A Family Trip to Peru

[docsconz]

Here are some more produce and general market photos. There are a couple of items that I am unsure of and would appreciate input from anyone who can identify them.

These little vegetables are amongst those that I can't recall what they are even though I was told. The shape is quite funky and interesting. So far as I know I did not have the opportunity to try any of them.

I emailed my friend Maria, a Chinese-Peruvian chef, about these alien-looking vegetables, and today I received her reply:

"It's called caigua, a vegetable. The one in the photograph is a very young one. I'm familiar with the more matured form, which is about the size of a bell pepper. They are normally eaten stuffed with beef and bread, very tasty."

Doc, Maria told me she very much enjoyed your photos.

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Thank you so much for doing that! It clears up one of the mysteries of this thread. I'm glad she enjoyed them.

[handmc]

Doc, This was stunning. Do you have other trips on EG for us to drool over?

You children seem to have a broad palete. Is this true? How did you develop this in your children. After much effort my girls are becoming more daring, my oldest had chicken feet with me in Chinatown in philly and liked it.

It was a blast watching her try all sorts on new flavors.

Also, I am destined to spend some time in Queens. Any reccomendations? All price languages and flavors welcome.

PM if you wish.

warren

[docsconz]

Doc, This was stunning. Do you have other trips on EG for us to drool over?

You children seem to have a broad palete. Is this true? How did you develop this in your children. After much effort my girls are becoming more daring, my oldest had chicken feet with me in Chinatown in philly and liked it.

It was a blast watching her try all sorts on new flavors.

Also, I am destined to spend some time in Queens. Any reccomendations? All price languages and flavors welcome.

PM if you wish.

warren

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Sorry that it has taken me awhile to get back to you here. Thanks for your kind comments. Another travelogue of mine that you might enjoy was my trip to Mexico in 2006. I also have various reports to Italy, France, South Africa and especially Spain, though not in exactly the same format. If you look through those forums you can find my reports there.

Our children are pretty good eaters. That is true. Our eldest has a very broad palate and will try just about anything. Our middle son does pretty well, but tends to be a little phobic when it comes to vegetables. The youngest is a very good eater for his age. He often thinks that he won't like something, but he will almost always try it. The great thing is that he is not afraid to admit that he does in fact like it, even if he thought he wouldn't. We never coddled our children with food. While we never forced them to eat anything they didn't like, we wouldn't cook for them specifically. I also hate children's menus in restaurants. I think children's portions are great but the menus tend to appeal to the lowest common denominator and tell children that it is ok to have limited tastes. I try to avoid them if possible.

As for Queens, I don't have a lot of recent personal experience there, but two restaurants I can recommend include Sripraphai for some of the best Thai food in the US and jackson Diner for excellent Indian food.

[Fugu]

This brought back wonderful personal memories! Most of what you have posted are similar to what I've experienced on my trip to Peru in 2001.

Food wise, my month long trip felt like I was "slumming it". My girlfriend and I were frequently at Norkis and enjoyed the ala parilla items served with chimichuri. Street food like Anticuchos and tamales were excellent snacks. Chifa owned by my girl was nice. Restaurants in a town near Pisac, along the Urambamba river, serves truchas, freshly caught on the river.

I had cuy and rocotto relyenos under a tree that bears this fruit. That was a big surprise, I have never seen a large tree bearing spicy red bell peppers(rocotto). The trunk of the tree must have been around 8"? My girlfriend had a passion fruit vine at her house and she calls it "Maracuya."

A brief train stop, on the way to aguas caliente, allowed food vendors inside the train and I enjoyed the choclo with the salty queso fresco.

My girlfriends family took me to the Andean highlands on a 4x4 and was invited to one of those houses with the cuy running around. We were treated to a style of cooking called pachamanca. I was watching them dig a hole and put hot rocks in with lamb, cuy, corn and potatoes. My hosts also treated me to a lamb's head soup and fried dough called kachanga.

I never did make it to Lake Titicaca. I learned about this lake from watching Jacques Custeau. I am not sure but based on his show, at one point, all this lake had were frogs, no fish. The trout and kingfish are not indigenous species.

Thank you very much for posting this visually entertaining and engrossing tour of Peru.

edited for mistakes. Sleepy!

Edited July 27, 2007 by Fugu (log)

[laurenkusa]

I am about to go to Peru for three weeks to Lima, Cusco, and Maachu Pichu.

Can anyone recommend restaurant in addiotion to the ones covered by Docsconz for these three areas?

I ordered Eat Smart in Peru from Amazon, but it may not arrive before I leave

Thanks,

Lauren

Edited September 22, 2007 by laurenkusa (log)