Epicurean Peru

Renowned for its eco-tourism and storied culture, the Land of the Inca has now emerged as a center of global gastrotourism, boasting indigenous-inspired menus, a stylish dining scene, and bustling Cuzco cocktail bars – not to mention an expanding array of chic places to stay. By Viia Beaumanis

30( "3 '!"5  (!45%8 6826!9 )!3 %) (05%0) 1'5%)# 1%$! ) (80)%) "%4$ 5 %(@4 !)53' 3!4563)5 100'4% ! 5 !'(0) %3"'03!4 3& %) %( )  35%$ "%%#%'%"!&!&'%  "%%#%'%"!&!&'% 0"'%( $"'!!%'! 7%5$ #004!!33%!4 "30( 680@4 64!0 !' %40)

 )%'(#&#'%) %1)%'(#&##! #'#%1"#)!%   AMAZON ADVENTURE “Look!” exclaims our guide, as a band of spider monkeys darts through the jungle canopy and, moments later, a flock of scarlet macaws soars overhead. Our skiff is gliding down a tributary of the Peruvian Amazon, bright-orange passion fruit flowers and tall sprays of lushly plumed grass ornamenting the dense rain forest that edges the river. Around a bend, a dozen pink dolphins surface and then disappear among lotus-like “river lettuce,” an edible green enjoyed by local manatees. Two hours later, we pull up alongside our Amazon lodging: the newly refurbished, 16-cabin  , designed by Peruvian architect Jordi Puig for Aqua Expeditions as one of the world’s most stylish adventure boats. Soon it’s lunchtime, and we settle into an upholstered banquette in a dining room wrapped in QHF SHI #HTGACGA panoramic windows. Waiters fill glasses HG SB9 QC5 F5XHG with crisp white wine as we tuck into '98QH $CAT9E avocado and hearts of palm salad, paiche )7BC5@@CGHbR RBQCFIR (a river fish baked in banana leaves), and VCSB BT5G75YG5 churos pishpirones (huge river snails). R5T79 AHCGA HTS HG 5 With menus conceived by  ECF6 5G8 R9SSCGA HTS      – one of the country’s CG SB9 RBCIbR RDC@@ most renowned chefs and a pioneer of Amazonian cuisine – innovative regional fare is a keynote on both the Aria and its sister craft, Aqua Amazon. Along with scouring rural Peru for novel ingredients and quizzing locals on their cooking techniques, Schiaffino has welcomed some illustrious peers on board, including the likes of Nobu Matsuhisa and Ferran Adrià, who on occasion have even surprised passengers as guest chefs. 1#"'  ' 27 '  )'$$ 6 " 2    2  8 '%  %# 382

(HEECGA HG SB9 QCU9Q 0 

 9 ' 57836375 9 #0#5p9' 578363!3 1 Advisor Tip

“Peru serves up some of the best ceviche you’ll ever have, and its endless bounty includes 4,000 varieties of potatoes alone. One of my favorite indigenous meals is causa, a layered potato dish with fish or chicken that typically includes avocados, olives, eggs, chilies, and key lime. Enjoy traditional Peruvian dishes with a pisco sour while dining in the shadow of an ancient pyramid at Huaca Pucllana [www. resthuacapucllana.com] in Lima’s historic Miraflores district.” a1)%0$ % '' 44% (CTTS@IR8'9W3IRE

“And you must go to  ,” he adds. “The sushi is amazing – the best in Lima.” It’s no small compliment in a country whose signature dish is ceviche and a recommendation that speaks to the rich multiculturalism that makes so distinctive. The country’s slave-trading Spanish conquerors brought Africans and Asians with them, and today’s chefs draw on centuries of their diverse culinary influence: African flavors and inventiveness coupled with the traditions of Chinese and Japanese cookery (known as chifa and Nikkei, respectively). Later, at the ritzy     , barmen shake Peru’s national drink, the pisco sour – a frothy EH7DVCR9 @QHF SHI 9EFHG8 $CQ5@EHQ9R '5QDbR blend of egg white, sugar, fresh lime juice, Q9CF5ACG98 9EH 5Q ICR7H I9Q@97SCHG 5G8 75UC5Q and pisco (local grape brandy) – the de R9QU98 5S )7BC5@@CGHbR $5E565Q facto star of the nationwide 5 to 7 PM happy hour. Relaunched this spring as part of the hotel’s extensive redesign, 1#"'  a cozy lobby bar opens onto a library ' 27 CAPITAL CUISINE ' lounge and, just beyond,   , a 5 ' Back in Lima – now widely regarded as the culinary capital of South America – a few days restaurant fronted by Augusto Baertl, a 9 !

