The cuisine, the gastronomy, as we understand it today
which is the one that the world knows
is the result of the wonderfull miscegenation
that we have in Peru
I mean, at the beginning
it was the encounter between Europe and America.
Then migration start coming from all over the world -
the Afro-Peruvian community, the Chinese community,
then the Italian community, the Japanese community,
the Jewish community, the Arab community -
and suddenly this magical episode occurs
in the homes of Peruvians where we were able to integrate
all cultures that arrived to Peru
and those who lived in Peru
around dishes that make us unique.
We must remember
that there was a historical moment when the world
collected a basket from Peru,
and that these products were welcomed in Europe
and the rest of the world and they became universal products.
But there were other products that remained almost exclusively grown in the region, like quinoa,
and others that spread only to a slightly greater degree, like cocoa.
And the great opportunity to be able to show a cuisine
to the world is in the ability to show the products of your land
and especially those products that have enormous potential,
understanding that the world
is beginning to fall in love with the flavours of Perú.
Therefore, to be able to universalise these products,
it's an opportunity
to bring development to our people, those who are
dedicated to small-scale agriculture on the Amazonian coast
in the Andes and in the highlands, so...
We, as cooks, understood that it was our mission
to spread the products of Peru through cuisine
in order to bring a state of well-being to the remote villages of Peru.
Today, Peruvian cuisine
celebrates an important moment
because it is one of the few cuisines that, in the last 25 years,
30 years,
has become a universal cuisine, a global cuisine.
Today one goes to a city like Madrid and in any bar
you can find a Peruvian ceviche hidden in the menu.
There are some statistics that are conclusive
because sometimes a chef can be overwhelmed by his illusion,
the illusion that your dream happens,
but the reality is that, for example,
in the 1990s in Spain there were four, five, 10 Peruvian restaurants,
and today there are more than 500.
But the reality is that there is nothing
that indicates to us in the world that we live today,
with the conditions that we have built on this road,
that makes us not imagine that in the next few years
we can reach 50,000 Peruvian restaurants.
With all that it entails,
in terms of the presence of Peruvian culture in the world,
Peruvian exports to the world,
democratisation of wealth within our country,
inspiration for the young people inside Peru,
at the time of seeing this example
and being able to do it with the cinematography, the music,
with the design, the industry, with anything,
What Peruvian cuisine has achieved in the last few years
is contributing to a new image of Peru in the world,
to promote Peruvian products in the world
to promote tourism to Peru,
to inspire young people in Peru
to have confidence in their identity,
at least in the cuisine, to find a place of union
and pride among Peruvians.
Having been able to turn Lima into a tourist destination
thanks to its gastronomy,
it is without a doubt something
that those of us who have experienced this process
feel very happy about,
With everything that entails, because it's not only restaurants,
it's hotels, it's transportation
it's crafts, shopping,
it's everything that is involved
when someone decides to visit a city.
In this case, the pretext is the gastronomy.