The magic of the highlands of Peru - seen from a luxury sleeper train
Heather Steele winds through the country's highlands and lakes aboard a luxury sleeper train
For more inspiring travel stories, check out a scenic journey through Cape Cod by bike, or browse our picks of the most breathtaking train journeys across the world. The colourful Peruvian city of Cusco is best known as the gateway to Machu Picchu. It’s also the starting point to a slower adventure, one that ascends over 2,000 metres above even the Lost City of the Incas. Along one of the world’s highest train routes, the Andean Explorer, A Belmond Train takes three days to travel fewer than 200 miles, winding its way through the Peruvian highlands and expanses of the Andes that would otherwise be inaccessible. The ‘explorer’ part of the train’s name is key. This isn’t just a mode of transport, it’s an experience that immerses travellers in the landscapes and Andean way of life, from the moment your eyes first fall on a herd of wild llamas roaming the grasslands to the final pisco sour in the Piano Bar. Think luxury train travel and you probably picture the Agatha Christie era Orient Express snaking its way splendidly through Europe. This is exactly the elegance that Belmond wanted for its Andean Explorer, which arrived in 2017 as the first luxe sleeper train in South America. The lengths to which they were prepared to go to get that elegance were remarkable: all 20 midnight-blue carriages came from Australia via a three-month voyage across the Pacific. In situ, that blue hue pops against the earthy oranges of the Peruvian plains, perfectly mimicking the night sky above. Interior design details were inspired by the texture of Peru’s traditional hand-woven fabrics, the soft tones of alpaca wool and the slate greys of the Andes. Best of all, though, the 35 private cabins – there are double suites, twins or bunk beds – come with large windows to gaze out of. On one joyful morning I saw hares, chinchillas and alpacas in the space of just five minutes. The days begin early in the Andes and on both mornings we were up at 5.15am for sunrise. Clouds over Lake Titicaca conspired against us on day one but the team went out of its way to make the punchy wake-up call worthwhile, building fires, handing out blankets and pouring coffee. At Saracocha on day two, where we’d been able to count constellations with our guide William the night before, we were rewarded with far-reaching views across Lake Lagunillas as the daylight spread around the mountains beyond. These guided activities are highlights of the Peruvian Highlands itinerary. There are archaeological wonders to be seen at the Inca complex of Raqch’i. A full day is dedicated to Lake Titicaca. After a half-hour boat ride from the shore we stepped onto one of its man-made islands. Known for their distinctive cat-shaped boats, the Uros have lived on the lake for centuries, on islands created with layers upon layers of totora reeds. We were shown around by island president Caesar, watching on as girls in colourful dresses cooked up a pot of ducks they’d caught that morning. Another boat ride away was the bay of Collata, the world’s highest beach, on Taquile Island. The water was warm enough to swim in – just the way to work up an appetite for lunch at La Receta, a family-run restaurant that showcases the heritage of the local Huillanopampa people: think choclo corn and cachangas (fried bread) with chilli salsa, followed by grilled trout and rice. Back on board, there’s something fun about rattling along as you eat, martini glass pleasantly vibrating against the table. And, like most things on the Andean Explorer, every ingredient on your plate has a story. There are over 3,000 varieties of potato in Peru. We tried them many ways in the dining carriage, most memorably one lunchtime in a beautiful curried soup with seaweed. Another meal brought a chance to try the Arequipa delicacy of queso helado, a cheese ice cream, here served with cinnamon meringue and lucuma. Breakfasts could kick off with quinoa porridge. And then there was trout. Introduced to Lake Titicaca from Massachusetts in the 1960s, they’ve now overtaken the native catfish, so fishing for trout is the locals’ way of protecting the indigenous fish. As ceviche for lunch, smoked and delicately shaped into a flower as a starter, or simply grilled with yuca purée, I was happy to do my bit. Andean flowers and herbs are important enough to life here that each of the train’s carriages is named after one. As we hiked into the belly of a canyon we were given homemade hibiscus water to refresh ourselves. Back at the top there was a concoction of watermelon juice and lemongrass waiting for us on the train. During an evening stop at La Raya Pass, trays of hot sweetened almond milk circulated as we gazed up at snow-capped Chimboya mountain, which looms large as the trip’s highest peak at 5,489 metres. Herbs are also prized for their medicinal qualities. In the Picaflor spa car an altitude-acclimatising massage featured a bowl of infused, locally gathered herbs to inhale. Muña (an Andean mint) and coca tea are always available to settle any unease from the elevation. Though if you ask the bar staff they might also tell you that cocktails are the best medicine and hand you a Selva Alta of gin, cacao, black tea, highaltitude citrus and pineapple. Any altitude upsets are also likely to diminish in the face of the scale and wonder of these surroundings. I actually squealed with joy when I spotted my first pack of alpacas, and we soon learned the difference between the different camelids (llamas are the biggest, then alpacas, then vicuñas). A hike to the Sumbay Caves in the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve was awesome in the deepest sense of that word. We saw more than 500 ancient cave paintings, mainly of camelids, made by the region’s first human inhabitants more than 8,000 years ago. Look closely and you can spot one person and one puma among them. As the train rumbled along we relaxed into a rhythm and learnt to sway with the carriages. The place to be was often the outdoor observation deck at the very back of the train. With a coffee, an Inca Kola or a pisco sour, I read a book as we rolled past peaks and canyons. I loved leaning over the railings, watching the train snaking before me through the changing panoramas. It felt as bittersweet as coca tea when William pointed out the three volcanos – the largest of them, magnificent Misti, capped in snow – that signal the end of the journey in Arequipa. I was a solo traveller but by the end of the three days I’d befriended two sets of honeymooning newlyweds from the USA. As is often the case we came together over the dinner table, breaking into each meal’s sculptural bread, trading tasting notes on watermelon ceviche, sharing bottles of Peruvian sauvignon blanc and drinking martinis in anoraks. As we disembarked, the entire train crew lined up and applauded as we walked past. But, of course, it’s they who really deserve the plaudits, for showing off the very best of their magical country. More travel guides The best health and wellness retreats for foodies Swap popular tourist spots for these lesser known cities 5 destinations at the cutting edge of sleep tourism Best romantic hotels Best French food trips Best Spanish food trips Best Portuguese food trips Best European vineyards to visit and stay Best European city breaks 10 unique walking holidays for foodies Swap popular tourist spots for these lesser known destinations
20 food experiences around the world that every food lover should try
From summer crayfish banquets in Malmö to Quebec's snow-taffy celebrations, check out Gurdeep Loyal's favourite foodie experiences from across the globe
Looking to add memorable foodie experiences to your bucket list? We asked food and drink trends specialist Gurdeep Loyal for 20 recommendations from around the world. For more from Gurd, check out his favourite homeware brands and products to discover, Gurdeep Loyal's culinary hotspots and Gurdeep Loyal's trend-led recipes. Gurdeep's favourite foodie experiences around the world 1. London, UK – Eat pie and mash in an iconic East End pie house Pie, mash and liquor (parsley sauce) is a culinary icon, upheld today by a handful of East End family eateries. G Kelly on Roman Road Market (in the Mile End neighbourhood) has been serving pies, mash, liquor and jellied eels since 1939. Its classic beef mince pie has a perfectly burnished pastry crust and is served with a puddle of flavourful green liquor and creamy mash. S&R Kelly & Sons in Bethnal Green is another East End institution – it’s been making traditional handmade mince meat pies since 1915. 2. Malmö, Sweden – Welcome August like a Scandi at a crayfish party August in Sweden is all about kräftskiva: outdoor parties centred around music, drinking and vats of freshly caught crayfish boiled in briny liquid (sometimes with a splash of ale), served cold with a crown of fresh dill. Malmö on the southwestern coast of Sweden is one of the best places to experience one. The Malmö Festival takes over Stortorget Square every August with long banquet tables (they stretch for more than 1km) piled high with boiled crayfish. 3. Mumbai, India – Do a sunset chaat street-snack crawl at Juhu Chowpatty Beach Juhu Chowpatty Beach in Mumbai is famous for its long sandy beach, sunset views and some of the best – and most colourful – street food stands in all of India. Visit Shree Ram Pav Bhaji for its paneer pav bhaji served with a buttery roll, masala pilou and Indo-Chinese hakka noodles. Sharma Chaat Bhandar is known for crunchy pani puri and papdi chaat, while Juhu Sealand specialises in technicolour falooda milkshakes and creamy pistachio-cashew kulfis. 4. Primorska, Slovenia – Visit a biodynamic orange winery Slovenia’s orange wines (made from white grapes where the skin and seeds are left in the macerations to impart an orange tint and tannins) are some of the best in the world. They’re known for their bold and complex flavours, with notes of floral herbs and rich honey. The north-western Primorska region, which stretches along the Adriatic Sea, is where Slovenia’s most prominent orange wineries can be found. Guerilla, a biodynamic winery in the Vipava Valley, is famous for its deep golden-coloured wines with notes of chamomile; and Movia wine estate in the village of Ceglo makes wines with intense bouquets of citrus, peaches, liquorice, vanilla and nutmeg. 5. Penang, Malaysia – Take in the nighttime delights of Kimberly Street Night Market One of the most vibrant places to eat after dark in Penang is Kimberley Street Night Market in George Town’s Chinatown. Here you can try everything from laksa and oyster omelettes to char kway teow fried noodles and sweet si koh soup. Kimberley Street Duck Kway Chap is known for its rich braised duck flat-rice noodle soup. Tina’s Kitchen is a family-run spot that sells five-spiced Chinese sausage rolls, nasi ulum salted fish rice, and purple yam with tapioca jelly. And Tua Pui Curry Mee serves thick, aromatic curry soups with chicken, squid or cuttlefish. 6. Quebec, Canada – Head to a sugar shack for maple syrup snow-taffy celebrations Maple syrup taffy celebrations mark the Canadian culinary calendar every March and April. The highlight is when freshly tapped maple syrup is boiled, drizzled over clean white snow, then wound and twisted onto popsicle sticks into a sticky, chewy taffy. The area surrounding Montreal is famous for its cabanes à sucre (sugar shacks), which are traditional Quebec establishments where the new season’s maple syrup is celebrated in all its culinary guises. Érablière du Cap has been celebrating maple syrup since 1983 and offers a unique sugar shack menu and maple snow taffy experience. The Le Relais des Pins sugar shack experience includes visits to the maple sugar refinery and sleigh rides in the snow. 7. Houston and Louisiana, USA – Put on a bib and dive into a Viet-Cajun seafood boil Vietnamese immigrants have been thriving in the USA since the 1970s, particularly in Houston and Louisiana, which has resulted in a unique Viet-Cajun fusion cuisine. The most famous dish to come from this is Viet-Cajun seafood boil (traditional Cajun boil meets Southeast Asian aromatics). Crawfish & Noodles in Houston from James Beard Award-nominated chef Trong Nguyen specialises in Viet-Cajun crayfish, flavoured with a special spice blend (featuring lemongrass, ginger, garlic and cayenne) and served with Asian honey garlic wings on the side. Big EZ in Louisiana serves its Viet-Cajun boil Saigon-style: with kumquat, lemongrass and Cajun spices. 