From the outside, the complex didn’t appear very large; it was a medium sized park, contained by metal fences. Once inside, the ambiance changed, and suddenly the place seemed like an entirely different world, full of activity. There were various pavilions, covered by giant, permanent, metal overhangs, and each pavilion was packed with pop-up restaurants, neatly contained in rectangular booths. In front of the booths were long lines of people waiting, tickets that represented currency in hand. Between pavilions, trucks that offered sodas, waters and beers were mixed among tables, crowded with those devouring what they had just ordered. People wandered aimlessly, carrying plates of food and laughing at the jokes of their friends.
This was Mistura.
Within the past few years, the culinary arts have exponentially grown popular in Peru, with world renowned chefs, like Gaston Acurio, paving the way. Fine-dining establishments are plentiful in Lima and a few of the tourist towns, culinary schools clutter regional capitals, young Peruvians dream of owning their own restaurants and food festivals regularly pop up. Ask any Peruvian about food and he’ll swear his homeland serves up the best in the world.
Mistura is one of those annual food festivals that first popped up in 2008. Occurring in September, it features hundreds of restaurants that sample everything from Peruvian barbecue, ceviche, regional cuisine, traditional Peruvian dishes, and fusion foods. Not to mention, this year, as I’m sure in years past, there was an entire pavilion dedicated to Pisco, Peru’s national liquor.
As I meandered through the complex with a group of other volunteers, I soaked in the smells, the ambiance. Going with a group meant that we could order more food and each try a bite of everything. We went pavilion by pavilion, eying plates of food with hungry stomachs, ordering things that sounded obscure, delicious. I still think about my first plate, sweet potato gnocchi in a sweet barbecue tomato sauce.
As I entered into a state of food coma, I thought about how much my food palette has changed while I’ve been in Peru. I’ve become more adventurous, more willing and open to try anything (it might take a bit of coaxing at first). I washed down those thoughts with a quinoa beer, brewed by Cusqueña—a brewery out of Cusco.
Somehow, the hours flew by and what was early afternoon faded into the darkness of the evening. Our group made one last stop at the dessert pavilion, ordering everything chocolate. As we finished our last tastes of the festival, I was glad I had worn spandex leggings. Though, maybe all the walking countered the eating. Wishful thinking…
Brittany McGee 