later, I’m chatting with chef Schiaffino at  , his vaunted restaurant in the upscale jet-setting local who’s made a splash with B   San Isidro neighborhood. Dedicated to sustainability and indigenous communities, he’s his coastal hot spot (also named Tragaluz) pleased by both local foodies’ expanding palates and the fact that their interest in new a few hours from town. With an eye on " 01 ingredients supports farming cooperatives cropping up to harvest them. Having uncovered Lima’s increasingly buzzy food scene, 33 native delicacies such as paiche (the “king of Amazon fish” in his estimation), Schiaffino Miraflores Park is betting that Baertl’s '0"'$ incorporated it into his menus and is proud to now see it stocked in city markets. “Behind first city venue – and its Mediterranean- 36385

these ingredients is a big culture,” he stresses. “Native people with a lot of knowledge who Peruvian-Asian fusion cuisine – will add ! 6 ' really understand what nature gives them. fashionable fizz to its restyled property. 4

 9 ' 57836375 9 #0#5p9' 578363!3 1 MATSUEI ÁMAZ 0XFDUUHPHWG0HRBCQH "HGCRBCDaaReHGRW CENTRAL )WXfWIXaRWeHWcReHGRbQHbDWGdWdbdDU 0RVDIaXV7XThXfRcQQRbIaRHWG2XEd 2CQACECH $5QSYG9XtbHUHPDWcUhaHRWeHWcHG aHPRXWDURWPaHGRHWcb'98QH $CAT9E )7BC5@@CGHtb 1DcbdQRbDRWcQHbcXXYHW1DcbdHR 4HadeRDWFdRbRWHQDbVDGHcDEUHbDcQRb0RVD aHFHWcUhXYHWHGbHFXWGDGGaHbbbYHFRDURiHbRW cQHFDYRcDUtbXUGHbc(DYDWHbHbdbQREDa GRWRWPaXXVcQHFDYRcDUtbVXbcFXeHcHG cQHVDiXWRDWFdRbRWHQHtbUXeRWPUhYRXWHHaHG WWWG5TSU9CP9RU7IGP9 WWW79HTR5FR9ST5UR5HT97IGP9 WWW5G5`7IGP9 LIMA DINING &IR9TIPT56F9S

LA MAR MAIDO MARAS 7QH2dHeXWGHDWHVYRaHXI 5RS`G 0RVDWDcReHfQXQXWHGQRbbTRUUbRW3bDTDFQHI  7QHVHWdaDWPHbIaXVaDRWIXaHbcRWIUdHWFHG 7TQCH4HadtbXaRPRWDUbcDaFQHIWXfbYDWb $CSRTB5QT 0RTFTQ5QDbVDGHQRbVRWRVDURbcRF FdRbRWHcXVXGbYRWbXWcaDGRcRXWDUFXXTHah 1DGaRGcX1RDVR&RbbcaRGh%DbcqWRbD (DYDWHbH4HadeRDWIdbRXWaHbcDdaDWccQHFDYRcDUtb RWcQRbbfRbQGRWRWPaXXVXI FQHI (5@59E YHaHWWRDUbcDaRW0RVD0D1DaRbQRbVXaH FdaaHWc2RTTHRQXcbYXcWWWG5C8IP9 'CPT9Q5RfQXQXWHGQRbbTRUUbDccQH!XaGXW FDbdDUFHeRFQHFHWcHaHGHDcHah UHdRW0RVDDWG6YDRWtbIDVHGHU dUUR WWWF5G5R796C7B9RC57IG$FCG5 WWWG5R5SR9ST5UR5HT97IGP9  1#"'  8A ' #" 27 ' 5 6  5 1 " 0'$  8 " 2 '%  C 55 # 1 7 # u 0 54 1 275  !# 0  

