Part Five: Items 41-50 You Won't Find In Peru

Part Five: Items 41-50 You Won't Find In Peru

101 Food Items You Won't Find in the Wonderfully Biodiversified country of Peru
a country which, according to Gaston Acurio, "has everything." (See article at http://www.livinginperu.com/news/14734)

41. Le Puy Lentils

These are considered to be the best type of lentil in the world because of their unique taste. Although found all over Europe and North America, you will not find these gourmet lentils in Peru.

42. Indian Tea


You will not find strong Indian-type black teas (the kind that is preferred in the UK) in Peru. Moreover, most tea is still sold in tea bags here. You will have to settle for Chinese tea which can be found in Chinatown in Lima. I would not recommend drinking the liquid produced by tea bags sold at Peruvian grocery stores. Peruvian tea is very low quality. You can occasionally find Peruvian black loose tea which is cheap but tastes nothing like tea is supposed to. So unless you are intending to make a chai heavily fortified with spices I wouldn't recommend it. Make a trip to Chinatown and buy good quality Chinese tea. No wonder Peruvians always buy teabags with clove (!?!) and cinammon added. The clove masks the taste of the low quality tea. 

43. Fennel Seeds


Although the bulbs are sold nearly everywhere here (often under the Spanish name for dill mind you!) you won't find the seeds here.

44. Beluga Lentils


These are the tastiest lentil variety after Le Puy. They have a wonderful meaty and earthy flavor. Unfortunately they aren't available in Peru.

45. Poblano Peppers


These have to be the second best tasting chile pepper, after Anaheim chiles. Essential for authentic Mexican food. You will have a hard time finding these in Peru.

46. Chipolte


These have become enormously popular throughout the world recently but are still not available in Peru. There is no real substitute as they don't smoke any foods in Peru, not even their verion of Spanish Chorizo sausage. 

47. Fresh Bamboo Shoots


These are one of my favorites. Unfortunately they are not commercially available here in Peru. You will have to buy cans imported from Asia in Chinatown in central Lima. The taste is obviously not the taste, but beggars can't be choosers.

48. Piel de Sapo


In my opinion, the best tasting melon in the world. Sadly the only melon you can find in Peru is cantaloupe and watermelon. What a variety, don't you agree? Piel de Sapo is grown and sold across the border in Brazil, but apparently it is allowed in Peru.

49. Real Ice Cream


Believe it or not, Peruvian ice cream is made with vegetable oils. There is no cream in the ice cream, not even in the most expensive brands. Most varieties contain water, sugar, vegetable oil, non-fat milk powder, flavorings and colors. By the way there is very little variety when it comes to flavors. The most common flavors are lucuma, strawberry,vanilla and choclotate. No matter where you go you will always see those four flavors or some combination of them. If you want real ice cream (and/or different flavors) you will have to buy imported ice creams. Many flavors, which are common in other countries (such as cherry, raspberry, pistachio, banana, maple, butterscotch, green tea, coconut, rose, cardamom, cinnamon, real vanilla bean, etc.) are completely unknown here.

50. Aged Cheese


If you are used to the wonderful aged cheeses of Europe you will be very disapointed when you taste Peruvian cheeses. Peruvians seem to focus on making fresh soft cheeses. They do make imitations of the better known European cheeses but they don't have the same taste or texture as they use artificial processes to "chemically age" the product instead of doing it properly. I won't even bother listing the names of the cheeses you won't find in Peru as they are too many good ones and the list would be very long.

Watch for my next update which will include food items numbers 51 through 60 (out of 101) that are not available in Peru, the land which "has everything" according to Gaston Acurio.

Part Four: Items 31-40 You Won't Find In Peru

101 Food Items You Won't Find in the Wonderfully Biodiversified country of Peru
a country which, according to Gaston Acurio, "has everything." (See article at http://www.livinginperu.com/news/14734)

31. Basmati Rice

You haven't tasted rice until you have tasted Basmati. It is truly the most tastiest and most aromatic of rices. You can not find Basmati Rice is Peru which is ironic because Peruvians eat rice with everything and I mean everything! Peruvians will always eat mashed potatoes with rice. They will eat quinoa with rice. They will eat even eat split pea soup with rice! The only time they don't eat rice is when they eat pasta, although I have even heard of people eating rice with pasta down here, believe it or not. This makes it especially ironic that they don't have Basmati rice down here as it is universally praised as one of the best rices. Jasmine rice, which in my opinion is the second best type of rice, is likewise not obtainable in Peru. They don't know what they are missing down here.

