Okay, well it looks as if the majority of folks will pair beer with Mexican food. But what about Peruvian food? The major ingredients found in every peruvian dish are rice, potatoes, chichen, pork, lamb, and fish. Most of these meals include one of the different kinds of "aji", or peruvian hot pepper, which mainly are: yellow aji pepper, red aji pepper, red rocoto pepper, and many other which are imposible to translate.
This past weekend we visited a local Peruvian restaurant "Inca Gardens" and were treated to a very pleasant dining experiance. I had the "Camarones al Ajillo" (Large prawns sautéed in fresh roasted garlic, butter and sauce... a garlic lover's treat), she had the "Ají de Gallina" (shredded chicken with fresh spices in a cream sauce, with walnuts and a dash of the famous Peruvian "ají amarillo" (golden chili)). Since she had to work in a couple of hours, and we had just spent the day walking around down town, we opted for water and a traditional "Chicha Morada" (a beverage the Incas made from purple corn) instead of alcoholic beverages. We didn't even bother looking at the wine list ....... Mexican food = beer. The food was wonderful, not as spicey, or hot, as our usual Mexican food ........ hmmmmm ......... I wonder what the wine list looks like? They had a nice offering of wines from Chili and Peru, so we talked to to the owner, Brian, about some wine pairing suggestions with his menu. He told us that they actually offer a wine and food pairing dinner menu that is available for two people. Great !!! Well, the food was wonderful, and we loved the atmosphere. We'll definatly return soon for the pairing menu and the "cancha's".
