A TRUE TASTE OF THE AMERICAS

The Peruvian capital, Lima, now registers as one of the most exciting, trend-setting places to eat on the planet. Food writer Neil Davey heads south with restaurateur and native Limeño Martin Morales, to give his palate a workout and discover what all the fuss is about

When Martin Morales invites you to eat your way around Lima, you don’t say no. Born in Peru, he lives in the UK and is the founder of Ceviche, a group of acclaimed London restaurants named after the classic Peruvian dish of (usually) fish ‘cooked’ in citrus juices. He’s also the author of a bestselling cookery book, and possibly the world’s top ambassador for Peruvian art and music.

As for Lima, the Peruvian capital is the heart of a country that genuinely loves to eat. “We have 492 officially recognised national dishes,” enthuses Martin. It’s also a country whose place on the culinary map dates back centuries, since European sailors started moving Central and South American produce around the globe. Try to imagine Italian food without tomatoes, or our own British dinner plates without the potato, both of which originated in these parts. Precisely. It’s still happening today, of course, from Amazonian ‘superfruit’ acai, to seed of the moment quinoa.

That’s not to say Lima’s cuisine is stuck in the 16th century. This is a city that’s big on tradition but open to new ideas; where traditional ingredients, regional dishes and more modern flourishes happily rub shoulders. “You can eat food from all over Peru in Lima,” says Martin.

We prove the point immediately, heading straight from the airport to Isolina Taberna Peruana (facebook.com/isolinaperu), a new but old-school restaurant. Gathering the sort of courage you only get from a very strong version of Peru’s famed pisco sour cocktail, I leave the ordering to Martin and find myself faced with dishes such as guiso de mollejas (gizzard stew) and patitas de cerdo en fiambre (pickled pig’s trotter). It is, thankfully, plate-lickingly good. “This is old-school Peru,” he explains, the sort of food my aunts cooked, which was the original inspiration for my restaurant Ceviche.”