G(astronomical) Tour of Cusco!

So our Spanish teacher, Reyner, took us out on a food tour of Cusco instead of Spanish lessons (win!). We first went to a Cebicheria, and we ordered a giant 50 sole platter (for three people) that had ceviche (best I've ever had), Paella, seafood curry-like thing (with mussels), and fried fish/squid.

Spectacular

So after that (my stomach was stuffed to the brim), we walked for a ways until we reached a pasteleria. It looked pretty amazing all around, and it was one of the nicest places I've been in Peru so far. All of us ordered our own cakes (6 soles per slice), and I settled on a traditional Tres Leches cake. Needless to say, it was mouth-wateringly delicious!

Tres Leches

We then went on over to a cafe, where "the best coffee in Peru" was made, according to our teacher. I ordered a black coffee, for tasting, and an espresso, since my food coma was coming on strong. I'm going to have to rate the coffee as good, but not great (best coffee still gets awarded to Blue Bottle drip coffee in San Fran), but the espresso was one of the best I've had. Definitely the best coffee I've had in a while (Peruvians seem to enjoy instant coffee a lot…blech). Para continuar, we went on to a chocolate shop, which specialized in delicious coca chocolate. Nom nom. Finally, we went to get dinner at a place that specialized in cow hearts and intestines grilled on a stick. Upon our teacher's recommendation, I ordered the corazones. Putting aside the fact that they're hearts, they taste pretty good! It's similar to a really savory beef, and meat-lovers would appreciate it, I think. That ended our food tour, and we all went back to Urubamba to nurse our aching stomachs.

Hearts on the right, papas on the left

#somuchfood #goingbackforceviche #cuscoisprettysweet

Fish on the Wall

So we go to La Salle in the morning, being told that we're going to a fish farm. Intrigued, the four of us (environmental education group) jump in the back of a motorcycle-with-a-truckbed vehicle, and proceed to make our way up to the farm. On the way, we buy clementines, lemons, tomatoes, bread, veggie oil, and potatoes. We get to the fish farm after about a 30 min ride up a super rocky road, and see tons of trout.

Trucha!

We fished out 5 trout (5 soles apiece, how sweet is that?), and proceeded to clean, gut, and prepare them. We made 2 fires, and boiled potatoes along with frying the trout. Now, after eating the finished product, I have to say that it was definitely the best fish I've ever had (since it was alive maybe about an hour before we cooked it). Delicious does not even begin to describe the freshness that was consumed. Peru is just full of good eats!

You want this.

#wanttogoback #reallywanttofishnow #yum

Café con Queso

So my Spanish teacher (Reyner) took me to an Italian Panaderia instead of having a lesson. We had really awesome pizza, and a little something known as café con queso (Peruvian origins of several hundred years). So the coffee at the panaderia was spot on (served in individual French presses) and quite possibly the best I've had yet in Peru. However, it wasn't complete. We got thin slices of Queso Andino (Andean Cheese), and dropped it into the coffee, and kept on drinking. Surprisingly, the flavor doesn't change at all, and so you finish the coffee. When you're done, you eat the cheese that remains at the bottom! The queso gets a different texture (more smooth I guess), and it takes on a coffee flavor, and it's pretty interesting. Personally, I kinda like it, but you should try it for yourself.

Upon adding the queso

After drinking the coffee, this is what's left

Café con Queso


-Super-hot coffee
-thin-ish slices of cheese cut into sizable chunks (Cheddar apparently works well).


-Add cheese to coffee while super hot
-Continue to drink coffee
-Eat cheese when done



#onlyforthebrave #TwoOfmyfavoritethings #tryit

Manjar Blanco (spread of the land of milk and honey)

So there's this amazing spread here called Manjar Blanco.  It's made from sugar and milk, and I can buy it from La Salle (yay!).  According to Wikipedia,

It refers to a set of similar dishes traditionally made by slowly and gently cooking pure (normally non-homogenized) milk to thicken and reduce the volume, and gradually adding sugar...The result is a white or cream-colored, thick spread with a consistency much like that of a thick cake frosting although the flavor is more like that of sweetened cream. 

