Peruvian Chifa is very different from Chinese food

This year, Peru celebrates the 160° Anniversary of Chinese Immigration. It would be an insult if I do not write how much influence had this culture in our country. In statistical terms, it is believed so far that the number of their descendants is estimated in 200,000 and it may have even more. It also should be noticed that Chinese Immigration continues until these days. In terms of importance, we can be proud to have the largest overseas Chinese population in Latin America, a figure only surpassed by San Francisco in the United States.

Well, the first Chinese immigrants, who mostly came from the province of Guangdong, were admitted to Peru to work as slaves into the constructions of railways, the extraction of "guano" (excrement of birds used as fertilizer) and for domestic works. In this activity, Chinese became well known cookers and since then, Peruvian know the history.

Chifa Menu: everything with wonton soup or fried wonton

"Chifa" is the name under Peruvians call either Chinese restaurant or Chinese food. "Let's go to chifa" means "let's go to eat Chinese food". In advance, the word comes from the Chinese words "吃饭" (chi1 fan4) wich means litteraly "eat food".

According to Lima Chamber of Commerce, 8,000 chifas per year would open nationwide. Only in Lima, it must to concentrate approximately 3,000. Areas where you can find a lot of these places are: Canada Avenue, Urbanizacion Pro at Los Olivos where one of three business is a chifa. Without going so far, at the renewed Trujillo Street (El Rimac), along two blocks I have counted at least 6 of these establishments.

What is it the ingredients of this succes? Personally, I believe (besides roast chicken which I will write soon a post too) that chifa is a sign of democracy: it is available to all budgets and it is available to all kind of tastes. It is not need to spend a huge amount of money to enjoy chifa in Peru.

The Peruvian offer is beyond different from other Chinese food can be tasted in somewhere else. Its encounter with Peruvian traditions gives you that little touch of magic.

It also seems that the succes of Chinese restaurants in Peru lies into the ritual/preparation of the meals. It is very fast (one portion of chifa is stronger compares to one portion of "fast food" product and you must not forget that Peruvians love to eat well) and clients wants to watch how they cook their meals in front of them.

Personally, I cannot imagine my life without chifa. But it must be a Peruvian one because the others are bland and have a lack of taste. 

I am closing this post with the most representative dish of Peruvian-Chinese Gastronomy called "airport". Dear reader, you can see why it is called airport, the fried wonton appears like an airplane:

Bon appétit.

A purple passion and how Limeans are 'mazamorra' lovers

 

The first time I made mazamorra morada and arroz con leche in 2008.

Mazamorra morada is a well-known dessert in Peruvian gastronomy. I think personally, when a Peruvian lives abroad, he/her misses a lot its flavor for two reasons: i) There is no natural substitute for purple corn or ii) Chicha morada sachets, mazamorra sachets or vacuum packed purple corn might be expensive.

Following The Royal Spanish Academy - the institution responsible for regulating Spanish language - mazamorra is a very soft liquid mass done with maize and prepared according to the style of many countries from Latin Amercia. So, there is a wide range of mazamorras but in Lima, mazamorra morada is the most well-known and one of the most eaten desserts. 

Limeño/a mazamorrero/a is a colloquialism used since 19th century  which refers the love of Limeans (as myself) to eat a certain dessert. Which dessert would be it?. Dear reader, I let you think a moment...

Ricardo Palma, Peruvian author and librarian whose master piece is Tradiciones Peruanas, refers to this colloquialism in the short story El Rey del Monte (The King of the Hill). Another Peruvian author, Manuel Atanasio Fuentes, writes about the celebrity of mazamorra personified by Ña Aguedita:

The history of Lima will long preserve the memory of Ña Aguedita, whose cooling compounds and mazamorras gave her greater celebrity in Lima than the inventor of the electric telegraph enjoyed. Ña Aguedita sold refreshing beverages in the morning, and in the evening, she also offered her costumers mazamorra morada and champuz de agrio y leche (curds and milk acidulated with lemon)(...) 

Even, during Spanish Inquisition in Peru, mazamorra had such popularity that  was supossedly used for witchcraft acts, as Palma says in his book Anales de la Inquisición de Lima (Annals of the Inquisition in Lima).

Nowadays, everybody knows that there is no witchcraft in order to enchant. Purple corn, the main ingredient of this Limean dessert (as well as chicha morada, the refreshing beverage not the alcoholic one), has antioxidant strenghts, anti-inflammatory capabilities, targets cancer and also has anti-obesity potential.

As a good limeña mazamorrera, I will eat mazamorra.

Excuse me...