2023-07-02 05:10:00
Virgilio Hernández, the best chef in the world according to The World’s 50 Best. Photo: EFE
Around the 80s of the last century, the great Mexican poet Octavio Paz He said that there are three essential kitchens in the world: Chinese, French and Mexican. He was not wrong. No one at that time could envision that, in a few years and with the turn of the century, Peru would become a “must be” for those who like good gastronomy.
It is not news that Peru, especially Lima, has become one of the gastronomic destinations most important for those with a refined palate. And the not so refined ones, too. It’s not just the kitchen gourmet. Peruvian cuisine is fundamentally popular.
In the world of standings, two weeks ago Peru achieved the consecration of its gastronomy. The restaurant Centralof the chef Virgil Martinezwas established as the best restaurant in The World’s 50 Best.
He is not the only Peruvian on this list, one of the most important in the world. In sixth place is Restoration. And a Mexican follows him: Quintonilin ninth place.
Among the top 10 of ranking latinoamericano of The World’s 50 Best, four are Peruvian. The remaining six are divided between Argentina, Brazil, Panama, Mexico, Colombia and Chile.
But they are not the only awards that Peruvian gastronomy has had. For example, another specialized list building site, Taste Atlas, places Peruvian cuisine as the tenth best in the world. In the first three places are, in their order, Italy, Greece and Spain. Mexico ranks sixth.
With a score of 4.51, it is the same as the United States and France. Also, Peru surpasses chinawhich achieved 4.49.
It seems that Paz’s theory is falling little by little. The kitchens of China and France continue -and will continue- to be among the most influential in the world. However, Peru has had sustained work from its cooks (they don’t use the term chef so much) that places it in the number one gastronomic destination in the world, according to the World Travel Award.
Nothing is a casuality
Several elements work in Peruvian cuisine, but in summary it is the of mixed race. First, the ancestral or original, which was mixed with the Spanish elements and the arrival of blackness. Then, Peru was a host country for various migrations, especially the asian.
The cooks became aware of this Chinese and Japanese presence. And although it can be called fusion cuisine, they found their own term: cocina nikkei: the use of Japanese elements with Peruvians. The ability to name things undoubtedly gives it a greater dimension.
Something important is also the biodiversity from the country. There are more than 1,000 varieties of potatoes, for example. The marine resource is fundamental: approximately 100 fish of a much greater variety are used.
In addition, they have their regions: their gastronomy is fed by the Coast, the Sierra and the Amazon.
But there is an important element to take into account. Peruvian cuisine grew a lot, it was able to recognize itself in that diversity and find its identity thanks to the end of the violence that hit the country with the left of Sendero Luminoso.
It’s not just diversity
If this diversity was essential for the development of Peruvian cuisine, so were the cooks. They understood that for a national concept, there has to be a unit in the midst of that diversity.
In a chat with THE COMMERCE, Pía León, Virgilio’s wife and who has her own restaurant (Kjolle, ranked 28th in the world), stated that the least thing was selfishness on the part of the cooks.
A fundamental figure for this process is Gaston Acurio, who was, by the way, one of the teachers (at least chief) of Virgilio Martínez. He brought Peruvian gastronomy to a global level. The ceviche was a bigger deal, as was the guinea pig.
In 2008, the Peruvian Society of Gastronomycalled clings. This was in charge of organizing Mixturethe national gastronomic fair, which is, at the same time, the most important in Latin America.
Throughout this process, farmers, ranchers, fishermen, agribusiness, local markets and supermarkets, transporters, restaurants and gastronomic schools, street stalls, and the participation of some ministries, such as agriculture, tourism, health, inclusion, are involved.
The recent documentary Netflix about Virgilio Martínez, the chef at Central, begins with one word: Peru. is the Peru brandwhich has been so successful. And perhaps this is one of the many explanations why Peruvian gastronomy is one of the best in the world.
Central, the best of all
The experience in the Central restaurant, in Lima, can take between three or four hours. Photo: EFE
At the beginning of the episode of the series The chef’s Table dedicated to Virgilio Hernández, Gastón Acurio tells that he took a friend to eat at Central. He was a traditionalist and he would see how the dishes were passed around and he would say that this is not Peruvian food.
Gastón did not tell him that he was not going to eat traditional Peruvian food, but to live an experience where there is all of Peru. Central is much more than a restaurant: it is a research laboratory. actually has Mater Initiativethe research and development arm of the restaurant.
The time that a diner can spend there between three and four hours. It is a journey through ecosystems or by heights of the country, ranging from the depths of the sea to 4,200 meters above sea level. It is Peru in its Amazon, in the Andean and coastal areas. And the presentation is exquisite.
You can have the Uneven Territory Experience, the Creativity of the day: 12 plates each. Another option is the Mundo Mater or Creatividad Mundo Experience, from 14 plates.
Here comes the hard part. The first two dishes are worth approximately $288; the other two, $344. Reservations are taken until September and the new list will open in August. The average daily diners is 82.
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