Peruvian Cuisine Paperback – November 11, 2009

Peruvian food is delicious, plain and simple. The kind of food that realistically you could eat every day of the year for there are all types. From fowl, fish, pork, duck, etc., to vegetables, soups, desserts (and what desserts they make in Peru, to die for!) so I do appreciate the book in the sense that the author discovered the food and it became his favorite. I can relate to that. I bought the book because over the years I have always wanted to be able to make a proper and tasty ceviche. One that I could make from scratch and have nothing to envy the delicious ceviches I have tried in Lima, Peru. Sort of like learn how to fish so I did not have to buy elsewhere. Now ceviche, in this case, at first appears to be a very simple proposition but trust me when I say: it takes skills to fulfill this bill! From the right kind of seafood, to condiments and picking the right ingredients it is not at all an easy dish to make. I have tried it over the years to serious failings, have wasted countless hours and quality seafood on this endeavor. So I bought this particular book: Peruvian Cuisine, because it suggested that an american had made the dishes and with his help and his suggestion of the proper ingredients I would, for once and all, achieve that elusive goal. A delicious ceviche. I read the whole thing in one sitting but once or twice I realized that the whole picture was still unclear. What makes the ceviche is the freshness of the citrus juices (that will cook the fish) but there are many well kept secrets and particular condiments that are, should I say, vital?. This book is one good starting point and let it be said that I attempted one more ceviche following some of the guidelines (could not understand what one of the ingredients mentioned was or perhaps even two) but I did try it. Made a ceviche of Mahi Mahi, large shrimp and scallops. I included oranges for I knew from a wonderful cook from Peru (that made one of the finest ceviches I been graced to eat) that the sweetness of the orange blends beautifully with the limes, lemons, ginger, salt, pepper, aji (aji meaning a particular chili that grown in Peru and it is an intricate part of the making of ceviche). I did not have this ingredient so I was obligated to do the local ones: Jalapeno, Serranos, etc. Which in a way is already deviating from the true preparation. I went online and found this particular chili but at the time it was sold out. The ceviche came out good the first day and got better (much better) after sitting by itself in our refrigerator. So the book pushed me to try it again this time with very promising results. I think I am over that hurdle and I envision much better ceviches being created by me for a fraction of the price I would have to pay in Los Angeles in the wonderful "El Rocoto" in Cerritos. I give it a serious 3.5 Stars but since that is not possible I have to settle for 3 but not 4 for it lacks here and there the rights to make it an above average resource on Peruvian Cuisine.

Finally a book for those who want to cook authentic Peruvian cuisine, but can't find it written in English! I am a 1st generation American with Peruvian parents who had Niccoli cookbooks in Spanish. My Spanish isn't that great so I would look for Peruvian recipes in English. This book is easy to follow (got pictures!!), gave me great reviews with my American and Latino friends, and it won't break the bank!

Simple and easy to make traditional Peruvian recipesgood food with plenty of flavour. reminds me of my South American Holiday

Useless, unprofessional, and very disappointing. It doesn't discuss "Peruvian Cuisine" but is merely a batch of recipes the author has collected during his travels. Waste of money.

Do not waste your money on this BLACK & WHITE "cheap" paper magazine style "book"... You are better off pulling recipes from the internet and printing your self.

I am from Peru and these recipes are very authentic. The book made me feel right at home. The recipes are very easy to follow and the results were great. I can't wait to try more of the recipes. The ingredients are easy to find in grocery stores. I am planing on buying more copies to give as gifts.

was a gift.

I used to work in a peruvian restaurant and thought on giving this book a go. But the recipes are very basic and the presentation of the book is lousy. Not happy with this purchase.

Good book