Some photos from the popular cajón festival that takes place every year in Lima to celebrate the lively and upbeat percussion sounds of the wooden cajón (it's basically a box with a hole in the back, simple yet wonderful).  The event is amazing because it's open to anyone who is a fan of the instrument and provides a great experience for those learning or experienced to gather and play.  This year had a great turnout, though smaller than the previous years. 

All the photos were also posted on Living in Peru.com

As the sun sets on yet another busy day in the bustling city of Lima, the streets are flooded with employees are rushing out of their offices in an attempt to beat the long (and believe me it's LONG) rush hour traffic.  While highways slowly fill up the street vendors of the city have already set up their stands in anticipation of their hungry patrons, from hamburger carts to mazamorra morada and arroz con leche (a popular Peruvian desert combination) stalls, on particular food cart stands alone among the rest and that is none other than the Anticuchero(a).  There is nothing quite as appetizing and tantalizing as the thick smokey aroma of grilled meat, I am of course speaking of the popular and famous Peruvian Anticucho. 

Since my first visit to Peru back in 1997, anticuchos have been a favorite food of mine, even before I learned what they were made from.  The first time my tastebuds had the privilege of trying an anticucho was during a family party in Comas (a district located on the north corner of Lima).  I was young and had never tried one before but the smell was almost intoxicating and their visual appeal had me curious.  The moment I ate that anticucho I knew I was hooked and in fact I ate many more that night.  At the time I thought the meat used in an anticucho was beef and to a certain extent I was correct, however I would soon come to find out the true identity of the mystery meat to be none other than beef HEART!  I was shocked one because the meat was so tender that I had easily identified it as regular beef, but due to the anticucho's amazing flavor and texture the initial shock quickly wore off.  It's hard to put an exact number on how many anticucho's I have eaten since that day but I would imagine the number to be quite high, which is what I would imagine to be the same for many Peruvians as well.

A dish of Peruvian origin similar in style and appearance to that of a kabob or brochette, consists of a marinaded beef (most commonly cow heart) skewered on sticks of sugar cane.  They are cooked on grills and can be found on virtually every highly trafficked street corner in Peru.  The marinade is made from a mixture of vegetable oil, red wine vinegar, cumin, lime juice, aji panca and garlic.  The anticucho's are usually served with other popular Peruvian alimentary staples: the potato and white corn.  It's also not uncommon to see the sweet Picarones and Chicha Morada being sold along side anticuchos in Peru.

The anticucho's origin dates back to Pre-Columbian times and the Incan Empire with scientific evidence and documentation from the Peruvian National Library Archive which shows that the Incas prepared the dish using llama meat as well as other local meats.  The name Anticucho recieves it's name from the Quechua language and the word "Antikucho" (anti = Andes & kucho = mix &/or cut).  When the Spanish Conquistadors arrive to Peru in the 16th century they were quite possibly the first outsiders to ever try the Peruvian anticucho, and like all cultures they took the dish and made it their own through adaptations to the original receipe by introducing beef in place of llama.  With the gradual fall of the Great Incan Empire at the hands of a few hundred Conquistadors, Peru entered into a re-structing of the country or what has also been recognized as the colonization period.  New cities were established and erected, new cultures were presented, foreign foods and animals were brought, religion was forced on the natives like current modern policy, and in the next hundred years Peru entered into a new era.  One of the many changes that occurred as a result of the countries re-structing was the introduction of African slaves by the Spanish.  It was at this time that the anticucho would see it's second iteration at the hands of the slaves.  In their food preparations the Spanish would frequently throw out the internal animal organs by passing them off on their slaves as a form of ailment.  The slaves would then take the organs (tripe, liver, and heart) and skewer them on sticks made from sugar cane followed by a heavy seasoning before marinading them.  The anticuchos would then be cooked over fire.  In the many years to follow this Afro-Peruvian adaptation would continue to proliferate poorer and middle-class parts of the city, where today it is favored by many Peruvians and is considered the official form.

For Peruvians anticuchos have become an iconic symbol of Peru's diverse culture and heritage that will no doubt continue to live on for many years to come.  In Lima alone there are many places where a person on a hunger quest can find some of best anticuchos in the city...but that's for another article!

For those that are interest in preparing this wonderful dish I have included a receipe as well as some other websites which also have the receipe.

Here is also a very interesting video of Peru's very own famous chef Gastón Acurio as he hits the streets of Lima on his very own tv show.  This video documents the cities best anticucho stands.  Unfortunately it's in Spanish and there doesn't seem to be a translation.  I would still recommend watching it though to get an idea of what anticucho stalls in Peru look like.



http://www.spiceworlds.com/anticucho.html - This website has the recipe but also sells the anticucho marinade already pre-packaged for those who would rather skip all the busy work.

Another website that sells the marinade already jarred called La Bodega Peruana.com has it for sell HERE

It´s hard to believe I have had this blog for a little over a year now and that 200 articles later I have managed to keep this blog afloat.  Being unprepared for such an occasion I have decided to put together a list of my top 10 favorite article posts of Inti Aperture!

For most today is Halloween however, here in Peru the 31st of October is also Dia de La Cancion Criolla/Cancion Peruana (Day of Criolla Music/Peruvian Music...I have seen both used interchangably).  Since 1944 this day has been used to pay tribute to musica criolla as well as many of Peru's famous musical artists.

