Food pictures from Peru

I've never understood people who don't care about food. I'm not a foodie--I don't have to have the latest fad or the most expensive. I just like food. I like eating it, cooking it, talking about it. It's an added bonus when it's also pretty. Here are a few pictures of the fancier meals I had in Peru, those that were also a feast for the eyes.

I know I already posted this picture of the picante de quinoa I had in Aguas Calientes. That's a tomato in the shape of a rose in the middle.

We went to eat at the Huaca Pucllana in Miraflores, the part of Lima where I lived the evening after the sea lion trip. By the time we went, we'd all had long naps and felt better (if sunburned). These were the appetizers:

Those are giant shrimps, I think. In the background you can see the causas, which in this case are little cups of mashed potato filled with crabmeat. There's a better picture of causas later.

This was my main dish, an Amazonian fish on a bed of potato, topped with fried banana. Very tasty.

It wasn't until the last week, when we were in Trujillo, that I remembered to get a picture of ceviche, raw fish, which gets sort of cooked by lime juice, with red onion, red pepper and cilantro. I'm not sure what else was in this one. It was probably the best ceviche I had on the trip--I must have had it ten times at least. And to think that I didn't think I'd like it. Also in this picture is a different shape of causa, like a giant potato oreo. On the plate next to the ceviche is a sweet potato and giant corn kernels.

Back in Lima, my very last day was also Gustavo's birthday. Time for a celebration! Gustavo, his sweetie, his son and I had a birthday and farewell lunch at his favorite restaurant. We began with causas, which were filled with crabmeat in one, tuna in the next and chicken salad in the third, garnished with hardboiled egg, chive, avocado and tomato. Delicious!

This last picture doesn't look appetizing, I know. It was absolutely wonderful aji de gallina, a creamy chicken dish with just the right amount of spice, sprinkled with cheese, next to a serving of rice. The rice often comes in a kind of cake. Gustavo often brought along olive oil to pour over his rice.

Now that I've written this, I realize I'm hungry!