Customer Reviews

The Art of Peruvian Cuisine

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I saw this book for the first time at a bookstore in Miraflores (Lima-Peru) back in 1999. It is quite heavy and I thought I would be able to find it in the States so I decided not to buy it or lug it all the way back to New York. After searching for it for 2 years I decided to go back in 2001 and bought it directly from the Author's foundation.

It is interesting how this book comes about. Tony Custer was visiting New York and noticed that he couldn't find a book about Peruvian cuisine in any bookstore. It was then that he decided to write one. I'm glad he did because I had the same problem.

The recipes are a collection from the best Peruvian chefs. From the Master Sauces to the "Aji the Gallina" and the "Suspiro Limeño" they are accurate, well written and absolutely delicious. The book's photography is also excellent. It won the Latin American World Cookbook 2001 Award. The book is available in both Spanish and English editions.

Get this book. You won't regret it!!!

We first happened upon this book in 2004 in a bookstore in Miraflores, where it was the most recommended book by the proprietors. And with good reason. Having lived in Lima for a year, with a keen appreciation for great Peruvian cooking, I can attest to the excellence of these recipes and their ease of preparation as written up. With weights, measures and even ingredients transposed to our North American approaches, there is nothing to prevent you from finding the right components here and preparing them as the best chefs in Lima might. Plus absolutely outstanding photographs, and the book's proceeds support a very worthy charity in Peru. Buy it, sip a Pisco sour (yes, Pisco brandy is available all over North America), let the ceviche prepare itself for 1-2 hours, and settle in for a relaxed South American adventure.

I developed a taste for peruvian food when we lived in LA. Ever since then my husband and i have been hunting for a good cookbook to replicate some of our favorite dishes since there is only one peruvian restorant in minnesota and it cost an arm and a leg to eat there. This is the most authentic book on peruvian cuisine. It also has pictures and explanations on what the ingridients are. We've made number of dishes and they all turned out great!
This book is a must have!

This is the most widely sold Peruvian Cuisine book in Perú.
Has the original recipies of the best restaurants in Lima.
Buy it and impress your friends with delicious dishes.
Very easy to use, the instructions are clear, structured and easy to follow. The pictures are outstanding.
A Must Have if you are into serious cooking.

The Art of Peruvian Cuisine captures the best of Peru's culinary history. As a peruvian I can only say that each of the recipes truly recalls what I saw and experienced as a child when watching ( and tasting) the amazing combination of delicate flavors and textures unique to Ricardo Palma's land. This book is a must for all those interested in latinamerican cuisine, and for sure a new "peruvian tradition".

Our gourmet club used this book for our Peruvian meal--we are experienced cooks and managed fairly well, but couldn't imagine a novice being able to follow these recipes. We found the pictures are beautiful, but instructions are VERY incomplete. For example, add water to gelatin--how much water, one tsp, one cup? Mix potatoes with Aji Amarillo paste--how much, again, all of the paste, or half. My potatoes turned out really soupy and never set up after 3 hours in the refrigerator. Also, many ingredients are very hard to get in the U.S. Authors should recommend alternatives, or sources so we could order from afar in advance. Some steps weren't even mentioned--for tamales--be sure to soak the corn husks for at least an hour before assembling. Also, most recipes we used were VERY time consuming. Often you would be referred to a different page for a sauce recipe and in that recipe, you would be referred to another page for the stock recipe for the sauce. Plan ahead really thoroughly. I plan to re-write each recipe as I use it--and would suggest that these authors hire a good editor for a second printing....

This book is the best book I have come accross on Peruvian cuisine. The history of cooking influences in Peru is cover wonderfully in this book. The recipes are truely athentic and work great. I am a current culinary student and would recomend this book to anyone who wants to learn about Peruvian cuisine or are just looking for a new cuisine to explore

I initially saw this book on a friend's kitchen when he and his wife were preparing some peruvian dishes. I was easily caught by the cute design, detailed recipes, and delicious dishes. No wonder I bought this book a few days after. The fabulous peruvian cuisine is well-represented in this book, with excellent dishes, and a level of detail enough to start trying something new. I might say, though, that the peruvian cuisine entails some hard work, a sharp talent, and a detail-oriented mindset. And this book is a good start....God bless peruvian food!!

This large, beautiful book is not just another pretty face. The descriptions of the various dishes are excellent, the pictures are outstanding, and all of the proceeds go to help disadvantaged Peruvian children through The Fundación Felipe Antonio Custer. The Fundación was established by Senor Custer, who writes under the name "Tony Custer".

Custer was educated at Harvard and is the CEO of Corporación Custer and a member of Harvard's David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. He decided to write this book to celebrate Peruvian cuisine. Production values are very high: there are 100 full-page, full-color photographs by Miguel Etchepare. It includes an overview of Peruvian cuisine, as well as recipes, some of which are fairly complicated and require some background information.

The Fundación website contains an excellent preview of this coffee table cookbook, with a number of recipes which are true to the character of the book. The entry on ceviche is typical.

"Ceviche may have a complex lineage, but the basic elements for a good ceviche are freshness and simplicity.

"Use a firm fleshed white fish, which won't disintegrate in the lime juice. Limes should always be squeezed just at the moment of preparation and ingredients kept well chilled. The very special taste of the Peruvian tropical lime is difficult to replace, though closest in flavor is its cousin the key lime. To prevent the ceviche from being too acidic, refresh just before serving by tossing with a couple of ice cubes, but be careful not to let them melt and dilute the taste too much.

"Most importantly, ceviche should be eaten immediately. The lime will 'cook' the fish as you bring it to table and the fish will maintain a sensational taste and texture. Peruvians affectionately call the spicy marination juices of ceviche 'leche de tigre' (tiger's milk), and will drink a small glass to cure a hangover! Eat ceviche with a fork and provide a spoon for the juices. The traditional accompaniments are corn and sweet potatoes, providing a perfect balance for the complete dish."

This recipe is classic, with only six ingredients:

1 ¾ lb (800g) sea bass or flounder fillets
1 red onion, in very fine slices
½ red ají limo, chopped very fine
½ yellow ají limo, chopped very fine
Juice of 16 key limes
Salt

Cut fish into bite size pieces and mix together with onion in large bowl. Wash onion and fish and drain well. Season with salt and ají limo.

Toss fish preparation quickly in lime juice. Refresh by adding a couple of ice cubes, mixing well and removing immediately before they have a chance to melt. Serve ceviche immediately in a deep dish, accompanied by boiled sweet potato, fresh cooked corn and leaves of lettuce. (The corn is typically served on the cob in one inch long rounds.)

Cook's Note: You can substitute habanero or scotch bonnet chiles for ají limo; warning: ají limo is very hot.

***

I enjoyed not only reading this superb book, but as an intermediate cook, have had good success using it to prepare Peruvian dishes generally as good as those we enjoyed in Lima. I found two other interesting books on Peruvian food: Eat Smart in Peru: How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure (Eat Smart in Peru) and the wonderfully offbeat A Russian Jew cooks in Peru.


Robert C. Ross 2008

This cookbook captures all those dishes that peruvians abroad remember and long for. Follow the recipes closely and you will not be disappointed! For those ingredients that are essential to many Peruvian dishes but hard to find in the US, such as the different hot peppers for the pastes, you can use Amazonas brand products (e.g. Aji Mirasol Paste)available in many latin markets, the taste will not suffer. The Pisco Sour recipe is perfect.