 9 ' 57836375 9 #0#5p9' 578363!3 1 CULTURAL CUZCO An hour’s flight – but a world away – from the capital’s high-rise modernity, Cuzco’s Spanish colonial facades hide ancient Incan ramparts. Encapsulating the city’s architecture and atmosphere,     , a former sixteenth- century convent, launched two years ago asanOrient-Express property (the brand recast itself as Belmond this year) following a four-year restoration that unearthed myriad relics. The hotel is exquisitely run by Floris Boyen, who polished his skills overseeing the culinary program at Rio’s Copacabana Palace, and its dining room, , boasts a menu from one of Peru’s hottest chefs,   . Cuzco is home QHF SHI 9EFHG8 '5E57CH %5X5Q9G5R 8CGG9Q CR R9QU98 5S )9GXH 5G8 B5G8RHG to many excellent restaurants – Gastón 5S BH7H$TR9H Acurio’s   and Coque Ossio’s  among them – but Senzo’s Martínez is Advisor Tip the first, and only, Peruvian to earn a Michelin star (this year). Like Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, he’s fascinated by his country’s “In Cuzco, I would definitely undiscovered ingredients and forages the recommend dining at Cicciolina countryside for unusual edibles. Many of [www.cicciolinacuzco.com]. Home to them, say the leafy marsh samphire that a two-room tapas bar and a formal Martínez found amid the mangroves of restaurant, it’s located on the second San Pedro de Vice, appear in his dishes as floor of an old colonial house and he continuously pushes the frontiers of is just a short walk from Belmond Peruvian gastronomy. Palacio Nazarenas. Dishes feature The next day, I have a yen for something fresh vegetables and herbs from Peru’s sweet, so the hotel’s concierge directs me Sacred Valley, and everything I’ve to  , a café/shop/museum tasted there has been divine. It’s such off Cuzco’s main square that also offers a happening place – you’ll definitely chocolate-making workshops. Winner of feel like part of the local scene.” a 2013 International Cocoa Award from a ")% ' !)#%"#'01#%' ’ Salon du Chocolat, Peru’s emerging $IUSTIH19X5S chocolate industry is transforming rain- $'0# 5 forest communities that once processed # coca leaves for drug lords into producers 67 " 1 3B 00 2 '   85

Peak Experiences '!!&

2DVHGIXacQHIRabcIXaHRPWHacXbcdVEUHDFaXbb1DFQd4RFFQdcQH9EFHG8 CQ5F CGAB5FcaDRWRb 84 cQHVXbcHUHPDWcfDhcXVDTHcQHIXdaQXdaSXdaWHhIaXV!diFXcXcQHDWFRHWc'WFDW 1!& FRchBXdtUUIHHUURTHDFQDaDFcHaRWDWPDcQD!QaRbcRHWXeHUHWSXhRWPDIXdaFXdabHVHDU 

RWcQHfXXGYDWHUHGGRWRWPFDaDbcQHeRWcDPHcaDRWcadWGUHbDFaXbbcQHUdbQ6DFaHG 1#"'  '

9DUUHh82#6!3@XaUG&HaRcDPHbRcHDWGXWHXI cQH2Hf6HeHW@XWGHabXI cQH 27 ' @XaUG$57BT 'C77BT RbFHacDRWUhRVYaHbbReHHbYHFRDUUhPReHWRcbHUHeDcHGWGHDW 2C3 bHccRWPEdcYdaRbcbfRUUfDWccXDaaReHHDaUhIcHaYUDcXXWbXI cXdaRbcbDaaReH # 6

 9 ' 57836375 9 #0#5p9' 578363!3 1 Perfect Pairings 15ST9@UFTR5V9FSCH(9RU

#4 #% CQECG9RXYHaDcHbGDRUh8CQ97S @ECABSRcX0RVDIaXV1DWQDccDWDWG1RDVRfRcQ WdVHaXdbFXWWHFcRXWbcX!diFXDWG'`dRcXb cQHUDaPHbcFRchRW4HadtbaDRWIXaHbc

(1!) @RcQIXdaIReHDWGHRPQcGDh eXhDPHbGHYDacRWPhHDaaXdWGIaXV'`dRcXb DEXDaGcQHYDbbHWPHa RC5 G5`IHDWG YDbbHWPHa QU5 G5`IHPT5 WI98CSCHGR YaXeRGHbdWFXVVXWYUHDbdaHbaDWPRWP IaXVAHTQF9S EH75E 7TCRCG9cXeRbRcbcXcaREDU FXVVdWRcRHb"9P5RTUR9S&UFTCPF985T9STBRIUAB "979G69R0@RIG40