32. Mace


This common spice is unobtainable in Peru. Even though the flavor is not the same, you will have to substitute nutmeg here in Peru.

33. Chartreuse


This tasty herbal liquor is not obtainable in Peru. There is really no substitute. Peruvian importers seem to be more interested in importing countless varieties of anise flavored liquors than in bringing in any of the great herbal liquors from Europe.

34. Candied Ginger


This tasty healthy treats are inexplicably unobtainable in Peru. You will have to make your own. As a matter of fact any kind of candied food is next to impossible to find in Peru. The only candied food available is candied sweet potato. You won't find candied lemon, orange, pineapple, cherries, papaya, etc. etc. which are commonly available elsewhere so you will have to make your own if you are thinking of making a fruit cake for Christmas.

35. Rhubarb


If you like rhubarb pie you are out of luck. Rhubarb is unknown in Peru.

36. White Onions


White onions have a great refreshing taste and in my opinion are the best tasting variety of onion. You will not find white onions in Peru. You will however see, however, common yellow onions being sold under the name cebolla blanca. I guess they are trying to be funny.

37. Coriander Seeds


These are inexplicably not available in Peru. Even though Peruvians eat coriander leaves (cilantro) with great relish and even use cilantro puree as a sauce or main flavoring in many of their dishes they do not use coriander seeds at all. These are an absolutely essential ingredient for many cuisines, especially Indian cuisine. No wonder authentic Indian cuisine is next to impossible to find in Peru.

38. Vanilla Beans


This one is truly hard to believe but real vanilla beans do not exist in Peru and no one apparently bothers to import them. Everyone here uses a cheap imitation vanilla essense filled with sugar, artificial coloring and artificial flavoring.

39. Rutabaga


Another one of my favorites which is unknown in Peru. Don't bother asking for it in Peru, they will try to sell you a radish.

40. Nectarines


Another one that is just plain unbelievable. If you try to explain what this is Peruvians will look thoroughly confused.

Watch for my next update which will include food items numbers 41 through 50 (out of 101) that are not available in Peru, the land which "has everything" according to Gaston Acurio.

Part Three: Items 21-30 You Won't Find In Peru

Part Three: Items 21-30 You Won't Find In Peru

101 Food Items You Won't Find in the Wonderfully Biodiversified country of Peru

21. Pine Nuts

No Pine Nuts in Peru means no authentic Pesto. Peruvians make a strange Pesto imitation sauce using spinach, milk and fresh soft cheese. 

22. Maple Syrup

Authentic Maple Syrup is not obtainable in Peru. You will have to eat your pancakes or waffles with fruit, jam or honey. You will also have to make your own pancakes or waffles as they are not sold here.

23. Tart Cherries

Fresh Tart or Sour Cherries are not available here. If you want to make cherry pie you are out of luck. Occasionally (around Christmas time) you will find imported cans of tart cherries at exhorbitant prices. Be prepared to pay about Twenty Euros for one home made cherry pie! 
 

Fresh Sweet Cherries are available only around Christmas time and are outrageously expensive but unsuitable for making pie and other deserts. Because of the high price of cherries, bakers will often make fake cherries out of gelatin and put them on their cakes to pretend they have real cherries!




24. Pearled Barley

Edible barley is not available in Peru. The only kind of Barley sold in Peru is inedible because of its tough husk and is used to make tea (not a typo). Pearled Barley, which is commonly used in soups and stews is not sold here. The only similiar product is wheat grains which have had their bran and germ removed and is, nutrionally speaking, as worthless as eating white bread (i.e. pure carbs with no protein or fiber left). You  have to wonder why they even bother selling it.

25. Pure Grape Juice


Grape Juice, and pure fruit juices in general, are not available in Peru. A number of juice drinks, loaded with sugar, water, colorants and flavorings are available, but are obviously not healthy by any stretch of the imagination.

26. Marzipan


You will not find real marzipan (made out of almonds) in Peru. You will have to make it yourself or buy a cheap imitation which is made out of cheap brazil nuts, which, according to wikipedia, are toxic and dangerous for your healthy.

27. Rose Water


Another unknown ingredient in Peru. It you ask for this in Peru they will actually try to sell you artificially made perfume. Needless to say, you don't want toxic chemicals in your Middle Eastern and Indian sweets and deserts.

Unfortunately in this case, you can't make your own, as the varieties of roses that are grown and available in Peru are odorless and tasteless.


28. Macadamia Nuts


These tasty nuts do not exist in Peru.

29. Horseradish


These are unavailable in Peru. You will have to settle for the imported and expensive imitation Wasabi powder sold in Peru which is made out of dried horseradish if you have a craving for this. 

