Mistura

Limeños will shake their head at Lima's many problems, but they are extremely proud of their food. This is in large part justified, as Peru has a wealth of delicious traditional food for which Peruvian cuisine has garnered international attention in the past five to ten years. However, this pride can be somewhat extreme at times. If you mention a bad dish you had at a restaurant or point out the fact that fried pork and french fries are a tad unhealthy, most Limeños will rush to defend their country's cuisine. When Morrisey canceled his tour because he got very ill from eating at a restaurant in Lima, everybody was up in arms despite the fact that he never said a single word against the food. 

 Alongside food, there were also parades and dancing from the various regions of Peru

Nonetheless, the best Lima has to offer is most certainly its food, and for the past three years Lima has held a week-long festival called Mistura in celebration of Peruvian cuisine. Well-known restaurants from various regions of Peru as well as from Lima are invited. This year, the festival was divided into twelve different “worlds,” such as The North Coast, Seafood, Jungle, and of course, La Taberna (drinks). 

The people came in droves, although that might have been because we went on the last day. The line to get in was enormous, and it took us an hour and a half just to reach the entrance. Once in, there were people everywhere, and finding a table was difficult. Many families camped out at the tables, hoarding chairs and guarding spaces while the other members got in line for food. Some people were reminiscent of dogs guarding their territory: you could almost hear the growls if you eyed their tables.

The line for the entrance 

Since there is an entrance fee of $10, the point is to get there early and spend all day walking around and eating as much as possible. Each dish cost either $3 or $5 depending on the size of the portion, and all of them were delicious. The highlights were a peanut soup from Amaz (Amazonian cuisine) and two traditional Lima dishes, seco de res from Kamcha and ají de gallina from El Rincón Que No Conoces. The first is beef slowly stewed in herbs until tender, and the other is a creamy sauce with shredded chicken. We also had fusion sushi rolls, steamed fish with coconut rice, and clams in tangy lime sauce. Of course, I also really enjoyed the pisco sours. Jorge and I had two each and our friends had three each. 

 Mango passionfruit pisco sours

Aside from the restaurant stands, there was also a large farmer’s market and a chocolate and coffee expo. The market had traditional and natural foods from all the regions of Peru, ranging from the expected offerings to items like coca liquor, dried goldenberries, and passionfruit jam. The chocolate expo was smaller but full of temptations. I somehow managed to fit in two chocolate macaroons on top of all the food I'd already eaten. 

 Clams from the Ceviche world

Overall, the festival was very enjoyable, but it did have some drawbacks. The hoarding and general lack of tables led to a long and tiring day of walking around, and the dishes were a bit expensive considering the portion sizes. In total, Jorge and I each ended up spending around 100 soles, or $40. In terms of local spending power, that’s a sizable chunk of money, and I thought the entrance fee of 25 soles was excessive. The amount of people led to long lines for just about everything, and the line to get in could have been avoided with better organization and more points of entry. However, we went home stuffed to the gills and very satisfied, and I would definitely go back. Next time though, I'll get a table early!