During our recent journey to Peru, we took a welcomed break from huffing and puffing our way up and down the hills of Cusco to attend the Marcelo Batata cooking class. I was pretty excited about what would be in store for us due to its high rating on Trip Advisor and the fact that I had never taken a cooking class in another country. I am happy to report that this class delivered. It was an amazing experience that gave me a much greater appreciation for Peruvian culture and cuisine that I don’t think I could have gathered otherwise.
Meet the Chef
The class began at promptly at 2PM when we met our culinary expedition leader, Chef José. After some brief introductions, he gave us an in-depth overview of Peruvian cuisine. Covering the span of pre-Inca times to present day, Chef José explained how the unique geography of Peru created various microclimates that allowed for the cultivation of a diverse assortment of crops. I was also surprised to learn that due to labor migrations during the 19th and early 20th centuries, many Italian and Chinese workers ended up staying in Peru and having a big influence on the cuisine. This explained the seemingly uncanny abundance of Chinese restaurants in town and pasta plates on most menus.
The Market
Soon we headed next door to the “market”- a simulated set up of a traditional Peruvian marketplace. Chef Jose’s main point was clear – nearly every ingredient in Peru comes in variety. For example potatoes, a staple in the Peruvian diet, is grown in hundreds of different varieties throughout the country. He illustrated this fact by filling our hands with various forms of potatoes that looked like snakes, rocks, even turds. We also discussed the importance of quinoa, the exceedingly popular “superfood”, and its cousins, cañihua and kiwicha. It was also in the market we were served our first appetizer, shrimp bruschetta. Qué bueno!
Sampling Fruit and Papa Rellena
After the market, we enjoyed some native fruits to further expand upon the notion of variety. We tasted three different kinds of passion fruit with distinct flavors ranging from extremely sour to super sweet. After the fruit, we were served a take on papa rellena, a traditional layered dish that involves potatoes and assorted fillings. In this case, potato was layered with flax seed encrusted chicken, avocado, and a quinoa beet blend. The flavor was nothing short of magical. Chef José used the papa rellana as an example of the importance flavor combinations hold in Peruvian cuisine.
Ceviche
Next, it was off to the kitchen to try our hand at preparing our first dish, ceviche. Ceviche is a very popular dish of Peruvian origin that involves curing fresh fish in lime juice. Chef José emphasized the use of simple, high quality ingredients and that it is incorrect to believe that the fish is “cooked” by the lime juice. He recommended marinating the fish no longer than 5-10 minutes. Although I had already enjoyed some ceviche by this point in my journey, what I really liked about this recipe was the addition of toasted corn. The nutty flavor of the corn combined with the salty, citrusy lime broth to create a truly amazing flavor.
Pisco Time
Back at the bar, we enjoyed our ceviche while Chef José introduced us to the wonderful world of pisco. Pisco is a spirit distilled from grapes, making it a brandy of sorts. It comes in many different flavors and blends, but the important distinction is aromatic and non-aromatic. After sampling a few different varieties, we tried our hand at making pisco sours (the national drink of Peru) and chilcanos. Both drinks use a combination of pisco, simple syrup and lime juice. Pisco sours have the addition of bitters and egg white to create a frothy presentation. It was hard to choose, but we preferred the refreshing taste of the chilcano and concluded it would make the perfect summertime cocktail.
Lomo Saltado
Feeling a bit warm and tingly, we went back to the kitchen to prepare our second dish, lomo saltado. Asian influence is very prevalent in its preparation, as it is basically a stir fry of meat and vegetables combined with rice and potato. Instead of the standard beef, we used alpaca as our protein which was a pleasant surprise.
Woks in hand, we headed to the stove where Chef Jose did his best Gordon Ramsey impression to command us through the stir fry. We completed the process with a flambé de pisco. I admit, it was a little nerve-racking (especially after the previous sampling of all those pisco sours) but I managed to complete the flambé without singeing off my eyebrows.
Cuy Surprise
After plating our alpaca, we carried our dishes to a candlelit table to indulge in our creations. I really enjoyed the alpaca. It was surprisingly tender and reminded me a lot of venison. As we finished, Chef José announced we would be sampling a surprise dish from the neighboring restaurant… cuy (aka guinea pig). It was prepared as a non-traditional ham steak, and I found it to be a little underwhelming. Fatty and gamey, it was not exactly appealing to my palette. However, I was grateful for the opportunity to try it before spending 80 soles on the whole hog (pun intended) at a local establishment.
Conclusion
I would recommend this class as a must do to anyone traveling to Cusco. After nearly six hours of culinary immersion, I left with an understanding about Peruvian culture and cuisine that served me well for the remainder of my trip. While you won’t do a ton of cooking, the knowledge you will gain is well worth the price of admission.