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.