Global Chronicles

With taste, color and texture that can bait salmon lovers, Peruvian rainbow and brown trout are mainstay protein sources and significant economic staples here.

High quality, handmade chocolates abound at near-nothing expense. Many are bittersweet which is body and soul satisfying to me. But where to begin and what to look for consume me …

What a plethora of fruits and cheese awaited as I traveled from region to region throughout Peru! Not only were Peruvian fruits easy on the eye, but they were beyond delicious and oh so fragrant. That’s because they were snatched at their ripest and hustled to markets or restaurants. I could taste the mountain air and smell the ocean breeze with every bite.

I had no idea that a wealth of herbs lay south of the border! I knew all about cilantro, coriander, cumin, cloves, fennel and lemongrass, and even tried my hand with them now and then. But Cincho? Huacatay? Llanten? Maca? and Paico? Never! I was in herb heaven (or so I thought!). So I went to town and ate and drank everything that was green and in-between. Just look what happened …

Ceviche is considered an integral part of Peru's "national heritage". Peruvian Sea Bass Ceviche is simple in its execution--just fresh fish with freshly squeezed lime juice, onions, Peruvian aji amarillo (yellow chili pepper) and sometimes choclo, a type of Andean white corn.

Permit me to express how much I love potatoes and why I equally loved being in Peruvian potato heaven. I’ll start with this exceptionally attractive, extremely flavorful and extraordinarily satisfying Peruvian Layered Potato Casserole, aptly called Causa Rellena. Keep reading and you’ll understand why …