)04 3eHaUXXTRWPcQH4DFRIRF3FHDW RW0RVDtbYXbQHbcGRbcaRFccQHaXXV 9EFHG8 $CQ5@EHQ9R '5QDRbfRcQRW bcaXUURWPGRbcDWFHXI VDWhXI cQHFRchtb 69RS Q9RS5TQ5GSR7QDWTbcXDaHFHWc H7DS5CE 7TESTQ9 5S $TR9H 89E 'CR7H 5G8 aHIdaERbQVHWcPdHbcbFDWWXfEXXTbdRcHb QCABS 05F6H 89E !GD5bR 5V5 Q9RS5TQ5GS fRcQbYDEDcQaXXVbH`dRYYHGfRcQbDdWDb DWGYUdWPHYXXUbRiHEDcQb"IU6F9S@RIG 402CRTUISIAU9STS9HDIY6R95E@5ST85CFY5H8 of coveted cacao for the global 7IGPFCG9HT5RY0;GCHUT9G5SS5A9S chocolate trade. Though a bastion of history and 6YaHDGcQaXdPQXdcDVDiHXI FXdachDaGbDWG culture, Cuzco has acquired a modern PDaGHWbcQHbdRcHbXI !diFXtb 9EFHG8 reputation for lively nightlife, and after '5E57CH %5X5Q9G5RDaHIUdbQHGfRcQXghPHW sundown, I stumble across a different cXfDaGXII DUcRcdGHbRFTWHbbDWGXdcIRccHG sort of museum. At    , fRcQEdcUHabAQ5SCR FCGC65QRDWGXWaH`dHbc a stylish cocktail lounge stocked with R4DGbXaR4QXWHb"IU6F9S@RIG42CRTUISI 35 in-house pisco infusions, I find locals 9X7FUSCV9P9RESCH7FU896R95E@5ST85CFY5H85400 and foreigners sampling passion fruit-, SP57R98CT cranberry-, and rose-laced shots along with the establishment’s more unusual 6HcRWcQH6DFaHG9DUUHhDUXWPcQH8adEDVED concoctions: piquant wasabi and earthy 5ReHacQHaXXV05F6H 89E !GD5s4Hadtb chuchuhuasi, a blend steeped in a wood IRabcUdgdah89RSCG5SCHG RI5sXIIHabDeDbc much prized for its aphrodisiac qualities. fHUUWHbbFHWcHaPXdaVHcGRWRWPDWGbXVH Thanks to endless lashings of pisco, XI cQHFXdWcahtbVXbcbchURbQFXWcHVYXaDah I’m a tad worse for wear the following RWcHaRXab"IU6F9S@RIG42CRTUISIAU9STS morning and quite grateful when a sedan menu and quinoa facials at the spa – two days R979CV96R95E@5ST85CFY5H85400SP57R98CT

8 arrives to ferry me to  !, of diligence to work off the trip’s cocktails, 

 275

an hour’s drive from town. The extensive chocolate, and endless fine dining. #'

3'#&( @

(XdaWHhbXWcQH CQ5F CGAB5F 0 wellness program at this strikingly Until the last night. Then, sitting  designed countryside resort is enhanced fireside in "#, the hotel’s rather glam caDRWPdRGHGcXdabXI 1DFQd4RFFQdDUIaHbFX UdWFQHbRWcQH6DFaHG9DUUHhsET9 '5Q5EE9E "1 by a selection of health-conscious dishes, restaurant, I cave and order a rack of 3 ! 6 including gluten-free options (rare in alpaca and a nice rich red to go with EaRWPbhXdcQHEHbcXI 4HadGdaRWPDWHRPQcGDh ' 4 cDRUXaVDGHcXdacQDccaDeHUbaXdWGcaRYIaXV Peru). Here, between massages, nature it. Giving in to yet another epicurean "#0 3 hikes, river rafting, and yoga, I cycle pleasure seems, really, the only proper way 0RVD"9P5RTUR9S HY85YTBRIUAB"979G69R # 86

VT 0@RIG4000=CH7FU8CHA8IG9STC7@FCABTS> 1 through quinoa salads on the dining to conclude my tour of Peru. 

 9 ' 57836375 9 #0#5p9' 578363!3 1