Peruvian food in Buenos Aires has been traditionally asociated to a cheap alternative, usually available in neighborhoods such as Abasto, where many peruvians live since the 90’s. To transform this peruvian food into an attractive option for the gourmet market is a complex task, one that implies separating from the “cheap food” imaginarium and fighting the racist prejudices against Peru which are easy to find in Buenos Aires.

In this sense, peruvian food -which, at least in Buenos Aires, consists basically of creole coast and andean dishes, but practically none of the forest region food- starts with a disadvantage facing other culinary traditions. And peruvian food is one of the most attractive and interesting foods of this area of the world, and quite a reason of pride for those who live in Peru.

And to insert itself in the gourmet tradition, peruvian food has to transform itself and adapt to the form plates are served in the haute cuisine tradition. On one side, it has to stop looking like “cheap, popular and aboundant food”; on the other side, adapt its preparation and presentation ways to a haute cuisine tradition.

Do you think this is not happening? In the last number of Luz magazine that comes with Perfil newspaper on sundays (july 3 issue), the peruvian chef Marco Espinoza, owner of Moche restaurant, said about he behavior of the first customers of his restaurant:

“When they realized we had peruvian food, some customers wanted to leave. We offered them not pay for anything if they didn’t like the food. Now, they’re our clients!”

Now, well, it’s important not to exaggerate with a certain purist defense that would say “peruvian food, when adapted to the gourmet market, loses its essence”. First, because the culinary tradition in this country is in fact a product of multiple hybrids with chinese, spanish and other places’ cuisines. So there’s no much place for purism. Second, because within Lima, and not only in Buenos Aires, “cocina novoandina” (nouvelle andean food), a marketing-derived name used to designate the gourmetization of traditional peruvian cuisine, has grown considerably. So, in the end, andean cuisine is separated from the imaginarium of “cheap, popular and aboundant food” and taken to the more expensive restaurants territory.

And here’s another important issue that we could take as a hypothesis: where do prejudices over a culinary tradition meet negative imaginaries on a particular social group? Many people from Lima have little positive preconceptions about everything from the highlands. To what instance does this “novoandina” representation is not trying to eliminate these negative imaginarium about the products that are historically related to the highlands?

I must remark this is just a hypothesis and part of a discussion proposal.

At least in Buenos Aires, the movement to trace a distinction between peruvian food of a more economic background, and a more expensive tradition, begins several years back. The fist step was made by places like Contigo Peru, but now it has more expensive exponents such as Moche (apparently, still doesn’t have its own website) and Cilantro. Note: we’re not talking about highly expensive restaurants on the base of prices, but we’re on a cost level quite above the average supply of peruvian restaurants in Buenos Aires in the 90’s.

I might have left out some restaurants, so you feel free to leave your contributions on the subject in the comments area to cover those historic holes I’ve left.

There are interesting references about the restaurants mentioned here at El Cuerpo de Cristo (spanish), an argentinean wiki about cuisine and culinary issues. Links, spanish only:

Contigo Peru
Cilantro
Moche. There’s also a note about this restaurant in La Nacion newspaper, although it’s pretty light.