30. Jicama


This very popular vegetable is also not sold in Peru. Although the texture of the native yacon is similiar the taste is completely different as yacon has a slightly floral taste. A better substitute is to use imported canned water chestnuts.

Watch for my next update which will include food items numbers 31 through 40 (out of 101) that are not available in Peru.

Part Two: Items 11-20 You Won't Find In Peru

Part Two: Items 11-20 You Won't Find In Peru

101 Food Items You Won't Find in the Wonderfully Biodiversified country of Peru

11. Bagels

No Bagels in Peru? Yes, unbelievable but true. There are no bagels available in Peru. The reason is that Peru imports only cheap white flour with little or not protein (wheat gluten) so making bagels is impossible and bagels require a high gluten flour.

12. Parsnips

This is one of my favorites. I used to love eating these with lentils or putting them in soups.Unfortunately they are not available in Peru, the land of biodiversity.

 I miss eating roasted parsnips during the winter.


13. Anaheim Chiles


This is my favortie chile pepper. It is widely used in Mexican and Mexican influenced cuisine. They are especially good when they are roasted. Although they could easily be grown in Peru, they aren't and are not available commercially. Peruvians are too obessesed with their yellow chili aji pepper, which apparently fell down from heaven, to try any other variety.

14. Poppy Seeds


If you like poppy seed breads/pastries or need them for an Indian curry you are out of luck. There are not obtainable in Peru. 

15. Cardamom


Hard to believe it, but this common spice is unobtainable in Peru. Peruvians, in spite of what they say, use a very small variety of spices (mostly cumin, oregano, garlic). Most spices and herbs commonly used elsewhere are virtually unknown here.

If you want to make tasty Middle Eastern or Indian dishes, or indulge in Middle Eastern style coffee or Indian Chai or even bake some Cardamom pastries or bread you will have to have someone send you some from outside of Peru.


16. Galangal


Another essential ingredient that is no where to be found in Peru. If you like South East Asian cuisine you are out of luck. Not even the dried version of Galangal is available in Peru. Your best bet is to bring some dried galangal or have someone mail you some.

17. Smoked Paprika


If you were thinking of making some Spanish dishes during your stay in Peru you may have to think again if you haven't brought Smoked Paprika with you. It is not available in Peru. Peruvian paprika is low quality and susceptible to mold.Your best bet is to buy regular paprika imported from Argentina or the USA. However they don't import any smoked paprika into Peru.

18. Saffron


Again this ingredient is unobtainable in Peru. Be aware that many stores sell safflower leaves labelled as saffron in Peru. Safflower has absolutely no taste. The only resemblance to saffron is the fact that it provides a yellow dye.

If you want to make authentic paella, or indulge yourself in Middle Eastern and Indian delicacies you will have to have someone mail you some saffron. 


19. Purple Sweet Potatoes


What fond memories I have of these luscious purple sweet potatoes. They were so sweet and delicious that they seemed more like a sinful desert than a healthy vegetable. Unfortunately these are not available in Peru. Only two mediocre varieties of sweet potatoes are available in Peru (no wonder they aren't very popular here). One is an orange variety which is often not very sweet (and often has strange black spots within) while another variety which has purple skin and white flesh with strange black spots is truly inedible with a strange medicinal taste and not sweet at all. 

20. Yogurt



Yogurt? Are you serious? How can a country not have yogurt? In Peru you will find watered down yogurt drinks but try asking for some plain solid yogurt you may need for your Middle Eastern or Indian curry, and you will get a blank stare, as if you were talking about something from outer space. Your best bet is to make some yourself as the runny yogurt they sell here is filled with sugar and artifical flavorings and colors, and it will ruin your dish.

Watch for my next update which will include food items numbers 21 through 30 (out of 101) that are not available in Peru.

Gastón Acurio proclaims Peru is country “with everything” Oh Really? :)

Recently, Gastón Acurio, the ambassador extraordinaire of Peruvian cuisine, proclaimed that Peru is country “with everything” when it comes to food. (See article at http://www.livinginperu.com/news/14734) This is of course a joke as Peru is notorious for having a very limited range and selection of food.