Most bars and peñas in Peru will definately be celebrating the holiday and it is unfortunate that I will not be attending one because my friends would rather celebrate Halloween instead, SIGH......

Well in the spirit of the holiday I posted a few songs below from some famous Peruvian musicians, enjoy!





















There are so many others I could have posted but this should do for now.  If I think of any others I will surely post them.

Peru-Lima, 29 November 1940 - † Peru-Lima, 9 October 2009

Today the Famous musician Zambo Cavero died at 12:55 in the Rebagliati Hospital after several painful days battling against infectious sepsis that had consumed his body.

Zambo Cavero was known for his wonderful and soulful voice as well as his amazing ability to interpret some of Peru's most traditional songs. Cavero was seen as a representative of Afro-Peruvian criolla music.



Not only was he a musician, he was an artist whose music captivated many Peruvians who admired and loved him. It's tragic to have to lose someone that was important to us but the memory of Zambo Cavero's music will continue to live on in the hearts of his followers. He is that of Legend now.

I thought I will post a few video's for those who might not be familiar with his work and to pay respect to Zambo Cavero. He's playing that Cajón in heaven now.

If you can recall about a week ago I wrote an article about a Peña (a club that hosts folkloric music shows) in Barranco that I visited well I recently came across some more information on several other Peñas located in the city of Lima. Here is a list with their addresses:

Asociación Cultural Brisas del Titicaca
Walkuski 168, Lima Cercado.
Tel.: (511) 332-1901.

De Rompe y Raja
Manuel Segura 127, Barranco.
Tel.: (511) 247-3271.

Del Carajo
Catalino Mirando 158, Barranco
Tel.: (511) 241-8904

Don Jijuna
Plaza Butters 291, Barranco.
Tel.: (511) 247-2242.

Don Porfirio
Manuel Segura 115, Barranco.
Tel.: (511) 477-3119.

El Caballero de Fina Estampa
Av. Del Ejército 800, Santa Cruz, Miraflores.
Tel.: (511) 441-0552.

El Eslabón
Av. Aviación 3390, San Borja.
Tel.: (511) 476-2419.

El Plebeyo
Jr. Succha 247, Breña.
Tel.: (511) 330-9235.

El Rastro Canto Bar
Berlín 536, Miraflores.
Tel.: (511) 242-1022.

La Candelaria
Av. Bolognesi 292, Barranco.
Tel.: (511) 247-2941.

Las Guitarras
Jr. Manuel Segura 295, Barranco.
Tel.: (511) 247-3924.

Perico's
Pedro De Osma, cuadra 1, esquina con Castilla, Barranco.
Tel.: (511) 477-1311

Sachún
Av. del Ejército 657, Miraflores.
Tel.: (511) 441-4465.

Tradiciones Peruanas
Av. José de la Torre Ugarte s/n. (Boulevard del Retablo), Comas. Tel.: (511) 536-6072.

Now I haven't been to many of these Peñas but I have certainly read and heard good things about many of them. The Peru Guide has some descriptions and more detailed info about some of the Peñas.

So last Saturday I had the house to my self, what with my father in Chicago for the International Plastics Convention. Everything was going great, I was just relaxing in the living room when I get a call from my girlfriend to go to a friend's (Carlos) birthday party. Since nothing else was going on I decided to get off my lazy @$$ and go enjoy the evening.

The birthday bash was planned to take place in a Peña (Peña, a grass-roots community meeting place where popular folklore - usually Nueva Cancion - and other artistic expressions accompanied by food and drink are showcased) called Del Carajo! in Barranco, near Chorrillos where I live. Having never been to a peña before I was quite excited, I had heard and seen so much about them and was really looking forward to it.

After getting lost driving through side streets and dark alleyways that could make the hairs on the back of anyone's neck stand up, I arrive at the peña. It was located in a very narrow and poorly lit street. The sidewalk was full of people from all walks of life and social classes waiting in a large line. Since no one that I knew had arrived yet I was forced to wait in line. Finally my girlfriend (Zdenka) arrives just as the line begins to move. The fee for entrance is S./20 (soles) per person before 11pm and S./3o after. As we approach entrance we are greeted by two huge bamboo doors that open to revel a large tropical interior filled with rows of tables, two seperate bars, a fairly moderate (at first sight) dance floor, and a large stage. We are seated at our reserved table and soon after the birthday boy and all his friends arrive. Beers are purchased and then consumed as the band sets up the sound equipment. 30 minutes later (Midnight) the house is packed with no empty table in sight, then our attention is commanded by the sounds of Criollo music.

The host, an older woman welcomes the patrons and introduces the band and establishment. Then we are treated to a presentation of the Afro-Peruvian dance, after all that's what a peña is all about. It is truly amazing to watch them dance and move their bodies in ways that most people wish that alcohol could do for them. After the performance we were encouraged to get out on the dance floor as the band played a medley of latin, cumbia, salsa, and criollo music. I can't begin to tell you how great it is to dance to your favorite songs with that live band sound. The only real downside was the dance floor, it got so packed that at times you were stepping on toes and heals left and right, back and forth.