Why Peruvian food is hot in Bangkok right now
Peruvian cuisine is one of the hottest food trends worldwide. Bangkok is catching up. Here’s what you need to know, and where to get it.
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7 years ago
We used to have only one traditional Peruvian restaurant, Familia Chicken & Grill, before it shut its doors about a year and a half ago. But not so long afterwards, news broke that the once French fine-dining stronghold on the roof of the Dusit Thani hotel, D’Sens, had been transformed into 22 Kitchen & Bar, a Pacific-coastal cuisine restaurant. The space joined chef Omar Frank Maruy’s Above Eleven as one of the few places in town specializing in Peruvian fusion cuisine. More recently, they were joined by BLU36 on Sukhumvit Soi 36, whose chef, Joel Neri, currently also runs a Peruvian pop-up at FoodLoft, Central Chidlom.
Peru, which sits on the Pacific coast of South America, is home to one of the most trending cuisines in the world. Even Ferran Adria of El Bulli, the Catalan restaurant that led the way for modernist, molecular cuisine throughout the 2000s, said that the future of gastronomy lies in Peru.
In fact, Peru is so biodiverse that the country yields more than 2,000 varieties of potato and more than 50 kinds of chili. The country also has different terrains, the ocean, the Andes and the Amazon. And location plays a big part in the diversity of food.
On top of that, the country’s cultural diversity has resulted in a cuisine that naturally draws from many different influences. “To know about the food, you need to know the history of Peru,” says Above Eleven’s Omar Frank Maruy, who originates from Lima, Peru.
“We were run by Incas before being conquered by the Spanish. When the Spanish came they influenced a lot of our culture—the language we now speak, the religion and the food. After the Spanish there were waves of migration from Italy, Africa, China and most recently Japan. That makes Peru a fusion country. We’re a little bit of everything.” Here are some of the most popular Peruvian dishes.
Ceviche
Ceviche basically means cooked by acid. The principles are simple: fresh fish, lime juice, onion and chili. It’s a dish from the coast. Chef Joel Neri of BLU36 also adds that it has to be red onion to make it right. The potent, milky marinade is known as leche de tigre— literally translated, tiger’s milk. Pour it into a glass for a fiery drink.
Eat this: Peruvian ceviche, sea bass, tiger’s milk and lemongrass marinated calamari (B540) at 22 Kitchen & Bar. Ceviche Above Eleven, which features seabass and prawns with deep-fried calamari, served with sweet potato (B470) at Above Eleven. Ceviche de pescado at BLU36’s FoodLoft pop-up, made using fresh red snapper (B320).
Causa
Potatoes supposedly originate from Peru, and this dish refers to the homey Peruvian staple of pressed mashed potato topped with any form of protein. The potato is mixed with chili paste and layered almost like a lasagna.
Eat this: Causa salmon (B230) at BLU36. Causa tuna tartare (B380) at Above Eleven.
Pollo a la Brasa
In Peru, this dish of whole-roasted chicken marinated with lots of cumin and garlic is cooked on a skewer over charcoal.
Eat this: The pollo a la brasa of Familia Chicken and Grill is still available at the same spot at new restaurant VOF (B650/whole chicken), served with salad and Peruvian rice or deep-fried yuca (cassava).
Anticuchos
This dish apparently originates from the beef entrails that the Spanish would feed to slaves. These skewers of cheap cuts of meat are still a popular street snack in Peru, featuring meat or offal (particularly beef heart) marinated with spices like chili, cumin and garlic and dipped in hot sauce.
Eat this: Chicken breast anticuchos (B190) at BLU36. Beef heart anticuchos (B250) at Above Eleven. Chicken thigh anticuchos (B160) and chick heart anticuchos (B120) at VOF. Anticuchos de lomo (beef, B350) at BLU36’s FoodLoft pop-up.
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FoodLoft presents authentic Peruvian food this May
Throughout this month, a sumptuous array of Peruvian dishes from BLU36 restaurant features in the Guest Gourmet Corner at 7/F, FoodLoft, Central Chidlom. You can expect all the classics like ceviche de pescado (with snapper), anticuchos de lomo (beef anticuchos) as well as signature dishes like aji de gallina (creamy chicken curry, made with chili peppers, onion, nuts and cheese).
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