So the plan for today's dinner was to track down some Cuy which is like grilled Guinea
pig; however, we ran into some trouble.
The first restaurant was closed and the second one is not able to prepare it mid-afternoon
because they are making bread in their oven.
So instead today we're going to be trying some traditional food from Cusco.
So we've placed our order and we're waiting for our food to arrive.
I'm not entirely sure what to expect because I've never really tried food from this region.
We've been eating light meals since we got to Cuzco just because we're trying to deal
with the altitude sickness, so yeah, this is our first day that we're ready for our
big hearty meal.
So until the meal arrives you've got some nice bread rolls in your hand.
Yeah, these were freshly baked in the oven and can't wait to try them.
We have two different kinds of spicy sauces.
They're both called 'aji' sauces, so let's take a look down here and we're going to dunk
it in.
Actually there is spoons so I can do it a little more civilized I suppose.
And I will put a little bit of red and a bit of green.
Why not.
Let's try that.
Mmmm.
Is that burning your mouth?
Is your mouth on fire at the moment?
Yeah, I'm tasting more of the sauce than the bread.
But the bread is good.
It is melting in my mouth.
And it was made in the oven right behind you.
Right over there.
Fancy.
So my meal has arrived.
I ordered a soup and I'm having something called Chayro wsqueño and if you have a look
down over here it is basically a soup with lamb and Andean greens.
I'm not sure what kind of greens those would be.
It kind of looks like barley.
Um, there might be some Quinoa in there.
I don't really know but it is really hearty and you can see it has potatoes and carrots
and celery and it looks really really good.
So let's try it.
Mmmm.
Oh.
Wow!
That's like a nice thick flavorful soup.
Um, I can't really tell what these little green leaves are.
I wonder if it is parsley or cilantro.
Mmmm.
But it is really nice.
I like that is has a really thick texture because of the potato that breaks apart and
you obviously have the grains and the meat.
I still haven't tried the meat.
Here is my lamb.
So yeah, that is really nice.
It's the kind of dish you want to order on a really cold day to warm you up.
And I like that it is served in a nice cute little bowl that you can warm up your hands.
I'm a little bit chilly in case you can't tell.
So yeah, good soup.
And you ordered something called Pachapapa and we're not entirely sure if that is a name
that the restaurant gave to the meal or if that is really what the meal is called in
this part of Peru.
Yeah, we have no idea we just came to this restaurant, ordered it on a whim and so what
I'm thrilled about is that if we take a look at our my plate is that I've got a lot of
different stuff going on.
I've got a salad, I've got the meat, I've got the tamale, I've got potatoes covered
in cheese and I have some kind of stuffed pepper.
But being the carnivore that I am I think I will try the meat first.
And can you tell us what kind of meat this is?
Because it is not beef.
Yeah, it is Alpaca meat.
Alpaca?
Indeed!
So pretty special.
Dig in.
I've never tried Alpaca before.
Does it taste like beef?
Chicken or fish?
It tastes something like of in between chicken and beef.
This particular cut is really tender and it has a lot of seasonings on it so it is quite
good.
It's not as game-y as I thought it would be.
Alright, time to try my tamale.
And the tamale is made with corn.
Mmmm.
Yellow corn.
That's one of the best tamales I've ever had.
I think it's got cheese.
Yeah, it's got cheese in there.
Mmmm.
Oh, my.
I have food envy all of a sudden.
That is so good.
You better hope I share with you.
Okay, so my kind husband is willing to share this stuffed pepper which I was told has beef
and vegetables and melted cheese on top.
So let's take a good chunk since he's in the mood to share.
It's not so much I'm in the mood to share.
I'm just not sure I can eat it all myself.
Mmmmm.
That's like ground beef and man that is actually spicy.
My tongue is on fire right now.
But it is tasty obviously because I'm still chewing.
But yeah, nice.
I like that you have a very full plate and you get to sample a little bit of everything.
So we tried to make this as authentic of a meal in Cusco as we possibly could, so I got
my Cusqueña beer.
And tomorrow we're going to try and find Cuy.