8. San Sebastián, Spain – Hop from bar to bar for pintxos and txakoli Basque-style tapas (pintxos) are typically served on long cocktail skewers or on top of toasted bread. San Sebastián, with is long sandy beach and characterful cobbled old town, is famous for its numerous pintxos bars, where hopping from one place to another is very much the done thing. Try the ‘igueldo’ at Antonio Bar: roasted tomato, tuna belly, Basque green peppers and salted anchovy on bread. Then head to Bar Txepetxa for fried calamari, gambas, vinegared anchovies and gilda, eaten alongside the region’s famous sparkling dry white wine, txakoli. Finish at La Espiga for thinly sliced jamón, oozy Spanish tortilla and stuffed piquillo peppers. Check out our full guide to the best restaurants in San Sebastian for more inspiration. 9. Oaxaca City, Mexico – Try freshly steamed street-side tamales Mexico’s Oaxaca City is all about tamales: steamed masa corn parcels filled with richly flavoured fillings, wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks, then freshly steamed. The rich, intensely savoury mole tamales at Mercado Sánchez Pascuas are some of the best in the city. Or head to Tamales de Tia Tila just outside of the city for black mole and salsa verde filled tamales, along with sweet tamales with cinnamon and tropical fruits. See our full guide to Oaxaca for more, including where to stay. We've also got a recipe for Mexican chicken mole rojo, to recreate at home. 10. Lagos, Nigeria – Enjoy barbecued suya skewers with yaji spice Nigeria’s famous suya skewers are strips of beef or goat, marinated in a yaji spice blend of chilli, ginger, garlic, peanuts and sometimes fermented locust beans and crushed bouillon. These are barbecued on skewers and served with more yaji spice sprinkled on top. The roads of Lagos are awash with suya carts and stalls. Glover Court Suya is one of the most loved spots, serving up beef and mixed grill skewers using its own unique spice blend. Locals favour Belton Suya Spot and Akerele Super Suya for their flavourful suya skewers. Discover more about Nigerian cuisine. 10. Nice, France – Take a fire-baked socca and pissaladière to the beach The regional cooking in Nice combines seasonal Provençal ingredients with Italian influences, as is best illustrated by socca and pissaladière. Socca (chickpea flour pancakes) are cooked in large iron pans over fire until scorched, then hand-cut into craggy pieces before being piled onto paper plates and served with sachets of salt and pepper. Pissaladière is a savoury Niçois pizza-tart with a thick layer of caramelised onions, anchovies and olives on top. Chez Rene Socca situated on a bustling corner of old town has queues for their piping hot socca and generously topped pissaladière at all hours. Chez Teresa, which also pops up in the old town market, is known for its crispy and moreish socca, perfect for taking to the beach with a cold bottle of French beer. Check out our round up of the best French food trips for more France travel inspiration. 11. Chicago, USA – Indulge in Chicago’s deep-dish and ultra-thin tavern-style pizzas Although Chicago deep-dish has attracted global fame, there are in fact two pizza styles that reign supreme in the windy city: buttery crusted cast-iron deep-dish, and ultra-thin crispy square-cut tavern style. For deep-dish, head to cult Chicago institution Piquods in Lincoln Park for ‘caramelised edge’ cheese-crusts, oozy layered inverted fillings and high-quality ingredients. For square-cut tavern style, visit Italian-owned Pat's Pizzeria, where the ‘cracker crust’ pizzas have been a hit with locals since 1950. 12. Singapore – Dive into some saucy Singaporean chilli crab Singaporean chilli crab is traditionally made with mud crabs that are cooked in an intensely flavoured sauce, rich with chilli, garlic, ginger, shallots, tomato paste and sometimes lemongrass, fermented soybean paste, sesame oil, or Shaoxing wine. Roland Restaurant is often cited as the birthplace of the dish and its recipe (invented by Madam Cher Yam Tian) has an intense chilli heat and deep flavour. The Michelin-recognised Keng Eng Kee Seafood at Alexandra Village is equally renowned for its own take on chilli crab, with a slick sweet and sour style sauce that’s thickened with egg. Try making it at home with our Singapore chilli crab recipe. 13. Tokyo, Japan – Try whisky highballs and drinking snacks in the alleyways of Golden Gai Golden Gai is a district of Kabukicho in Shinjuku where there are more than 250 tiny drinking dens across a handful of streets. Dongara-Gassyan specialises in Osaka-style fried meat and vegetable skewers, and Japanese karage-fried chicken with a tare glaze. Albatros bar with its kitsch chandeliers and chintzy interiors is famous for cocktails infused with ingredients such as spicy pepper and prickly pear. And Totobar is known for its sake, served up with small plates of grilled fish and sashimi. 14. Brussels, Belgium – Feast on shrimp bechamel croquettes and Belgian craft beer Belgium’s famous garnaalkroketten are deep-fried bechamel croquettes filled with flavoursome grey shrimp – expect a crisp, bread coating and creamy, velvety middle. Most traditional restaurants in Brussels have them on the menu, but the best place to try them is at Noordzee Mer Du Nord situated in a picturesque square in the historic old town, overlooking the gothic Église Sainte-Catherine. They’re freshly fried to order and are served with a rich mayonnaise and thick wedges of lemon – perfect for eating on outdoor tables that dot the square, with a craft Belgian beer to hand. Mare in the hip Wolf Food Hall also serves classic shrimp and old brugge cheese croquettes with homemade tartar. 15. St John’s, Antigua – Try the national dish of pepperpot and fungee Pepperpot is a one-pot stew that’s cooked long and slow with everything from beef to salted pork, spinach, yams, scotch bonnet peppers, thyme and all-spice. It’s served with fungee – a cornmeal and okra-based bread ball. Suga Beez is a road-side eatery with a daily changing menu of local specialities that serves up some of the most flavoursome pepperpot in St John’s. And Joe Mikes restaurant, which is attached to a casino, is a buffet-canteen style eatery that serves pillowy soft and delicate fungee alongside long-cooked pepperpot in a rich, meaty broth. 16. Crete, Greece – Eat traditional antikristo at a Cretan tavern Antikristo, which means ‘over fire’, is a traditional Cretan method of roasting salted lamb or goat on large skewers for several hours over open flames, then letting the meat cook in its own juices to give it a deep, intensely smoky flavour. Taverna Arhaia Lappa is an ancient tavern in the village of Rethymno that’s famous for its antikristo lamb. In Heraklion, Petousis is known for its traditional Greek barbecued lamb, cooked with the skewers in a circular formation for up to six hours until tender and deliciously charred. 17. Hong Kong – Dine at an old-school dim sum trolley-cart institution These unique establishments that serve freshly steamed dim sum on old-school trolley carts are treasured in Hong Kong. Lin Heung Lau Tea Room is one of the oldest, known for its steamed barbecued buns and har gau, pan-fried radish cake and deep-fried sesame balls. Luk On Kui is another traditional push-cart dim sum eatery that harks back to the 1970s with its décor and old world charms. Maxims Palace is one of Hong Kong’s most adored dim sum cart institutions, complete with white table clothes, crystal chandeliers and an almost endless selection of dim sum to select from trolleys that circle through the restaurant every lunchtime. 18. Turin, Italy – Try gianduja hazelnut chocolates in all their guises Gianduja – a rich chocolate and hazelnut confection – is the culinary symbol of Turin and Piedmont in northern Italy, showcasing the regions intensely flavoured buttery hazelnuts. It’s often turned into chocolate bars, sold as a spreadable paste, or even made into gianduiotto chocolate nuggets. Guido Gobino is a 50-year-old Turin institution with a historic headquarters on Cagliari Street. Its gianduja combines 45% tonda gentile trilobata hazelnuts, Italian sugar and vanilla bean. Contemporary chocolatier Guido Castagna sells unique tear-drop shaped gianduiotto, made with chuao cocoa from Venezuela. 20. Hanoi, Vietnam – Tackle a deep-filled bánh mì at a street-side stall in the city The bustling motorbike-flooded streets of Hanoi are the best places in the country for Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches (French-style baguettes filled with the likes of lemongrass-marinated barbecued meats, pickled carrots and radishes, whole red chillies and fresh coriander). Bánh Mì Bà Dần in Hanoi’s old quarter is known for its crispy-soft breads and generous fillings, while Banh Mi Lan Ong offers Vietnamese sausage and fried egg fillings, plus signature sauces and duck pâté. Check out our rainbow banh mí recipe to make your own at home. 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Santiago Gamboa and Victor Gamboa, founders of Colombian coffee roasters Hermanos, share their favourite food and drinks from their homeland
Want to learn more about food from Colombia? Looking for Colombian dishes to try? Read our guide below then check out our guides to Argentinian food and Venezuelan food and then discover our favourite Mexican recipes. Colombian food: 10 things we love Fruit markets Paloquemao fruit and vegetable market in Bogotá is an absolute must-visit for a taste of local Colombian commerce and culture. It’s brimming with vibrantly coloured fruit and veg of all shapes and sizes; try everything that you haven’t seen before and look out for maracuya (passion fruit), sapote and soursop. Discover our passion fruit recipes. Speciality coffee shops and cafés The past few years have been good for speciality coffee shops in Bogotá, with cafés popping up across the city. Most of these sell coffee sourced directly from growers and roasted in-house, so you won’t find many huge brands here – only local ones with a personal touch. We recommend giving Colo Coffee and Casa Café Cultor a go. Carnaval de Barranquilla Carnaval de Barranquilla (Barranquilla’s Carnival) is one of Colombia’s most important folkloric celebrations and one of the biggest carnivals in the world. A joyous four-day celebration of everything it means to be Colombian. The streets are turned into rainbows with endless dancing, music and parades. The carnival begins on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday and the hot spot of all festivities takes place in the city of Barranquilla, perched along Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Food is, of course, everywhere – try carimañolas (long pieces of yuca dough stuffed with meat or cheese), arepas de huevo (corn dough filled with egg), papas rellenas (fried balls of mashed potatoes with ground beef) and empanadas. Coffee plantation tour If you love coffee (and even if you don’t), this is a must. No trip to Colombia is complete without a tour of a coffee plantation. Visit the coffee regions of Salento and San Agustín for the beautiful scenery, and