When it comes to great food from the Americas no other country has yet to rival that of Peru's.  It is no surprise why Peruvian food is so widely recognized and praised among the gastronomic community, and one bite is all it will take to turn any skeptic into a believer.  About a decade and a half ago Peruvian food was a highly underrated cuisine in the food scene, however thanks to the food movement (NovoAndino = New Andean Cusine) that occurred in the mid and late 90's by Peru's most aspiring and talented chefs, Peruvian food has managed to rise to the forefront of international cuisine.

One example of Peru's culinary success is owed in part to the famous Chef Gastón Acurio, a chef who has managed to take Peruvian cuisine to an international level, with several restaurants in countries like: Mexico, Colombia, Spain, USA, Panama, Chile, Ecuador, and Venezuela.  Aside from his several restaurants Chef Acurio also hosts a popular food show on Peruvian TV which airs weekly and runs his very own culinary institute.

Saveur, a popular food and wine website and magazine has recently written an article that dissects the urban food cart vendor's of Lima and highlights one of Lima's most famous anticuchera's Grimanesa Vargas Araujo, more famously recognized as La Tia Grima.  La Tia Grima's highly demanded anticuchos or marinated beef hearts have won over the stomachs of many Limeños from all walks of life all of whom are content at waiting more than an hour to receive their order.

Below is a video review of Peruvian Chef Gastón Acurio's restaurant "La Mar", located in San Francisco.  This video is in Spanish but it has English subtitles.  The second video is of Chef Acurio preparing the popular Peruvian dish Cebiche.

Ají Limo is a Peruvian chili that is vibrant in color and varies from yellow, green, red, or purple.  The chili packs quite a punch and can be quite hot, in fact it registers in on the Scoville scale as 5,000 to 30,000 Scoville units or just plain HOT!  The chili itself is a unique species of the chili pepper, known scientifically as Capsicum baccatum of which other popularly known Peruvian ajís belong to. 

Ají limo is the fruit that grows on the South American plant called Capsicum Baccatum var. Pendulum (which belongs to the family of Magnoliopsida: Asteridae: Solanales: Solanaceae), a plant identifiable by it's cream coloured floweres w/ green/gold corolla markings on them.  The ají limo is typically elongated but also can be found in it's short and stubby size as well.  Common to the Andes region the ají limo grows at mid-elevation altitudes, but is also grown along the coast and in the northern Amazonían jungles of Peru.  Ají limo along with all other baccatums are credited for their great resistance to cold temperatures and weather, making them great candidates for cultivation in the many parts of the US.   

The Ají was discovered by archeologists and historians to have been a principle food ingredient of many Peruvian indiginous groups, with several ceramics created in the spicy fruit's honor.  In Perú, the ají limo is a staple ingredient along with all its other varieties among the people of the Sierra (highlands/andes region) and Costa (coast).  In Quechua, the word for ají is "Uchu".  Ají limo is most commonly used in fresh form but can also be found dehydrated, dried, diced, frozen, canned, jarred, in many markets in Perú.  Eat in a cebicheria in Lima and you will soon find that ají limo is used with great frequency in many seafood dishes like choritos a la chalaca, sudado, tiraditos, just to name a few.     

Today like with other ají's, the ají limo is exported to markets, restaurants, and homes all over the world as the spicy chili continues to gain popularity and awareness.  In the US ají limo can be purchased in many markets for those looking to purchase the chili in whole form.  Those interested in growing ají limo can purchase it through several seed companies who market it under the following names: ‘Aji Limón,’ ‘Lemon Drop’ and ‘Peru Yellow.’ 

For those interested in purchasing ají seeds here is a link to an author who provides a few reliable sources as well as planting tips/advice for growing the chili. 

So last week after walking from the Paraguayan consulate in Miraflores (next to the Marriott hotel) to Chorrillos I came across this restaurant. Comidas Criollas is located on Av. Huaylas in Chorrillos near the Municipalidad de Chorrillos (city hall). The restaurant is small and cozy looking with no front door makes it very inviting. The daily specials (menu) are posted at the entrance on a white board and consists of a starter dish, the main entree, and refresco (a drink made by boiling fruit or herbs in water and then adding suger, simple enough right). The entire menu costs you only S./5 (soles), roughly $1.50 and is more than enough to feed a burning hunger. At first sight it looks like any other neighborhood restaurant but where Comidas Criollas really shines is in the quality of their food.


photographed below is their starter dish, crema de rocoto. Usually the starter will consist of two options a salad dish or soup, just like in the States right. The two other dishes are as follows: fried chicken w/ russian salad and Carapulcra (dried potato stew w/chicken).


The fried chicken was well prepared, golden brown and crispy just the way I like it. The Russian salad consists of diced beet, green bean, potato, and green peas, topped with fresh homemade mayo.

The second dish, Carapulcra is a traditional dish of the Andes region made of rehydrated dried potatoes (papa seca), aji, peanuts, and rice. Carapulcra is a very hearty stew that is prepared in terracota pots to give it a rich and earthy flavor. In these winter days nothing is better than a nice warm plate of Carapulcra. I haven't eaten this dish much in my life but I was impressed with its preparation and flavor.

Overall I would definately recommend this restaurant if you ever find yourself in Chorrillos. The service is effecient and quick. The food is great and the price is inexpensive for the quality of food that is served. I will definately be eating there again soon. My only complaint about the place is that the menu is available in the later afternoon, so if you want to take advantage of it I would recommend eating their from noon til 2pm.