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<\/a>\nCase in point, quite literally, is this Caja China (Chinese Box) from La Caja China de Juan Talledo representing Lima, anticipating its payload.<\/p>\n
The 2019 SUMAQ Peruvian Food Festival was held on August 24th and 25th.<\/em> There\u2019s a lot to report about the magnificent SUMAQ Peruvian Food Festival held annually in Garden City, Long Island. Read on…. Continue reading <\/a>
\nPork in the roasting box…<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n…and pork on the plate.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nIn addition to their Chancho a la Caja China, they offered one other specialty: Chancho al Palo, pork that\u2019s grilled in a contrivance that rotates to keep the pig crispy and moist…<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n…90\u00b0 rotation…<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n…and completing the 180\u00b0 spin. Sort of like a propeller on an antique airplane. Or not.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nPicarones, presented by numerous vendors. Peru\u2019s answer to the doughnut, only better because the dominant ingredients are sweet potato and squash, deep fried and drizzled with chancaca (dark brown sugar or molasses) syrup or honey, and always prodded and retrieved with a long wooden stick.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nAmong the offerings from La Matarina Restaurante Tur\u00edstico was fried cuy; their rendition of spicy stewed cuy was also available. Cuy is guinea pig. Yes, guinea pig, and it\u2019s tasty. The flavor depends on which piece you\u2019re eating, just like the flavor of chicken depends upon whether it\u2019s dark meat or white meat or wing meat. And no, cuy does not taste like chicken. (These days, even chicken doesn\u2019t taste like chicken, but that\u2019s another story.)<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nFried cuy plated with quinoa risotto. Do try to keep an open mind about cuy; don\u2019t think of it as a pet. If you\u2019re a carnivore, then you accept that some animals are food and some are pets but where that line is drawn can be fungible. Personally, like so many people from Peru, Ecuador, and Columbia, I don\u2019t see cuy as a pet any more than a farmer sees their chickens as pets. On the other hand, Mary had a little lamb.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nCeviche! (To take your mind off the cuy.) From El Gol Marino.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nAnticuchos. I\u2019ve sung the praises of these skewers of tender, marinated beef heart on these digital pages before. The name has its roots in Quechua, the indigenous language of the Peruvian Andes: \u201canti\u201d refers to the Eastern region of the Andes, \u201ckuchu\u201d means cut.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nDon\u2019t be faint of heart \ud83d\ude44 about trying this: it\u2019s just another cut of beef, and a particularly delicious one at that. If you like grilled meat, even if you\u2019re not a fan of organ meats, these will win you over. Peruvian street food at its finest.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nRocoto relleno con pastel de papa from El Preg\u00f3n. Cheesy stuffed rocoto pepper with a cheesy potato on the side. \u00a1Delicioso!<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nKankachos Tinajani (kankacho means \u201croasted\u201d in Quechua) featured their special Cordero al Horno, roast lamb seasoned with panca pepper, garlic, cumin, allspice, and dark beer served with potatoes for ballast. I can still taste it!
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\nThis was my maiden voyage to SUMAQ and I recommend it highly; go with a group \u2013 the more people, the more you can try. Mark your calendars now for next year\u2019s event and I will too. Hope to see you there!<\/p>\n
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