don’t forget to join local coffee tours to get a detailed history of the Colombian coffee industry. Of course, enjoy as many delicious cups of their freshly grown coffee as you can. And make sure to sneak a few coffee cherries in as you tour the plantation. Check out Celeste Wong's coffee guides for more expert knowledge. Chocolate con queso If it can be smothered, covered, stuffed or mixed in, Colombians will find a way to include cheese in your meal. From drinks to fruit salad, cheese is infused in the lifeblood of Colombian food and we love it. Among all this cheesy goodness, chocolate con queso (hot chocolate with cheese) is a must try. Mercado de La Perseverancia in Bogotá does a really good one. Ajiaco In the heart of Colombia – the capital, Bogotá – the signature dish is ajiaco. A big, hearty dish of hot soup made from three different kinds of potato, it is typically eaten with rice, avocado and corn. Sides of capers and soured cream are sometimes provided for you to mix in. Empanadas Found at almost every street corner or town centre, you cannot leave Colombia without trying an empanada. While recipes vary across different regions of Colombia, these fritters are made with corn flour and filled with potatoes and vegetable or meat. But the best way to enjoy them is by dunking them in the spicy, tangy ají sauce that comes on the side. Try our recipe for beef empanadas. Bandeja paisa Hailing from the Paisa region of Antioquia, bandeja paisa loosely translates to ‘farmer’s tray’ and reflects the signature generosity and hospitality that Colombians are known for. It typically includes rice, black beans, fried plantains, eggs, steak and chorizo – a hearty dish meant to be shared and enjoyed with good company. Aguapanela Served hot or cold, this delicious drink made from unrefined cane sugar (panela) is popular across all parts of Colombia. The drink is prepared by mixing the panela with hot water and a squeeze of lime juice to cut through the sweetness. While traditionally a non alcoholic drink, you can find variations with a drop of anise-flavoured aguardiente, a local distilled spirit. Bread Great for your budget, not so great for your waistline. Every street corner in Colombia is occupied by open-sided bakeries selling bread, cakes and tinto from early morning till late at night. Local plazas are filled with carts selling everything from pan de yuca to buñuelos. Trust us when we say you’re never far from a delicious pastry. More cuisine guides Fez cuisine: 10 things we love Istria cuisine: 10 things we love Andalusian cuisine: 10 things we love Jamaican cuisine: 10 things we love Georgian cuisine: 10 things we love The Algarve's cuisine: 10 things we love Thai cuisine: 10 things we love South Korean cuisine: 10 things we love Nashville cuisine: 10 things we love Norwegian cuisine: 10 things we love Tuscan cuisine: 10 things we love Cork cuisine: 10 things we love Isle of Skye cuisine: 10 things we love Northern Ireland cuisine: 10 things we love Finland cuisine: 10 things we love
Vitelio Reyes, executive chef of Mayfair restaurant Amazónico, tells us what makes the food of his homeland so special
Want to learn about Venezuelan food? Take a virtual trip to this South American country with Vitelio Reyes, executive chef of Mayfair restaurant Amazónico. Try Vitelio's Venezuelan arepas recipe and our guide to Cuban-American cuisine and Colombian cuisine. Born in Caracas, Vitelio Reyes trained in Venezuela and has worked in North and South America, Europe and Asia. He has worked with Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez Véliz at Lima Floral in Covent Garden and is now executive chef of Amazónico in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square, a restaurant that takes its inspiration from the cultural diversity and gastronomic heritage of the Amazon region. On the new menu dishes include salteados (sautéed), a nod to Chifa, the combination of Chinese and Peruvian flavours such as ginger, coriander and lemongrass, tiradito, meat grilled on a parilla and empanadas. Venezuelan food: Vitelio Reyes's guide Corn As with many other diets in South America, our main ingredient for several national dishes is corn. With corn we make Venezuelan arepas (arepa comes from the aborigine language and translates as “bread made with hands”), which can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and filled with anything you can imagine. From seafood salad to carne mechada – which is the Latin American version of a beef ragu – arepas are the staple street food of my country. Family style I think growing up in a country like Venezuela with great weather and amazing landscapes, you are invited to be outside and to gather with your family and friends as soon the opportunity is given. As we say, “Festejamos hasta bautizo de muñecas” – which translates to, “We celebrate even the fake christening of dolls”, as an excuse to get together. Once together, everything is centred around the food, drinks and good music. Everything that is cooked, from a sancocho to a whole hog, is automatically thought to be shared with the family. Family, for us, means something more, because we include neighbours, partners and even friends that aren’t blood related. Our tables are always open to everyone who fancies great food and company. Here we share as a family, from the way we serve the food, to the way we discuss politics and try to solve global crises, all without losing our appetite or our will to have a good drink. Chicharrónes Chicharrónes (pork rinds) are well known everywhere in the world by different names but, regardless, everyone loves them. They are part of our daily diet, as are many other pork cuts. Chicharrónes are our version of national tapa, which you are given in a bar when you order a round of drinks. They are also a great companion on the road going to the beach – I remember in many instances going to the beach with my father, making a pit stop to order a chicharrón mixto per kilo, before arriving at the beach and enjoying them as part of our light lunch menu. But chicharrónes are not the only outstanding street food that Venezuela has to offer. We have great empanadas made of beef, pork or fish, and even a vegetarian option if you decide to eat a domino kind, which is black beans and white cheese, and many other dishes which make our lives happier. Sauces You can’t talk about Venezuelan food without placing an important emphasis on our sauces. I would say that we have a sauce for every essential meal we have throughout the day. Breakfast normally goes with a great arepa, and we have el mojo de picante for lunch, which normally involves meat. We always have guasacaca with chimichurri, because a good spicy sauce can never be missed. At dinner time, as fish normally goes on the table, it’s quite common to have a nice garlic mayo or mojo de ajo, which is a lemony garlic dressing with some fresh coriander. Sancocho soup In Venezuela, whenever it is possible, we have a good sancocho. A sancocho is a traditional soup made of beef ribs or hen or both. It is served with cassava root, corn in the cob and taro root among many other vegetables and herbs, which makes this staple food one of the top five when gathering with family and friends. It’s actually so good that they even offer it at wedding parties to reanimate people once they are tired! Choripanes Sometimes the simplest food can be the most incredible. This could be related to the company or the environment, I really can’t put my finger on it. But something I can say is that, after a week of work or university, Friday evenings always start with a nice grilled choripan (traditional spicy chorizo) with a freshly baked baguette and a classic condiment such as chimichurri or spicy sauce. This can be consumed either next to the local bar or in any of your friends’ houses. This little snack will start the weekend ahead, which is normally full of friends, activities and more. Hallacas Another very characteristic dish made with corn dough are hallacas (Venezuelan tamales), which is part of our traditional Christmas dinner. The name comes from the word “alla”, which means from the other side (making reference to ingredients that come from other countries to make part of the stew) and “aca” which means from this side (making reference to the corn dough and banana leaf wrap). The most important part of Christmas day is not the food itself but the process of making it with your whole family, like a chain production. Of course we start drinking beers and rum as we chop the first bulb of garlic. After all the hallacas are wrapped and tied up with the proper knots, we start the cooking process which can be done on the stove but, in the more traditional houses, they are made over a wood fire, which gives the dish its distinct flavour. Polarcita Something we are well known for is the quality of rums we produce, which are, for sure, in the top five in the world due to the high quality and refinement. But the drink that really takes part in every celebration in our town festivals, parties or even on a daily basis, is a very cold Polarcita. To identify a cold Polarcita it must be “vestida de novia” (referring to the ice frost when pulling the bottle out from the fridge or freezer) Polarcita is our national beer. It is the first alcoholic brew that our parents share with us. It is a symbol of tradition and is a staple in our culture and in every house. It’s a recipe that has never changed and something that makes a Venezuelan proud whenever they are seen in the world. Parrilla Every single gathering in Venezuela, regardless of the celebration, is around the table. Events normally start at midday with some parrilla or asado (a massive barbecue for around 30 people) in the most traditional way and using the common Venezuelan meat cuts, such as punta trasera (rump cap), solomo de cuerito (sirloin), artisan pork sausages, morcilla (blood sausage) and, of course, the king and the queen of garnishes, boiled cassava root and guasacaca, which is a classic sauce made of herbs, onions, garlic and, on some occasions, avocados. From the moment the first charcoal or log is lit, it is mandatory for everyone to hold a drink in their hand – this can be alcoholic or not but the most classic way to enjoy a good Venezuelan parrilla, as temperatures are high and the sun is constantly shining, is with a refreshing cold beer. The parrilla normally ends around midnight, which gives you 10 to 12 hours of constant eating and drinking. Golfeados Definitely one of my favourites for breakfast or mid-afternoon snack when living in my country, was the golfeados. Golfeados are this sticky sweet and salty deliciousness made of bread dough, kneaded with aniseed and stuffed with papelón (raw cane sugar) and Venezuelan white cheese (which is only made in our country and it is normally salty and sour at the same time, due raw milk components). It is baked in traditional wood ovens and its smell raises your spirit, elevates your soul and wakes you up, as the cravings start. 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With Brazilian and Italian roots, Rafael Cagali, chef-owner of East London’s Da Terra, showcases both cuisines on his menus – but here shares his highlights of his home city
