Mistura

We were lucky enough to have our COS conference overlap with the Mistura food festival in Lima.  Mistura is a world-reknowned gathering of all the best Peruvian food from the jungle, mountains, and coast.  The diversity of Peruvian environments and cultures creates some kick-ass food.  I know I complain about what I eat with my host family, but this wasn’t the cuisine of poor people at the upper altitudes of possible human existence.  This was the best each region had to offer. 

Our strategy was to go as a team so we could split up the cost and taste as many things as possible.  I even planned my outfit for the occasion and it was one of the few times in Peru I’ve worn a dress.  Looking chic was a bonus, the main utility was to avoid any pants restrictions on belly expansion.  We all spent a bunch of money and ended up with healthy food babies.  I’m normally exasperated by people taking pictures of food they ate and putting it on the internet, but I’m going to do it anyway today.  I think this is a legit uploading of food pictures situation. 

We started in the chocolate tent, which was obviously my favorite and merited another visit on the way out.  Peru has wonderful local chocolate.  Some of it organic, some basic, some very fancy.  The vendors were liberal with their samples and made me wish I had brought a fake moustache so I could immediately revisit my favorites. 

Whatever this pudding thing was was the best thing I ate all day, despite what the lady standing behind my friends thinks.    

Fancy truffles.  They did not want to give me one of these for free. 

Chocolate sushi!

We then meandered over to the coffee tent, where we sampled the most expensive coffee in the world.  

Why the most expensive, you ask?  Well, my friend, there’s a premium because each bean is eaten and then pooped out by a coati before it’s roasted, which apparently does amazing things for the boquet.  I am not sophisticated enough to detect the subtle notes of giant rodent intestines. 

There was this lovely mural showing how awesome coffee is. 

We moved over to the quinoa tent where we tried a quinoa tamale, quinoa apple jam, and admired all the colors the grain comes in. 

There was a market where a lot of the produce was available to buy.  Tubers, my old friends, made an impressive showing.  

Not even the flower arrangements were left unpotatoed. 

Of course, there were more samples of honey, cheese, chorizo, hot sauce, and exotic liqueurs.  We mixed them all in our bellies with abandon. 

We just looked around the bread tent.  It was pretty, but you can't go filling up on it.

We stopped by the costal section for a really cheesy sandwich and some excellent anticuchos, or beef heart kebabs.  Here are the cooks doing their magic and my friend Joseph bravely double fisting. 

By then we needed some liquid, so thankfully there was a whole pisco section.  We shared pisco cocktails with lemongrass and passionfruit with mango.  They got us just tipsy enough to be able to eat more. 

We headed to the southern tent where we tried chupe de camarrones, which is a seafood soup from Arequipa, and queso helado, which is like cream cheese frosting ice cream with cinnamon on top.  Happy times. 

Folks in Arequipan dress making queso helado. 

Mmm, brains.

We meandered to the northern tent where we got cabrito con tamal verde (goat with a green tamale).  I’d never had goat before and was surprised how it fell off the bone.  There was also a delicious duck dish that I only got a scrap of. 

We waddled over to the jungle tent, and regretted saving it for last.  We split cecina con tacacho, which is a dish from the Amazonas department.  Cecina is like really awesome, smoky, thick bacon, and tacacho is mashed potatoes if you made it with plantains. 

We also tried paiche, a giant Amazon river fish with fresh mushrooms.  The last thing we had was a juane de pescado, which is mashed yucca around fish cooked in a banana leaf.  

After a brief swing through the market and chocolate tents to buy things to take home, we went to the hostel and succumbed to food comas. 

This culinary adventure was a testament to the power of friendship.  Alone, I never would’ve been able to try so many remarkable dishes; my belly and wallet just aren’t powerful enough.  But with friends, you can try a bite of everything at the food festival without dire digestive or economic consequences.  Hurrah for friendship!