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Celebrating Peru’s cuisine, thousands attend Mistura food fest in Lima

By Isabel Guerra - www.Livinginperu.com

(09/09/2010)President Alan Garcia and internationally known Chef Gaston Acurio were both present for the opening day of this year’s Mistura 2010. Held at Parque de la Exposicion, the layout of the show and the number of vendors is better and bigger than ever.

As you walk into the main exhibition hall, the entrance is lined with 450 different varieties of native potatoes. Inside the hall vendors are selling food products from every corner of Peru. This is a rare opportunity to sample and purchase exotic foods, some of which are not found anywhere else in the world. A definite stand-out was the dish from Trujillo of stewed vegetables topped with a whole cooked lizard.

There is a large bakery area where cooking school students prepare breads from different regions of the country. Cloth bags of assorted freshly baked breads are on sale at this location.

Mistura features several different eating areas. One of these areas presents 30 top restaurants, offering criollo, Novo Andino, Nikkei (Peru’s Japanese fusion), chifa (Peru’s Chinese food), regional cuisine from Arequipa, and international dishes.

Other areas included such local favorites as pollo a la brasa, a grill area with whole sides of meat and racks of ribs barbequing, and ceviche. A new addition this year is the Rincon del Chocolate, highlighting many of the best chocolate candy makers in the nation. Also on display are a number of Peru’s excellent piscos and several brands of Peruvian wines.

For those thinking they may want to start doing some serious cooking themselves, information on cooking schools and vendors offering the latest in kitchen equipment are also available. Cooking demonstrations are happening throughout the day.

For locals and visitors alike this show is not to be missed. This is a very exciting time to be living in Peru. With so many people are working hard to bring the diverse and delicious cuisine of Peru to the world, Lima is a great place to be a foodie!

Online tickets for Mistura on Friday through Sunday are now sold out, but tickets can still be purchased at the gate.