The simplest way to make manjar blanco is by boiling an intact tin of condensed milk in water for about an hour. On opening the boiled tin, we could see that the condensed milk thickens, darkens and turns into a yellowish light-brown paste that looks like peanut butter (but not as viscous as the latter). Manjar blanco is widely used in Peru as a bread spread and as cake frosting and filling.

 Number one on my "make this when back home" list.

#sogood #youshouldmakethistoo #peruvianfoodrocks

Torta de Plátano (Banana Cake)

Torta de Plátano

• bananas - 10 (brown?)
• 12 eggs
• 1/2 kilo sugar (4 cups)
• 1/4 kilo flour (2 cups)
• maizena (200g) - corn flour (1.5 cups)
• mandioca (chuño) -200g - potato flour (1.5 cups)
• veggie oil - 1/4 liter (1 cup)
• 1 tsp yeast
• 1/2 cup yogurt

1) egg yolks in one bowl, egg whites in another (mix until soft peaks and set aside)

2) mash bananas

3) sugar + egg yolks + oil (mix well)

4) Add yogurt (or milk). Add bananas + flour

5) mix egg whites again to get soft peaks

6) add egg whites to main mixture, fold in

7) 380 F, 1 hour, grease pan

This makes a huge amount (maybe a 16 x 28 in. pan?) so divide ingredients accordingly.  Also not sure if corn/potato flour exists in the states.  However, make this. It makes slices of heaven.

#omnomnom #yayfood

food and dogs (aww yeah)

So there are lots of stray dogs here. They're often dirty, and some are sad, while some are happy, but all are super adorable. I think that by the end of this trip, I'll be able to have a slideshow of only stray dogs in Peru. They're everywhere, something would be amiss to walk a block and not see one or more strays. Like I said, they're all super cute (if you go "aww" when seeing a dog, this is the place for you)

A stray in Cuzco

Now onto food. OH my god the food. It's amazing, and well, incredible comes incredibly short of describing how good the food is here. Meals traditionally consist of a light breakfast, with tea (mate de coca leaves is the predominant tea here. It's sooooo good, especially with some brown sugar), light bread, and either jam or what's called jamonaba (I think, it's kinda like balogne, but made with pollo). Lunch and dinner are pretty similar, with lunch being the bigger meal. There's usually a starter dish, which can be soup (of mushrooms, chicken, kimwah) or an appetizer (like potatoes y queso). After the starter, there is the main entree, which can vary, but usually consists of a meat or vegetable dish that's accompanied by pasta or rice. After that, comes dessert, which is usually either a drink, or gelatin/flan. One of the different things here is that in restaurants, they serve drinks after the starter and entree. I'm starting to become accustomed to drinking mate tea after meals now.

Two of the most common things one can eat here will be chicken and potatoes. There are hundreds of  varieties of potatoes in Peru, and chickens are just about everywhere, so it's generally the predominant meat eaten here - there are lots of polerias (chicken restaurants) in the city. The potatoes are different too. Potatoes, corn (which has gigantic kernels here, think the size of a blueberry per kernel), and rice all have a starchier taste here, which is pretty interesting. Some of the potatoes are what we're accustomed to, but some have a more powdery and starchy kind of taste - I'm not sure if I'm a huge fan of that kind just yet. Everything here is just more fresh - the juice, the meat, the vegetables, etc. This morning, Chris and I were served plantain juice by our host mom, and it was maybe the best juice I've ever had. The chicken here is so fresh, since the people keep and kill them at home. There's basically a whole coop by my host casa, and that would explain why the chicken I had last night was absolutely delicious and fresh. If you like chicken, come to Peru.

Arroz con Pollo

#nom #gettingfat #sogood #dogsarecute