Want to learn more about Brazilian cuisine? Looking for Brazilian dishes to try? Read Rafael Cagali's guide below, then check out our Brazilian recipes. You can also find Rafael's recipe for Brazilian moqueca here. Rafael Cagali grew up in São Paulo, and his heritage and passion for Brazilian culture helps to guide his creative vision at two-Michelin-starred Da Terra in east London. He spent years living in both Italy – where he worked with Stefano Baiocco at A Villa Feltrinelli – and Spain, where he worked with Quique Dacosta and Martín Berasategui, before moving to the UK to work at Simon Rogan’s Fera and Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck. At the latter, he met his husband Charlie, who he opened Da Terra with. São Paulo, however, will always be Rafael’s home. Now discover 10 things we love about Colombian cuisine. São Paolo cuisine: Rafael Cagali Churrascaria Churrasco is the term for a barbecue that originated in southern Brazil. It’s made with a variety of meats – pork, sausage and chicken – that are cooked on a purpose-built churrasqueira (barbecue grill), often with supports for spits or skewers and cooked over embers. NB Steak is a great place to go, and there are a few locations around São Paulo. Padarias These bakeries are everywhere in the city, and bread is baked twice a day, seven days a week. Breakfast is a very Paulistano thing to do, and we are very passionate about our bread. Order pão na chapa – a piece of french bread that’s cut in half, toasted and spread with butter – with some café com leite (coffee with milk) and freshly squeezed orange juice. You shouldn’t leave São Paulo without trying pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread), either. It’s made with tapioca flour instead of wheat, giving it a soft, chewy texture. Mercadão The Municipal Market of São Paulo was designed in 1933, specialising in fruits, vegetables, cereals, meats and spices. When you go there, get a sanduíche de mortadela (mortadella sandwich) served warm or cold, with cheese or vinaigrette. Walk through Oscar Freire If you’d like to get a bit of shopping done, you should head to Rua Oscar Freire, a street stretching throughout the Jardins district of São Paulo. I love spending a relaxing day here looking around the shops and stopping for coffee in Cristallo, a historic café on the street. Its bomba de chocolate (chocolate éclair) is one of my great weaknesses. It’s worth visiting for some good coxinha (fried dough with filling), too. Pastel This kind of deep-fried puffed pastry is a must-try when you travel to Brazil, especially pastel de pizza. My favourite place to go is Pastelaria Brasileira, really close to the Palmeiras football stadium, where I like to go to watch games with friends. Moqueca Moqueca is a dish that really showcases Brazilian history and tradition. To achieve its vibrant colour, dende oil, extracted from the fruit of dendezeiro, or African oil palm trees, is used to cook down the vegetables and spice paste before fish stock and coconut milk are added. Dende oil is an integral part of the Afro-Brazilian cuisine of northern Brazil. At Da Terra, a large pot is brought out to diners before returning to the kitchen to be plated and finished tableside by our chefs. It’s a warm and filling dish that is great for parties. Check out Rafael's recipe for Brazilian moqueca here. Nikkei cuisine Liberdade district is the city’s Japantown, home to the world’s largest ethnic Japanese community outside of Japan. The streets are gorgeous here, hung with lanterns and filled with people grocery shopping. Dining options include sushi bars, ramen shops and yakisoba noodle stalls. Check out Nikkei cuisine recipes here. Coconut water at Ibirapuera Park Ibirapuera Park was the first metropolitan park in São Paulo, designed along the lines of English landscape gardens and inspired by modern drafts from the landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. The park is a lovely space to ride bikes and scooters, rollerskate or walk around drinking fresh coconut water. Bars Bar culture is one of my favourite things about São Paulo. Happy hour is very popular in the afternoon – there are normally a lot of different snacks to eat with ice-cold beer. Açaí This purple fruit comes from the northern region of Brazil. There, açaí ‘paste’ accompanies a main meal, along with beans and rice. Here in São Paulo – as in most of the south-east – açaí has become a dessert, served sometimes as ice cream or with fruit toppings. It’s great for cooling off after a long day.
From Amazonian fruits and coastal seafood to cacao and coffee, bountiful and biodiverse ingredients define this country’s cuisine
Want to learn about Peruvian food? Looking for Peruvian recipes? Read Virgilio Martinez's guide below, then check out more Peruvian recipes. Now discover our guide to Colombian cuisine. Recipes extracted from The Latin American Cookbook, by Virgilio Martínez (£25, Phaidon). Peruvian cuisine Peruvian food is all about biodiversity. The most popular recipes and dishes are a result of many years of natural fusion of different cultures (such as the Inca, pre-Inca, etc) and landscapes, from different regions and different ecosystems, food from the sea, the coast, from Lima the capital city and from the Andes and the Amazon. It is difficult to discuss one Peruvian cuisine, as there are probably thousands of them and most of them are related to the intense vibrant flavours and colours of the ingredients. Peru produces a huge diversity of corns, vegetable roots, tubers and potatoes, as well as cacao, coffee, Amazonian fruits, and there are lots yet to be discovered. Eating out in Peru is very much about what we now call street food but has existed before this became a popular concept. If one is going out in Peru it will be primarily for food and drink. These are inherent to the culture. But the type of place you visit will change depending on where you are in Peru. Most of the traditions and celebrations are related to the harvest and very iconic ingredients that we honour. So there are celebrations for corn and for the harvest season of potatoes. Also the beginning of the summer season, which is the opposite to the northern hemisphere. Peruvian recipes Peruvian scallops Scallops are plentiful and inexpensive on the Peruvian coast, and this conchas a la parmesana Peru recipe is one of the simplest recipes in all of Peruvian gastronomy. It is also one of the biggest crowd-pleasers at a backyard barbecue. Peruvian stew This puca picante Peru (spicy potato, pork and beetroot stew) is wonderful served with white rice for a hearty dinner for four. Pisco sour Try this classic Peruvian brandy cocktail, made with pisco, fresh lime juice and egg whites. A few drops of bitters are added to top the egg-white foam.
From fall-apart pork ribs to crisp crab tostadas, enjoy a taste of this food-obsessed capital city from your own home
Want to learn about Mexican food? Looking for Mexican recipes? Read Edson Diaz-Fuentes' guide, then check out our Peru guide and Cuban-American guide. Recipes extracted from Ciudad de México: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Mexico City by Edson Diaz-Fuentes (£26, Hardie Grant). Mexico City's cuisine Mexico City – known as DF among Mexicans – is one of the world’s biggest metropolises. Its area and surrounding states – Puebla, Estado de México, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala and Morelos – create a gastronomic experience like no other, with an array of tastes and smells. In the city, there’s a constant buzz, and people are always on the move. The smell of street food being cooked over charcoals, music blaring from buses and the notoriously bad traffic can all be an assault on the senses. But it’s also beautiful, magical and surreal. It’s a melting pot of flavours and foods from across the country, which is one of the most biodiverse on the planet. There’s no social gathering, festivity or event in Mexico where food and drink are not essential, from football matches, to religious celebrations and even funerals. Tacos are a way of life, and there’s nowhere this is more true than in Mexico City, where you can enjoy a variety for breakfast, lunch, dinner and at any time between. The pillars of Mexican cooking are traditionally corn or maize, beans and, of course, chillies, including all their variations. Chillies are there to accentuate the flavours of a dish and complement the other individual elements, whether those are herbs, spices, vegetables or a wonderful piece of meat or seafood. Crab tostadas In Coyoacán in Mexico City, my local market has become famous for (among other things) a tostadas stand that has expanded and become hugely popular. The stand offers a wide variety of tostadas: chicken tinga, prawn cocktail or pata (cow’s hooves), which is one of my favourites. I like to pair fresh crab with the simple, raw freshness of a jalapeño and lime mayonnaise, and serve this with crispy tostadas and avocados. Pibil-style pork ribs Cochinita pibil is the emblematic dish of Yucatán. The whole suckling pig, known as cochinita, is doused in achiote marinade, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-roasted in a pit. Achiote paste, a mix of crushed annatto seeds and spices, has a deep, vibrant red colour and unique peppery, musky flavour that pairs beautifully with pork. Chiles en escabeche You’ll see big jars of these pickles in torterías and fondas. You can really taste all the flavours from the spices but they’re not too spicy. When preparing my pickles, I like combining layers of flavours by using aromatics such as coriander seeds, honey and smoky dried chillies. Enjoy them in your favourite torta or sandwich with a cold beer. Get a taste of Mexico Tortillas, £6.50, santoremedio.co.uk Authentic tortillas made in the traditional Mexican way with specially prepared and ground corn. Achiote paste, £1.80/100g, mexgrocer.co.uk A vibrant red Yucatecan paste made from ground annatto seeds and spices. Used it in the pibil-style ribs marinade for an authentic flavour. Guajillo chilli flakes, £3.80, santoremedio.co.uk Sweet and fruity with a mild heat, these can be used to give an extra kick to dishes. VIVIR tequila añejo, £43.95, masterofmalt.com A fine sipping tequila matured in bourbon casks for 18 months. This has smooth vanilla and oak notes. Find recipes for the above dishes in Ciudad de México: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Mexico City by Edson Diaz-Fuentes (£26, Hardie Grant); photos by Robert Billington and Adam Wiseman
Belize foodie guide: where locals eat and drink
For a week of fresh lobster, corn tortillas and rum punch, head to Belize and explore the jungles, coastlines and cities of this laid-back country
Looking for restaurants in Belize? Want to know where to eat in Placencia? Head on a foodie road trip through Belize, stopping off at roadside restaurants, Placencia tacos shacks and San Ignacio cafes Some call Belize a melting pot of cuisines, but those who live there prefer to call it a fruit bowl, choosing the best bits of each to create their own. Nudged between Mexico and Guatemala, and influenced by significant immigration from seven different cultures – among them China, Taiwan, India and Indonesia – it’s no surprise that the food landscape in Belize is as varied as its geographical terrain. There are no food franchises in the country (fried chicken is the closest you’ll come to fast-food) so locals steer themselves instead to roadside shacks in hues of bubble-gum pink, burnt orange and deep turquoise serving made-to-order tamales and salbutes. A two-hour flight from Miami, this laid-back country has the down-to-earth charm of a place that's yet to be overly commercialised, with jungles, coastline, cities (albeit two) and farmsteads all within a short drive of each other. Rice and beans, corn tortillas, fried Jacks (a bit like a puffy savoury doughnut) and ceviche are staple dishes you’ll find across the country, and, as Belizeans like to point out, everything’s made better with a dash of rum. Where to eat, drink and sleep in San Ignacio… Pop’s Restaurant Tucked away in downtown San Ignacio, this all-day breakfast spot serves American classics (waffles, pancakes and omelettes) but it’s the fried Jacks that people stay for. Grab a cosy green-leather booth and order a plate piled high with the moreish snack – tortilla dough that’s been deep-fried to create a light, puffy savoury doughnut, with a slight chew to it. If you’re after something hearty, order the