“Whole different flavor spectrum, right? All new. It’s almost like you need a new section of your tongue.”
— Anthony Bourdain
We quote Anthony Bourdain often, actually, a lot of people do. We all loved him and wanted to be him.
He was an enigma, an inspirer, a passionate explorer on a whirlwind journey of life. I, for one, loved his humorous, good-natured, and highly entertaining sarcastic storytelling, and like most of you, saw him more as a connoisseur of human connection than just a traveling foodie. He seemed to have it all.
“I write, I travel, I eat…”
Part of Anthony Bourdain’s attraction was his simplicity, humility, and genuine interest in people from all walks of life. He taught most of us that food is not just the ingestion of calories, it’s an experience- a cultural experience.
Peru sounds like a fascinating country to travel to for food and a wild cultural experience – One we hope to experience in person and try to catch a glimpse of in today’s recipe. Peru’s contemporary demographic is quite diverse with their varied indigenous ethnic groups that became even more diverse after intermingling with the country’s new settlers and colonizers.
It’s quite amazing that this country’s present-day customs and food reflect how the migrant groups integrated with the local Indians and forged a melting pot that we can observe in just one of their seemingly unconventional recipes. Let’s have look at today’s ingredient list; soy sauce and oregano, two unlikely cooking companions. One is associated with Asian countries and the other, oregano, is more synonymous with the Mediterranean, Italian in particular. Both preserve the memory of nineteen-century Italian immigrants and Chinese indentured laborers, whose fate brought them together in Peru and molded much of this country’s history, identity, and crazy tasty food.
If that list wasn’t exciting enough, we have a plot twist. Today’s Peruvian burger will be cooked with bison meat and with our cavalier risk of offending purists who are currently clinching their teeth but can’t turn their eyes away from that big fat sexy juicy burger gushing with a cascade of intriguing flavors that hit just the right umami spots. If you just had an unwholesome thought, I set you up for it.
