. . . one of the most diverse cuisines in the world

Only in recent times has Peruvian cuisine started to be noticed abroad. Few outsiders had heard of such dishes as ceviche or carapulca, let alone tried them. Peruvian Cuisine is slowly but steadily conquering the palates of the most renowned chefs worldwide. So much so that a world gastronomy tour is now unthinkable without a stopover in South America's culinary capital Lima.

Peruvian cuisine benefits enormosuly from the country's great agricultural diversity which provides a wide choice of fresh ingredients. Potatoes and hot peppers from the Andes, fish and seafood from the Pacific Ocean, mangoes and limes from the coastal valleys, bananas and manioc from the Amazon jungle . . . a chef's only problem is abundance of choice. The cuisine has developed through the gentle influences from other cultures. Ever since the first blending between Inca and Spanish traditions, local cooks have been capable of incorporating the flavours and techniques of the many immigrants that disembarked in the country's ports, in particular African, Chinese, and Japanese.