chaya pockets, where fried Jacks come filled with scrambled eggs and earthy tree spinach (and a generous side of creamy refried beans). Or, keep it sweet by tearing open the hot puffs and drizzling them generously with maple syrup. On a Sunday, the locals pile in after church, ordering plates of them alongside black coffee topped with condensed milk. popsbelize.com Marie Sharp Food Tour On most tables in Belize, the only condiment you’ll find is a bottle of Marie Sharp’s habanero pepper sauce. There are 16 in the range (choose between sweet mango, original fiery, or, for the brave hearted, Belizean heat), each made with a carrot base, and the iconic sauce is added to soups, stir fries or into boiling water when cooking rice. While the main sauce shop is in Stann Creek, San Igancio is home to the Marie Sharp cookery school. Sign up for a class and Will, the chef, will take you down to the local farmer’s market in search of pineapples and plantains to add to the class menu of rice and beans, stew chicken and tortillas. Along the way there’ll be snifters of cashew, sorrel and jackfruit wine – a type of fermented vinegar. When it comes to cooking you’ll pick up tips on recreating the dishes at home, like using coconut milk to flavour rice and beans, rubbing your tortilla balls in butter to stop them from drying out, and, most importantly, using annatto seasoning in the stew chicken to give it that distinct red colour and sweet yet smoky flavour. facebook.com Guava Limb This turquoise wooden-panelled hut, suspended on stilts, is just a short stroll from downtown San Ignacio. The focus here is farm-to-table dining, with fruit and vegetables coming from Chaa Creek’s 30-acre organic Maya farm. Expect an eclectic mixture of dishes, from quesadillas to ceviche, Thai lettuce wraps and Middle-Eastern platters. guavalimb.com Chaa Creek Opened in 1981 by Lucy and Mick Fleming – two backpackers who came to Belize and settled in the west – Chaa Creek offers eco-living in the jungle (describing itself as “wildly civilised” it mixes nature with man-made luxuries). With a camp for backpackers, individual thatched roof lodges and luxury treehouses, there’s accommodation for all budgets, scattered among winding gravel paths overlooking the lush rainforest, and 10% of all accommodation revenue goes back to partner community projects each year. All bedrooms come with reusable aluminium water bottles, while metal straws and fabric napkins are used in the restaurant. Be sure to head to the bar, which is lined with Kilner jars filled with house-infused rums, from ginger, allspice and cinnamon to lemongrass basil. Try them mixed into mojitos and margaritas for a pre-dinner tipple. Fruit and vegetables (everything from avocados and kale to sorrel and limes) come from the hotel’s 30-acre Maya organic farm, which you can take a tour around. Other activities include sunset canoes on the adjacent river and early-morning dips in a serene infinity pool looking out onto coconut trees. For breakfast indulge in bowls of creamy coconut yogurt, chunks of fresh watermelon, pineapple and melon, and sweet sorrel (hibiscus flower) tea. chaacreek.com Where to eat, drink and foodie things to do in Placencia… John the Bakerman A must-visit in Placencia, the waft of freshly baked bread from its ovens will be enough to direct you to this little blue wooden shack. Its stock-in-trade is loaves of bread and warm cinnamon buns. It might look closed when you arrive, but hang around long enough and John will stroll out and show you around, opening cast-iron ovens for you to peek inside and talking you through the baked goods. Antique scales are piled high with flour, while tins on the work surface are filled with buns, slowly proving away in the warm air. Arrive early to try one of his cinnamon versions (a few are kept for those who turn up later in the day) – squidgy layers spiked with warm cinnamon sugar, currants and a sweet, sticky icing. facebook.com Tuttifrutti For the best gelato in town, visit Tuttifrutti, a little white-washed parlour with green shutters just down the road from John the Bakerman. This 15-year old institution churns out creamy gelato from 9am-9pm, six days a week. With a daily-changing menu of 18 flavours, you won’t be stuck for choice. If it’s on that day, order the fresh coconut, spiked with sweet desiccated flecks of the stuff, or the rich pistachio. Perch outside, or enjoy your scoop on the neighbouring sandy beach. Maya Beach Bistro For fresh fish with stunning beach views, Maya Beach Bistro is the place to book a table. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, this open-sided, mahogany-panelled hut is strung prettily with lightbulbs and looks out, beyond palm trees, onto the Caribbean Sea. Lobster is where it’s at, so start with the lobster bread pudding, where squidgy brioche rolls come soaked in a sweet vanilla brandy bisque with chunks of lobster tail. For mains, order the indulgent lobster grilled cheese; chunky slices of toasted whole-wheat bread sandwiches pieces of meaty lobster, swimming in an oozing cheddar and brie sauce. facebook.com Belize Mexican Perched on the side of the road, this rustic hut with vibrant green signage is the place to go for tacos. Early morning queues grow quickly when people pick up hot chicken tamales from the help-yourself box on the counter before work, but the tacos are an equally appealing breakfast option. With only a couple of women working in the tiny kitchen, take a seat on a stool while you watch them being made. Smoky nuggets of juicy pork come topped with punchy pico de gallo, sharp onion slithers and a dollop (or two) of hot sauce; turn you head to one side as you eat to save yourself from losing all those sweet meat juices. Where to eat, drink and foodie things to do in San Pedro… Elvi’s Kitchen What started as a hole-in-the-wall burger joint over 40 years ago is now one of Ambergris Caye’s most popular seafood restaurants. Still owned by Elvia Staines, daughter Jennie is now at the helm of the kitchen. The colourful roadside restaurant, complete with sand flooring, is decked out with mahogany panels, vibrant canvases by local artists and brightly patterned tablecloths. Each night there’s a special, with Wednesdays focusing on crab and Fridays playing host to the Grand Maya buffet with live music playing in the background. The coconut shrimp curry is what people go for – a yellow curry sauce flavoured with rich coconut, tomatoes and sweet shrimps served with fragrant coconut rice and sweet slices of plantain. If it’s on the menu, order the crab claws filled with flaky crab meat and a side of rice and beans. Wash it down with a margarita, the signature cocktail; keep it classic with lime, or order a warming ginger, sweet pineapple or punchy jalapeño version. elviskitchen.com DandE’s San Pedro has a non-stop hustle and bustle that you don’t find across other parts of Belize, but there’s still a laid-back vibe across its three main streets (referred to as first, middle and back) and their vibrant buildings. Head to middle street to make a pit-stop at DandE’s, a frozen custard shop run by Americans Dan and Eileen Jamison. Inspired by the Coney Island treat, the frozen custard (made from whole milk, sugar and egg) has a thick, creamier texture than other ices after being churned. Step inside the ramshackle shop, where walls are lined with drawings from customers, and take your pick from a whiteboard filled with flavours. Expect everything from pumpkin pie to maple pecan and be sure to finish your cone with a sprinkle of chopped nuts for that extra crunch. dande.bz Belize Food Tours To get a real taste of the local cuisine, sign up for a walking food tour from San Pedro Central Park and you’ll get to sample dishes from seven different restaurants and bars in the old town. Run by Felipe and his sister Dora (who both grew up on the island) the aim was to preserve the local heritage so along the route you’ll learn about the cultural and culinary history of the area and its restaurants. Tours start at Elvi’s Kitchen before moving onto Briana’s Food Palace – a no-frills place serving plates of garnaches (a dish made of fried corn tortillas topped with refried beans, shredded cabbage and cheese), empanadas, salbutes (a moreish, deep-fried corn tortilla) and fried Jacks. Save room for the fresh boiled shrimp ceviche at Lily’s Treasure Chest, though. Conch fritters continue the seafood theme at El Fogon before dessert by the beach at The Holiday Hotel, San Pedro’s first hotel. belizefoodtours.com Estel’s Dine by the Sea For breakfast by the beach head to Estel’s Dine by the Sea. The vivid turquoise building, complete with vibrant signs and bright murals, serves up a hearty Belizean breakfast with the salty sea whooshing in and out in the background. Take your pick between picnic-style tables shaded under the roof, or go barefoot and enjoy the sand under your feet on the beach itself. Take your pick from a blackboard daubed with choices in colourful chalk, from huevos rancheros to Mayan eggs. Creamy shrimp omelettes come filled with a mixture of slow-cooked onions, peppers and tomatoes, with generously-sized fried Jacks on the side. You can build you own, with a choice of eggs, meats and breads, but the sides really come into their own. Opt for crispy fried potatoes, creamy refried beans, cinnamon rolls or tortillas. facebook.com Foodie things to do in San Antonio… Tortilla making at San Antonio Women’s Co-operative Learn how to make corn tortillas with San Antonio Women’s Co-operative, a group of Yugatec Maya women trying to bring back traditional cookery techniques. Watch (and try your hand) at mixing corn dough, made simply from dried corn and water then cooking it over open-fire on a clay pot before drizzling the resulting puffs with coconut oil and a sprinkle of salt. Indulge in a lunch of tamale – a light, soft corn dough (imagine a kind of Belizean version of cannelloni) filled with stew chicken before being wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in a pot over flames. Ask to try the corn coffee, too. It’s a simple concoction of corn that's been blackened in a clay pot over open flames and ground before being mixed with boiling water. It has the same punchy bitterness of an espresso, only with zero caffeine. How to get to Belize Return flights from London to Belize with delta.com. Chaa Creek bungalows sleep up to three people, b&b (chaacreek.com). Villas at Chabil Mar for two, room-only (chabilmarvillas.com). For more information visit travelbelize.org, or search for #oliveeatsBelize Words and photographs | Ellie Edwards
For some of the best food on the twin Caribbean islands of Trinidad & Tobago hit the streets for cinnamon-spiced biscuits, goat meat rotis and pimento-laced pastelles
