Peruvian ceviche, one of the most emblematic and appreciated dishes of Peru, due to its simplicity of ingredients, freshness and great flavor that gives the sensation that you taste a little of the sea and a little of the land.
Today Peru can boast that in this Andean country there are 13 World Heritage Sites; On the one hand there is Machu Picchu, Cusco city, Manu national park to mention some of them as material heritages of Humanity and on the other hand the Peruvian Ceviche as inmaterial world heritage.
Summary
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today declared Peruvian ceviche as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
UNESCO made the decision at the eighteenth meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is being held from last Monday to next Saturday in the city of Kasane, in northern Botswana.
The Committee approved Peru’s proposal formulated as “Practices and meanings associated with the preparation and consumption of ceviche, an expression of traditional Peruvian cuisine.”
The candidacy is one of the 55 applications for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity being examined by the Committee in the African country.
It is a typical dish from the Peruvian coast that consists of fish meat marinated with salt, lemon, Limo chili and accompanied by sweet potato, chopped onion and chopped cilantro.
In Peru, ceviche is considered a flagship dish and cultural heritage.
The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity recognizes and promotes the diversity of cultural practices and knowledge carried out by communities.
Inscription on the List encourages all interested parties to implement safeguarding measures in close collaboration with tradition bearers.
The Botswana meeting is also marked by the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
With 181 States parties, this UNESCO international regulatory framework has recorded an exceptional ratification rate in a decade.
Short review of the history of Peruvian ceviche
Ceviche was declared Cultural Heritage of the Peruvian Nation in 2004 and it is easy to see why. Throughout history, it has been a source of pride for the entire nation. In fact, its popularity led to Ceviche Day being celebrated every June 28.
Currently, there is no exact historical record about the origin of Peruvian Ceviche. However, various theories have been supported that involve the name, geography and different cultures, the main one being the Mochica (located in northern Peru).
The custom of preparing Ceviche began in pre-Inca times with the Mochica culture who prepared a dish based on fresh fish marinated with the juice of a citrus fruit called “tumbo” and local herbs.
During the Inca empire, the preparation of ceviche was modified. At this point in history, they marinated the fish with chicha de jora; an Andean drink considered sacred in the empire. Salt and chili were also used in the preparation.
After the arrival of the Spanish, two ingredients were added: onion and sour orange juice. Likewise, in the mid-20th century, sour oranges were replaced by lemon, thus giving it that characteristic flavor that you love so much. Ceviche is accompanied with other accessories such as sweet potato, canchita serrana and corn, making it stand out in Peruvian gastronomy.
On the other hand, some historians point out that the word «Ceviche» comes from the Quechua «siwichi» whose translation would be ‘fresh or tender fish’, thus believing that the origin of its name dates back to that time.
Also, there is a record of one of the first recipes; This was published exactly in 1866 by the author is Manuel Atanasio Fuentes.
Several historical events, such as the Spanish conquest and the arrival of Asian immigrants to the country, have caused the original recipe to vary in some aspects such as the maceration technique.
Today, thanks to the heritage of our ancestors and the cultural exchange of different civilizations, we have Ceviche as the country’s flagship dish.
How to prepare ceviche?
Ceviche is a typical dish of Peruvian cuisine and has been so successful that its flavors have spread to other Latin American countries. There are many versions of ceviche and it is impossible to say that only one is correct, but this time we will share with you a Peruvian ceviche recipe that tries to rescue everything traditional about the delicious original ceviche from Peru.
Ingredients to make Peruvian Ceviche:
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 1 kilogram of fish of your choice
- 1 onion cut into julienne strips
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaf
- 1 chopped yellow chili
- 1 chopped limo chili (to decorate)
- 12 lemons
- 1 pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 cup of fish broth
To accompany:
- 1 parboiled sweet corn
- 1 parboiled sweet potato (sweet potato)
- 1 bunch of lettuce leaves
The step by step to make Peruvian ceviche:
1
The first thing you should do to make the easy Peruvian ceviche recipe is to squeeze the 12 lemons to extract their juice, reserve it for later. Then, cut the fish into pieces of approximately 3 centimeters. Place the pieces in the container you are going to use to serve the dish.
chopped fish
2
Mix the fish with the chopped yellow chili, fish broth and cilantro. Also place the onion cut into julienne strips and the crushed garlic. Let it rest for a few minutes so that it marinates well and soaks up all the flavors.
Squeezing lime
3
Season with salt and pepper to taste and place the parboiled sweet potato, lettuce and boiled sweet corn on one side of the plate.
Adding Leche de Tigre
4
Then, pour the lemon juice all over the plate so that everything is well covered. Finally, cut a sheet of red limo chili pepper and place it as decoration. Keep it in the refrigerator to cool, since this is a dish that is served cold. Peruvian ceviche is a dish that acts as an appetizer, so you can accompany it with rice with shrimp or a delicious salmon with shrimp sauce. Ready to eat!
Peruvian Ceviche
If you don’t have the possibility of trying a good Peruvian ceviche in Lima, the capital of Peru; You can also try an exquisite trout ceviche on your visit to Machu Picchu or Ceviche de Paiche on your visit to the Peruvian Amazon.
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