Well, two days into the Peru trip and I haven’t seen a single site recommended by a guide book. But boy have I had some yummy food!

Today my work colleagues brought me to Punta Sal, a “cevicheria” with five locations in Lima. My coworkers explained to me that ceviche is typically something that Peruvians would enjoy for lunch on a hot, sunny day because it’s so light and refreshing. Despite the weather being overcast and a bit cold, they knew my time in Lima was limited and insisted we go for a ceviche lunch so they could introduce me to multiple Peruvian dishes. We ordered from bottled water and diet Inca Kola, and my host took charge of selecting dishes for us to share from a very extensive menu.

He mentioned that it’s very typical for Peruvians to share dishes at a restaurant — ordering several for a few people. He wanted to ensure that I was comfortable with that since in other cultures (he had a visitor from Turkey last week,) the sharing of food would be a bit strange.

As you probably know, ceviche is a south american dish of marinated raw fish. In the U.S. we see it as an appetizer, and I had experienced it in small portions, garnished with herbs and the fish pieces would be tiny. But at Punta Sal, the fish in the ceviche was a good mouthful — probably 1 inch pieces — and very tender. The raw fish was ‘cooked’ by the acid of the lemons (or limes?), served with onions and corn. The corn pieces are very large compared to the corn niblets we have in the U.S. Not as sweet…the taste resembled an edamame a bit. You’ll also see some very tender, delicious sweet potato chunks on the plate which is designed to cut the heat of the acid.

Second dish was tiradito – a cold, sashimi style fish served three ways: ‘cooked’ with lemon, in a yellow chili sauce, and a red chili sauce. I’ve read a lot this week about Peru having a strong Japanese and Chinese influence, and that was very evident in the food today. The three fishes in sauce are separated by rows of the local corn and sweet potatoes in the center.

The third dish was causa – another cold dish that showcases the Peruvian’s love of potatoes and avocados. Cold, mashed yellow potato is layered with a tuna salad, avocado, garnished with a spicy cheese sauce, olives and a hard boiled egg.

The final dish was lomo saltado – a hot dish with strips of meat, stir fried onions, peppers and tomatoes, served with white rice and a french fries. The meat was definitely marinated in soy sauce, and was very tender, reminding me of a Chinese food dish we’d find in the States.

So in one meal, I experienced (and enjoyed) many dishes recommended in my Peruvian guide book. Yes, there’s a few more on the list that I’d like to try; I still have three more days in Peru. But if I don’t have an opportunity to see San Francisco or the local cathedral, that is OK. At least I got a solid introduction to Peruvian cuisine from some very friendly locals. I couldn’t ask for anything more.