Looking for street food on the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Check out where the locals go for roti, doubles and snacks with a view of the Caribbean sea... Doubles at Trinidad Airport (Piarco International) Wake for an early flight from Trinidad airport and you’ll be rewarded by catching the doubles run in the terminal’s food court. The vendors prepare this moreish street food snack with lightening speed, sloshing ladles of curried chickpeas between two fried flatbreads before twisting them into a pasty shape. They often run out by 7am but you can also find doubles on most street corners across the island. Look out for Mitch’s Doubles in the Woodbrook district of Port of Spain. Snacks at Eden’s Sweet & Sour Hot Spot This is a snack shop with a view if ever we saw one. On the way to Trinidad’s Maracas Beach stop off at this pretty pink stall and eat all manner of sweet (and savoury) treats while perched on a lookout point over Maracas Bay. Devikah Singh has been providing a mainly sugar-fuelled pitstop here since 2011, selling coconut fudge, coconut sugar cakes and rice cakes with ginger and spice seasoning. Try the tart and refreshing pineapple chow (pineapple soaked in garlic, peppers, lime juice and chadon beni, a Trinidadian coriander) or kurma - sweet, deep-fried dough biscuits spiced with cinnamon. Shark 'n' Bake at Richard's Shark 'n' Bake A hub of ‘shark ‘n’ bake’ vendors have congregated at Maracas Beach to create what is now a local institution. Mom’s is where the locals tend to hang out but Richard’s Shark ‘n’ Bake is the best known. Queue up for pockets of fried pitta-like flatbread filled with ‘shark’ (meaty lionfish nowadays) and make your way round the condiments stand to pimp your own epic sarnie. Slide your tray between salads, fresh tomato, cucumber, crunchy shredded cabbage and marinated vegetables, then pour over a generous drizzle of sauce (sweet and sour tamarind, punchy garlic or fiery chilli to name a few). Roti at Kanhai Roti The islands’ multicultural heritage ripples through the local food culture, with its far-flung influences. One of them is the islanders’ penchant for rotis, wrap-like savoury pancakes filled with curried meats and vegetables that are found throughout India and South Asia. From a stand on the corner of Clarence Street and Western Main Road in Port of Spain, Kanhai Roti rolls out yard after yard of rotis and fills them with curried goat, beef or liver. Pull back the paper packaging and be prepared to get your hands messy. Gyros at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain Another payoff of Trinidad’s multicultural society is the popularity of Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean wraps, gyros - pitta stuffed with spiced grilled meat, salad and garlic sauce. Head to Port of Spain’s vast park (where the legendary carnival makes its colourful mark once a year) on a weekend and you’ll find gyros vendors, ladies ladling out hot corn soup (with optional cow heel!), Jamaican jerk chicken and much more. Pastelles in Lopinot Up in the hills of Trinidad, French Creole and Venezuelan culture reign. Large wooden houses with verandas sit amid tropical flora and an abundance of fresh produce in villages such as Lopinot. Built around a former agricultural estate, Lopinot is shaded by vast, magical trees and is a popular riverside liming (gathering) spot. It’s also where locals often make pastelles; pork and beef is seasoned with pimento, thyme, vibrant red yucu pods, chive and onions and wrapped in thin cornmeal pastry before being flattened, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. These treats are traditionally served at Christmas or Easter, and the whole family comes together on a Sunday to make hundreds. If you’re invited to take part, grab your chance. (Organise a trip with In Joy Tours) Crab at Store Bay For the past few decades the Store Bay Ladies have been selling their homemade crab and dumplings at the idyllic turquoise bay of the same name on Tobago. The government recently funded a project to give these stalls a more permanent home in colourful huts. Head to Miss Trim’s - set up by 81 year old Miss Trim who recently passed the business on to her eighth child, Meisha - to enjoy blue-black crab in a blend of coconut milk and spices. Miss Trim adds extra cloves to the spice mix of coriander, pimento, garlic, ginger, chives and onions for a personal touch. The crab is cooked in its shell, the soft flesh ready to bite into and the juices to be soaked up by homemade cornmeal dumplings. Dasheen at Blue Food Festival If you are on the islands in October, head to the Blue Food Festival at beautiful Bloody Bay on Tobago. Against this stunning tropical backdrop people from all over the island compete to showcase what they can do with its signature crop, dasheen. This root vegetable turns a blueish colour when cooked, hence the name of the festival. Try it with other “provisions” from the island – plantain, sweet potatoes and yams – and, if you’re adventurous, with local game such as iguana and armadillo. From midday there is a great festival vibe, with steel bands, DJs and plenty of Caribe beers and Shandy Caribe. Flights from Heathrow to Trinidad cost from £481 return (britishairways.com). Double rooms at Castara Retreats in Tobago start from £85 (castararetreats.com) or at Kapok Hotel in Trinidad start from £122 (kapokhotel.com). More info: gotrinidadandtobago.com Feeling inspired? Make one of our best ever Caribbean recipes at home Written by Alex Crossley First published October 2016 listen to Alex as she gives us her top tips on navigating the street food of Trinidad and Tobago olive magazine podcast ep27 - Romy Gill on Diwali, horse sushi and Carribean street food View oEmbed on the source website
Check out our guide to the best of the Americans food trips for 2018. From beautiful beaches in Trancoso to lively city breaks in New Orleans, here are our favourites
Looking for the best food trips to take in North and South America? Check out our guide to the best places to visit in the USA, Canada and South America. From top city breaks, to beautiful beaches in Trancoso, you can expect to try boozy brunches in the states, ceviche in Peru and indoor markets in Canada. If you want to check out more places to eat and drink in America, read our guide to Chicago, Illinois, here Peru From ceviche in Lima, to alpaca carpaccio in the Andes, Peru is no longer just a stop off point, but now a magnet for foodies. If tapas is what you’re after, head to 1940s bodega – La Preferida for ceviche served in shells. Try a range of ones, from mussel mixed with onion, coriander, chilli and lemon to scallop and avocado. Make sure to drive to the Sunday morning market at Chinchero where trading is done the traditional way. A bowl of steaming chicharrones (fried pork) with crispy potatoes is a must. Read our guide to the best places to eat in Peru, here Trancoso Brazil’s palm-fringed beach town, Trancoso, is an idyllic foodie haven filled with relaxed restaurants and cafes. Fresh seafood is a real focus, so sign up for a lesson in how to make Bahian fish stew at Uxua Casa Hotel. If you’re happy just eating, order a bowl filled with white fish, prawns, garlic, coconut cream and chilli. You might not expect it, but you can get a great flat white from The Coffee Bar. Don’t leave before you try pão de queijo, a crisp bread puff filled with cheese. You’ll find these everywhere and they’re hard to resist. Read our guide to the best places to eat and drink in Trancoso, here New Orleans For lively bars, buzzy cafes and Southern soul food, New Orleans is a must visit. Start your day with breakfast at Brennan’s; while there are dozens of egg dishes to choose from, make sure you save room for the bananas Foster – a boozy banana and ice cream dessert. If you’ve got room, head to Killer Po' boys for New Orleans’ most famous sandwich. Choose between black beer beef debris or seared gulf shrimp. End the day at Arnaud’s French 75 bar and order a local cocktail like a brandy crusta. Read our guide to the best places to eat and drink in New Orleans, here Montreal Quebec province’s largest city, Montreal, has a buzzing restaurant and cafe scene. First up, grab a cortado from Café Pista before strolling around Cochons Tout Ronds, Canada’s largest food market. If you need a mid-afternoon sweet pick me up, head to Cocoa Locale for a slice of chocolate chai cake. Pay a visit to restaurant Le Diplomate before you leave – share some bar snacks or a plate of brown butter poached calamari with summer truffles and cured egg yolk. Trinidad and Tobago Get an early flight from Trinidad airport to make the most of the food court. Watch as vendors slosh ladles of curried chickpeas between fried flatbreads before twisting them into a pastry shape. After an early morning snack, visit Eden’s sweet and sour hot spot on the way to the beach for kurma – sweet, deep-fried dough biscuits spiced with cinnamon. For some of the best crab and dumplings in Tobago, pay a visit to Miss Trim who added extras cloves to the spice mix for a personal touch. The soft flesh of the crab and juices are soaked up by homemade cornmeal dumplings. Read our guide to the best places to eat and drink in Trinidad and Tobago, here
The Yucatán - guide to the unique cuisine of Mexico’s south-east
The desert-island beaches of Mexico’s south-east are its second-biggest draw – the first is its colourful, zingy food and dishes such as citrus-marinated sliced pork, grilled over charcoal, and chicken soup spiked with lime juice and shredded tortillas
Read our expert guide to the unique cuisine in The Yucatán Peninsula, a desert-island beach off Mexico's south-east coast where dishes reflect traditional Mayan food and are inspired by traditional Spanish, Caribbean, Middle Eastern as well as Mexican. The Yucatán Peninsula’s powdery white beaches are what draw most visitors to this sun-soaked corner of south- eastern Mexico. The peninsula is home to crowd-pleasing resorts like Cancún and Playa del Carmen, and to Tulum, further south, which attracts a hipster crowd with its beachside cabanas, Mayan ruins and electric-blue water. For a more under-the-radar hideaway, Isla Holbox is a car-free island off the north coast of the Yucatán with a boho vibe a world away from the mainland resorts. Or, venture inland to sleep in boutique hotels, and explore wonders like the Sian Ka’an biosphere reserve and its cenotes – underground pools perfect for a cooling dip. The Yucatán’s distinct cuisine is also a huge attraction. Ancient Mayans first grew the corn, beans and squash that remain the holy trinity of ingredients here, although local dishes also reflect a rich intermingling of Mexican, Spanish, Caribbean and Middle Eastern cooking. Raw ingredients for the traditional Yucatecan table include fresh fish, fruit, vegetables and hyper-local meat and poultry from the thousands of small farm holdings (called milpas) that dot the interior. The Yucatán is also the world’s largest producer of habanero chillies, which are used prolifically in local recipes and as a condiment. Marinades called recados are used to give flavour and texture, and invariably made from one or more citrus fruits, including limes, grapefruits, oranges and bitter oranges. Pork, chicken and turkey feature in many of these dishes, as do red snapper and the dorado fish. These recipes, flavours and cooking techniques so inspired René Redzepi that he set up a Noma residency in Tulum. But good food forms the backbone of daily life here. To enjoy your own journey of culinary discovery, visit a street stall, market or beachside restaurant and dive in. 5 of the best things to eat & drink... SOPA DE LIMA Found all over the Yucatán and an absolute must-try, this intensely flavoured soup was invented by the Mayans and is commonly made using chicken or turkey spiked with a local, lime-like fruit called lima, native xcatic chilli, spices and shredded tortilla. COCHINITA PIBIL The Yucatán is synonymous with this dish – pibil means to ‘roast in a hole’ and is usually made with pork, but chicken is also used. The meat is marinated in citrus juice, garlic, chillies and spices, then wrapped in plantain leaves with onions, and roasted or steamed. It’s often served with marinated onions and in tacos. HORCHATA This homemade brew is the ideal thirst- quencher and made in vast quantities in the Yucatán. Also known as rice water, it’s made from rice boiled with water and soaked for 12 hours, then drained and blended with almonds, cinnamon, sugar and more water, before being served over ice. PAPADZULES Also known as tortillas yucatecas, these fresh corn tortillas are wrapped around a filling of chopped hard-boiled eggs then covered in a sauce made from pumpkin seeds and epazote, a herb similar to coriander. POC CHUC Another typical local dish, with its roots in the Mayan kitchen, sliced pork is marinated in tangy, sour orange and then grilled over charcoal and served with a side of grilled sweet onions.
