Documentary on Peru’s culinary boom debuts in US
NEW YORK, June 14 — A film documenting the meteoric rise of Peru as the culinary capital of Latin America and a phenomenon in which more than 80,000 young people have enrolled in cooking school made its US debut at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Gaston Acurio, the Peruvian version of Jamie Oliver, has a restaurant empire that spans Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Spain and the US. — AFP picPerú Sabe, hosted by two titans of gastronomy today, Spanish chef Ferran Adrià and Gaston Acurio — the Peruvian version of Jamie Oliver — chronicles the food revolution sweeping the country in a wave of youthful optimism and cementing the country’s confidence and national identity.
“In Peru, cuisine is already an agent of social change,” Adrià says.
The documentary, shot during a gathering of top chefs from around the world at the Mistura Gastronomic Festival last autumn, features appearances by US chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill in New York, and Adrià’s star pupil and protégé René Redzepi of Noma in Copenhagen.
Peruvian cuisine was last year forecast by restaurant consultancy group Baum + Whiteman as one of the hot new food trends of 2012 for its rich culinary history and offerings including dishes such as ceviches and tiraditos, raw fish bathed in a spicy sauce influenced by the country’s Japanese immigrants.
Peruvian cuisine is described as a cross-pollination of Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Italian and Andean flavours.
Acurio, Peru’s most influential food ambassador who receives rock star reception wherever he goes, has a restaurant empire that spans Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Spain and the US.
His first New York outpost of La Mar Cebicheria Peruana opened to critical acclaim this year. — Relaxnews