 Mister Gaston Acurio Himself while having an Orgasm Brought about by Thinking about Peruvian Food

 In the first few blog entries we will focus on what is NOT AVAILABLE in the glorious and wonderful country known as Peru. There are scores, if not hundreds, of food items commonly available in most countries around the world which you won't find in Peru. I will simply choose the first 101 that come to mind and present you with

101 Food Items You Won't Find in the Wonderfully Biodiversified country of Peru

Items 1-10

1. Lemons

Look at those beautiful mouth water lemons. You would think that lemons are a fruit that you could find the world over. They are available in Brazil, Argentine and even Chile. But NOT IN PERU. All you can find in Peru is a small bitter lime which they call "lemon" (limon) instead of using the proper Spanish word which is lima. Perphaps they want to deceive themselves into thinking they are eating real lemons. They all sell a strange variety of tasteless lime known as Limetta or Sweet Lime. Although they have yellow skin, they have virtually no taste.

You have to wonder why anyone in his right mind would bother cultivating and selling such a worthless fruit. But then if it doesn't make sense, then it must be Peruvian as anyone who lives here for any length of time will eventually come to realize. In most areas of the world, Citrus limetta trees are used only for ornamental purposes or for graft stock.

By the way, there is also no lemonade in Peru. What they sell as "limonada" is really bitter limeade.


2. Chestnuts
Sadly, there are no chestnuts in Peru. Look at these wonderful dried and roasted chestnuts:

That means you won't find candied chestnuts or chestnut spread or pastries/desserts either:

Truly sad most Peruvians will never be able to eat one of the most delicious nuts of the world. But don't worry as Peruvians have fooled themselves into thinking they are eating chestnuts by calling using the Spanish word for chestnut (Castanea) and using it for cheap tasteless (and, according to wikipedia, toxic) brazil nuts.

3. Turnips
Unbelievably, there are no turnips in Peru. Although the root and greens and commonly used around the world you won't find a trace of them in Peru.

The Peruvians have managed to lie to themselves once again however. They use the Spanish word for turnip, which is Nabo, and apply to to a daikon radish (Rabano in Spanish). It is as if the Peruvians were saying we know we don't have turnips but let's just call this other vegetable here a turnip so we don't have to feel left out when we hear the constant references to this strange vegetable in recipe books and on films and television so that we don't fell left out. It would be hilarious, if it wasn't so sad and pathetic.


4. Dates

Dates are one of the most popular dried fruits in the world. Even though you find them in other South American countries you will not find them in Peru.

Look at those delectable dates. I really miss them. I have to wait for the occasional package from back home in order to be able to enjoy them. Very rarely, someone will import a small number of dates into Peru and will sell them at exorbitant prices. My advice is to snatch them up as soon as possible because they won't last long. They always sell out quickly because they are so rare here. It is truly sad that most Peruvian will never know the pleasure of eating a delectable date.

5. Whole Wheat Flour

It is truly unbelievable that whole wheat flour would be unavailable in any country on the planet but in Peru it is next to impossible to purchase whole wheat flour. The onlykind of bread sold in Peru is white bread. The "imitation whole wheat" is ALWAYS made with white flour with some bran, wheat germ, fat and coloring added. There are no exceptions. I have looked at every brand and at numerous supermarkets, grocery stores and open air markets and no one has the real thing.

The problem is that Peru imports most of its wheat and it imports only white flour so that anyone who wants to eat healthy in Peru will just have to get rid of the bad habit of eating bread or pay exorbitant prices for little pieces of whole rye bread imported from Europe.


6. Honeydew Melon


It is pretty shocking that this commonplace melon is no where to be found in Peru.

You can only find cantaloupes and watermelon in Peru.

7. Kale


This very tasty vegetable is not found in Peru.

You will have to settle for plain old cabbage in Peru.


8. Hazlenuts


These are one of my favorite nuts. Even though hazlenuts arewidely available in Brazil and other South American countries you will not find them in Peru, the world center of food diversity.

If you want to taste hazlenuts in Peru you will have to buy imported chocolates which contain hazlenuts or imported hazlenut chocolate spread. If you don't like chocolate, you are out of luck.




9. Green Bell Peppers


You will only find red bell peppers in Peru.

Even though green peppers are just under ripe bell peppers they are never sold green.  At best you may find a red bell pepper that has a few patches of green still on it.
 


10. Green Tomatoes


Yes. Unbelievable but true. Only red tomatoes (two varieties) are sold in Peru. No matter where you go you will always see the same two varieties of red tomatoes. The most common is a tasteless Roma variety. Another variety is roundish like the common tomato of commerce and is more expensive, but worth the price, as the Roma elongated variety has no flavor.

Yum. Those green tomatoes look so good right now. Too bad that I won't be able to find them here in the unbelievably diverse selection available here in the glorious country of Peru that every one knows is brimming with biodiversity.


Watch for my next update which will include food items numbers 11 through 20 (out of 101) that are not available in Peru.