Trancoso, Brazil: best places to eat and drink
Where and what to eat and drink in Trancoso, an idyllic, palm-fringed beach town in the northeast of Brazil
Brazil’s 8000km of coastline isn’t short of tropical, palm-fringed paradise. But the best bit is surely Trancoso, in Bahia, Brazil’s northeastern coastal state. The hippies tripped into town here back in the Seventies, mingling with local fishermen, and chilling under the trees around the town square, known as the Quadrado. Now, this hippy escape has grown up, with a merry string of relaxed and unpretentious pousadas and boutique hotels, restaurants, and cafes. So what makes it better than anywhere else? Well, there’s an idyllic tropical beach. A thriving local community. Plentiful fresh seafood. Friendly people… we could go on. But what’s extra special, is that Trancoso has grown with its tourism. Incomers have blended with the community, used local tradesmen to restore, build and decorate, and put money in where it works best. For example, Uxua Casa Hotel & Spa, a sublime boutique hotel, owned by ex-Diesel Creative Director Wilbert Das, has put the local capoeira teacher, Diney, on its payroll. Now most of the community takes lessons, and gets together for performances of this mesmerising martial-arts inspired dance. When Diney is not teaching locals, Uxua guests get the benefit of his expert dance and music tuition. In fact, Wilbert’s entire Uxua project is born out of his desire to share and inspire – from employing a weaver to make stunning rugs, to producing one-off furniture pieces with local craftsmen, and creating an ‘art house’ where visiting artists make Trancoso-influenced pieces, which they then leave behind as payment. Another philanthropist inspired by Trancoso is Reinold Geiger, boss of the L'Occitane cosmetics empire, who has a villa here and built a music school and Sydney-opera-house-esque concert hall for the community. This means you see young Brazilians playing a mix of Bach and Coldplay on violins and cellos outside bars at night. There’s always music in Trancoso – someone singing, drumming, strumming. This mix of philanthropy and integrated involvement is an everyday reality in Trancoso, and it’s a successful and enchanting mix; happy and celebrative. Trancoso seems to bring the best out in people. There are no big faceless resorts within Trancoso. By coming together, local hoteliers, artisans, shop-keepers, fishermen and musicians have kept the big boys at bay to protect what they know is special - their pure, low-level take on tourism. At Trancoso’s heart is that picture-perfect grassy Quadrado – a car-free focal point for community and visitors, where locals play footie, horses mooch about, and visitors sip cocktails in bars under the trees. It’s tipped with a white-washed church straight from the pages of a child’s story book, and framed with 50-odd UNESCO-protected multicoloured one-storey homes, cafes, pousadas, shops, bars, and of course, Uxua – a very special hotel. But what of the food? Those 1970’s hippies have left their mark. Arriving with bellbottoms stuffed with brown rice and quiche-recipes, their healthy eating habits have fused with traditional fish-based Bahian cuisine and it’s a happy pairing. So, while you’re here enjoying paradise, this is what to eat: Cook moqueca Guests at Uxua Casa Hotel can sign up for lessons in how to make this Bahian fish stew with chef Bernardo Silva – or anyone can pitch up at the restaurant and order a bowl. The celebrated dish is made with whatever white fish has been caught that day, plus fat prawns, garlic, coconut cream, chilli, sweet peppers, parsley and coriander. Brazilians cook with palm oil – it’s the local oil (olives don’t grow well in a tropical climate), and the taste can take a bit of getting used to for Europeans. Traditional accompaniments are rice – sometimes infused with coconut, and farofa (made with cooked plantain and spiced cooked manioc flour), which becomes a crunchy sprinkle that’s served with any Brazilian meal that has a sauce. Also look out for pirão, a dhal-like accompaniment, made by taking sauce from the simmering moqueca and stirring in manioc flour on the heat to create a thick, creamy side-dish. Tapioca pancakes Tapioca pancakes are a Brazilian staple, and can be stuffed with whatever you like. A Brazilian favourite is simply cured meat and cheese but look out for Tapioca da Elma, the most adventurous of the three food stands just outside the quadrado. Elma offers substantial fillings, including a pancake overflowing with meat, tomatoes, herbs, and pineapple chutney. Coconut juice & ceviche Uxua Beach Bar’s freshly prepared lunches are the best, made from whatever the fishermen have brought in. Ceviche and fish tacos are simple and delicious. Always have a fresh coconut juice, too. It’s the most refreshing option, straw directly in fruit, with the natural cooling flesh and shell to keep the drink icy. Caipirinhas on the Quadrado The Brazilian national cocktail, containing cachaça (sugarcane-juice spirit), crushed fresh lime, sugar and ice, is served at every Quadrado bar. Do a tour starting from one side and work your way around – then see if you can stand up. A flat white Yes, you read that right. Flat white. Aussie boy meets Trancoso girl, they marry and set up The Coffee Bar, just off the Quadrado. This young couple know what’s what, and serve a selection of inexpensive Bahian food, smoothies, cakes, and caipirinha-induced-hangover busters, such as acai juice, excellent bacon, egg, and homemade relish toasties – and decent flat whites. South American steak A long-standing restaurant up a side alley off the Quadrado, Capim Santo has wooden tables surrounded by giant tropical greenery, and a guitar player strumming sweetly on the side. The menu is a mix of Brazilian and European. Brazil enjoys a succulent South American grilled steak as much as the rest of the continent – have one here accompanied by rich Parmesan risotto, and you won’t need to eat for another 12 hours. A weighty lunch Food by the kilo may not inspire confidence, but don’t fear, Rabanete is the place to be on the quadrado at lunchtime (it doesn’t open for dinner). For about £15 per kilo, the buffet changes daily and might include octopus, slow-cooked pork, fish and meat stews, sides – all traditional Bahian fare. There’s also a dedicated room for puds, also sold by the kilo. Hippy cakes When the hippies first pitched up here back in the 1970s, they brought a taste of their high-fibre, healthy diet. The large cakes you’ll find at pousadas, cafes and on hotel breakfast and tea tables in Trancoso, are a nod to this. They tend to be a variety of coconut, carrot, or fruits, and will often be made using manioc flour. Cheesy breakfast balls You can’t come to Brazil without eating pão de queijo; they’re everywhere. Ideally served warm for breakfast, these pool-ball sized bread puffs are crisp on the outside, and deliciously soft and cheesy within. Harmless, right? But once you’ve had one, it’s hard to stop. Capeta Time your trip to coincide with one of Trancoso’s festivals and you’ll find sellers rolling into the quadrado with handcarts of beer, juice and capeta (little devil). Capeta is a heady mix of vodka, ground guarana powder (from the Amazon guarana berry, a strong natural caffeine-like stimulant, and the base of a popular Brazilian soft drink, also called Guarana), condensed milk, cinnamon and honey, and a little chocolate. It tastes like alcoholic milkshake and will aid the up-all-night vibe. HOW TO DO IT TAP Portugal flies from London Heathrow, Gatwick & Manchester to Salvador via Lisbon six times a week, prices start at £503 return including all taxes and surcharges. Suites at UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa cost around £440 for two people, b&b (uxua.com). For a package including flights and accommodation we recommend Bespoke Brazil (bespokebrazil.com). More info: visitbrasil.com or trancosoportal.com Written by Sophie Pither editor Laura is just back from a trip to Brazil and has some great tips for eating and drinking olive magazine podcast ep48 - Brazil, fish curing and mozzarella View oEmbed on the source website
Santiago, Chile: 10 best places to eat and drink
New flights have just made Chile’s capital easier to reach from the UK, an added incentive to try its oven-baked empanadas, artisanal sausages and silky carménères
Market master When Rolando Ortega was named Chile’s chef of the year in 2015 many Santiaguinos were surprised; his restaurant, Salvador Cocina y Café, was a humble lunch spot in Santiago’s city centre. Two years later, expect to queue to try the chef’s market-inspired creations which change daily but typically include dishes such as pork and mussel stew or beef tongue sandwich. facebook.com/SalvadorCocinaYCafe Meticulous eats Don’t be fooled by the casual vibe and recycled furnishings at 99 Restaurante Chef Kurt Schmidt’s dishes are highly sophisticated, from carrot sorbet with coconut foam to ‘fungal textures’ – a playful dish of raw, cooked, puréed and pulverized mushrooms. Choose between a six or nine-course tasting menu at dinner, or three courses at lunch. 99restaurante.com Teatime traditions Missing your elevenses? Never fear: Chileans have la once (‘the eleven’), though theirs takes place in the late afternoon rather than the morning. Head to Café de la Candelaria after 5pm, order the set menu for two and watch as your table fills up with a pot of loose leaf tea, cherimoya juice, passion fruit cheesecake and a basket of warm breads with mashed avocado and local jams. cafedelacandelaria.cl Empanada break Deep-fried turnovers are ubiquitous elsewhere in Latin America but the oven-baked empanadas at La Punta really must be tried. As the line outside attests, this fast-food staple doesn’t get any better than this with a wide selection of imaginative stuffings, including artichokes, palm hearts and prawns. comidaslapunta.cl Foraged finds Chef Rodolfo Guzmán is on a one-man mission to revive the dormant cuisines of Chile’s indigenous Mapuche people at his restaurant, Boragó. Order the 18-course endémica tasting menu and you’ll sample dishes made with an array of local produce, including tola (an edible moss) and merkén (a smoked chilli pepper). borago.cl Market tour Head out with La Bicicleta Verde at 9:30am for a three-hour bicycle tour of Santiago’s best markets. The daily trips culminate with a stop at Mercado Central, a bustling seafood market. Look for stalls selling razor clams, salmon, sea urchins or octopus, and then try fresh ceviche. labicicletaverde.com Coffee buzz Macarena Sion had returned from a stint in London when she opened Faustina, a chic café that was desperately needed in this Nescafé-addicted city. Its rich and nutty artisanal roast has become a welcome find in Santiago for many a coffee-lover, while the croissants and alfajores keep visitors coming back for more. facebook.com/FaustinaCafe Wine time Skip Santiago’s urban wineries and make a beeline for Bocanariz. At this wine bar you’ll find more than 400 Chilean wines from the valleys that encircle the capital; many of the best bottles are available by the glass. It’s a great way to sample Chile’s silky carménères and crisp sauvignon blancs. bocanariz.cl Local larder Gourmet goods and free samples are two good reasons to stop off at La Despensa 1893, a compact food store selling high-end products from across the country, including craft beers from Patagonia, organic wines from the Central Valley and olive oils from the arid north. despensa1893.com Comfort foods Tucked within the rooms of a traditional Santiago home, unassuming Silabario elevates the cuisines of the Chilean countryside to new heights. Order the veranito de San Juan, a stew of smoked ribs, Chilote potatoes and longaniza sausages. Follow it with a homemade digestif infused with the antioxidant-packed murta berry. cocinalocal.cl HOW TO DO IT Direct return flights from London to Santiago start from £749 (ba.com). Double rooms at Hotel Magnolia cost from around £120, b&b (hotelmagnolia.cl). More info: chile.travel/en/ Words by Mark Johanson Photographs: Getty, Alamy
