bagged the award after beating other nominees, including China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Thailand and the United States. Hailed as a "gastronomic superpower" by the Financial Times, Peruvian cuisine continues to maintain its position at the top of the culinary agenda.
Recently, the leading British magazine "Stylist" has named Lima, the capital of Peru, as one of "the ten locations where the culinary-minded should be heading this year. Also, according to Stylist's "10 holidays for the food obsessed" list, Peru is Latin America's most gourmet cuisine. (end) hb KUNA 090904 Feb 13NNNN