Peru, South America: best places to eat and drink
Super-fresh ceviche in Lima, alpaca carpaccio in the Andes and pisco-spiked lomo saltado in Ica – a culinary journey around Peru is no mean feast
Maria Julia Raffo hands me a helmet and we sputter off into Peru’s cloud- and traffic-cloaked capital by Vespa on a tour of Lima’s culinary highlights. Gone are the days when this coastal city, founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535, was simply the jumping off point for Peru’s Inca sites. Today, it’s a magnet for foodies, the searing core of the novoandina gastronomic trail that blazes all the way from London’s Lima to New York’s Llama Inn via Tampu in Madrid and many more. Our first stop is El Pan de la Chola, an artisan bakery and brunch spot in Lima’s chic Miraflores neighbourhood. Here, bakers knead dough beside a giant brick oven while, ouside, the city’s well-to-do tuck into jam jars of juice and scoop creamy avocados from their skins. Revived, we set off again to gritty Surquillo Market. According to Julia, this is where chefs come to buy their ingredients rather than at the chi-chi eco markets now peppering the Peruvian capital. Inside there’s an encyclopaedic array of produce from avocados to aji, maracuya to mandarin, banana passion fruit to tree tomatoes, papaya to prickly pears. She points out lucuma fruit, cherimoya (custard apples), cacao pods and bags of chuño, a chalky, dried potato, rehydrated to make sauces – or mixed into a paste to soothe babies’ bottoms. Potatoes are Peru’s most famous export with a mind-boggling 3,800 types. Quinoa, its other staple, notches up a mere 2,000 varieties. The country’s rollercoaster topography careers from coastal desert to high-altitude plain. From the teetering, thin-aired Inca terraces of the Andes it plunges down to the steamy Amazon jungle. The numerous ecosystems produce a bountiful natural larder while its tumultuous history and waves of migration have created a vibrant fusion cuisine. The Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 16th century bringing with them limes and onions. The African slave trade added peanut sauce to the anticuchos (skewers of meat cooked over wood), and the traditional lomo saltado (slivers of sautéed beef with onions, rice and potatoes) can be traced back to the Chinese immigrants of the 1800s. Then, at the turn of the 20th century the Japanese brought with them their love of raw fish. Traditionally the fish in the national dish, ceviche, was marinated in lime juice for a couple of hours in the morning to ‘cook’ it. Today’s dish however, is raw fish tossed with lime juice, chopped chilli, onion and coriander and eaten immediately. This spicy marinade, known as leche de tigre (tiger’s milk), is also thought to be a hangover cure and aphrodisiac. As we pass Surquillo’s fish section, ceviche stalls are setting up for the lunchtime rush. “Ceviche is eaten from around 11am,” Julia; tells me. “You never eat ceviche at night – it has to be fresh, the fish straight off the boat.” Back on the Vespa we screech off to La Preferida (restaurantelapreferida.com) a 1940s bodega in Miraflores that’s now a Peruvian-style tapas bar. Grabbing a perch at the counter, Julia orders three ceviche tapas served in shells. Choro a la chalaca is a spicy mouthful of mussel mixed with onion, coriander, chilli and lemon – I scoop up the oniony juice with some crisp corn like a local. Next, scallop and avocado, then octopus in mayonnaise darkened with black olives to a pungent purple – drinking another purple concoction, chicha morada, with it. This non-alcoholic drink is made from purple corn, pineapple rind, cinnamon, cloves and sugar. Careering on to bohemian Barranco, once a seaside resort for the Limeños but now a coastal suburb, we dip in and out of little huariques, hole-in-the-wall joints like La Canta Rana, tasting traditional dishes such as causa – a circular tower of yellow mashed potato topped with seafood and avocado, and tiradito (milder than ceviche and minus the onion). Afterwards we join the queue at Isolina for lunch: ceviche, of course, served market-style, the edge taken off its zesty sharpness by the mounds of sweet potato and a double dose of corn – fried and on the cob. After our whirlwind tour Julia drops me back at my hotel and I reluctantly hand back the helmet. I’m staying at Hotel B (hotelb.pe) in Barranco where poems are placed on your pillow at night and Gregorian chants accompany a grand breakfast that stretches to quail eggs, delicate pastries and tiny cappuccinos in gold-rimmed cups and saucers. My gourmet grazing’s not over for the day yet, however. I’m dining at Astrid y Gaston (astridygaston.com), the flagship restaurant of celebrity chef Gaston Acurio. Gaston flies the flag for Peruvian cuisine around the world and paved the way for chefs such as Virgilio Martinez and Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, whose Lima restaurant, Malabar, is the setting for some inventive culinary conjuring from the weird and wonderful roots and shoots of the Amazon. Gaston also founded Mistura (mistura.pe), a local food festival that takes place every September and is now in its 10th year. In an elegant colonial mansion in the stylish San Isidro district, Astrid y Gaston is a warren of restaurants and bars, plus a food lab and kitchen garden. The restaurant’s 13-course tasting menu elegantly celebrates Peru’s cultural heritage with dishes such as Pekinese guinea pig, a Peruvian take on Peking duck with a hand-rolled mini purple corn crepe and a silkily sweet rocoto chilli and peanut hoisin sauce. The next morning I’m in another market, this time San Isidro, with chef Penelope Alzamora. A one-time colleague of Gaston, she spent seven years teaching Peruvian cooking in San Francisco before returning to Lima and offering cookery experiences in her Barranco apartment. We wander from stall to stall shopping for lunch ingredients, picking out scallops, flounder, thin-skinned limes from the northern province of Piura and tiny round orange chillies from the Amazon. Back in her kitchen Penelope whizzes up a jug of frothy pisco sours, the national cocktail made with pisco (grape brandy), sugar syrup, lemon juice, egg whites and angostura bitters, then spoons pisco onto the scallops before sprinkling them with chilli, coriander, salt and pepper as an appetiser. Next we make ceviche, first soaking the onions in water so they don’t overpower it. “Squeeze the lime by hand just until you feel resistance so you don’t get the oil from the skin and bitterness from the middle of the fruit,” she tells me. A sprinkling of chilli, sea salt, white pepper, garlic and coriander and we’re ready to eat. Ceviche, I discover, is not just a coastal compulsion. The following day, a one-hour flight from Lima in the ancient Inca capital, Cusco, I try a delicate pink trout ceviche in Cicciolina (cicciolinacuzco.com) – along with oil-drizzled, pepper – and chilli-sprinkled alpaca carpaccio. My base here is the new Explora hotel (explora.com), outside Cusco in the Sacred Valley. A sleek wood and glass space cradled in 24 hectares of farmland, there’s no TV, radio or WiFi in the rooms, just a window seat and a framed Andean tableau: fields of corn and fluffy-headed quinoa, clusters of adobe houses and peaks swathed in mist. For breakfast, a porridge of quinoa swimming in hot orange juice with dried apple is surprisingly delicious. This protein-rich super-food, now a western staple, has been dubbed Inca gold and was eaten by the Inca army to sustain it as it marched. The Sacred Valley takes its name from the Urubamba river which threads through it. The land here, with its cinnamon-coloured soil, is rich and fertile. Today, villagers still grow crops on ancient Incan terraces and use the irrigation systems and canals built by them. Driving to the Sunday morning market at Chinchero I pass villagers ploughing with cattle and fields of blowsy purple-flowered potatoes. At Chinchero trading is still done the traditional way and I watch women bartering beans for bananas. At makeshift cooking stalls people huddle over bowls of steaming chicharrone (fried pork) with crispy potatoes and tutu haucha, an Andean dish of beans, greens, potato and corn dressed with a spicy sauce and seasoned with Maras salt. Salt has been harvested on the mountainside at nearby Maras for over 500 years. All the work is done by hand as it was by the Incas. More evidence of the Incas’ agricultural innovation can be seen at Moray where a series of sunken concentric stone terraces, originally thought to be a giant amphitheatre, are believed to be one of the first food laboratories, where they experimented with crops at different elevations. The Spanish also contributed a little innovation to the agricultural landscape here, introducing vines. Down near Ica, 300km south of Lima, Hacienda Tacama (tacama.com) claims to be the oldest winery in South America, having been founded by Francisco de Carabantes Tacama in 1540. Today the hacienda – candy floss pink and frilled with flowers – is open for tours and tutored tastings. Owner Luz Maria ushers me in for a lunch paired with the estate’s wines and piscos. To start we have a salad of local lima beans, tomatoes, onions and basil. Then lomo saltado, filet mignon sautéed with ripe tomatoes and onions and flamed with the hacienda’s Demonio de los Andes pisco to give it a charred fieriness. For dessert we try tocino del cielo, a heavenly custard flan (which uses up the leftover yolks after you’ve whipped up a batch of pisco sours). I go in for seconds and beg for the recipe. It’s her grandmother’s. She smiles with pride. Pride in their cuisine has been a long time coming, but now, with the world applauding novoandina’s stratospheric rise, Peruvians are finally taking a bow. HOW TO DO IT Direct return flights from Gatwick to Lima start from £653 (ba.com). Peruvian specialists Aracari offer 10-day Peru with Flavour journeys from $4,847 per person including the Urban Eats tour of Lima but excluding flights (aracari.com). More info: peru.travel