After a good meal, you can forgive anything, even your own relatives.Oscar Wilde
From elegant to simple. The prices also vary in South America. A simple lunch with soup and main course costs on average 1-2 dollars. If you like it more expensive, you can do it especially in tourist places. I owe some of my friends a favor. This comes in handy since I haven't sorted out my photo material from Peru yet. Therefore, now for all fans of gastric juices! My special edition for the first Advent: Food!!! We wish you a merry first Advent!!!
At the beginning of the journey, our medicine supply consisted of two ziplock bags. It may come as no surprise that most of the contents were for possible stomach and intestinal illnesses. Charcoal tablets, diarrhea powder and stomach cramp capsules, as well as anti-nausea and dehydration medication.
A rare sight. Vegetarians have a hard time in Colombia and Cuba. Ecuador, Peru, and Mexico offer alternatives in tourist areas. Those who want to live vegan are better off staying at home. Believe me, it saves a lot of nerves. After my "egg experience" in Cuba, I was also glad that we were prepared. To my surprise, however, that was almost it. Because astonishingly, despite very few safety precautions, we hardly had any problems with the food.
My paranoia of being contaminated by small organisms that would then eat their way from the steak through my intestinal wall into my brain subsided after 2 months.
Let's be honest, playing Indiana Jones and then saying something like "Peel it, cook it or leave it!" is...boring!!!
The South American classic. Rice, beans, and meat. The green behind it is a bonus. When it says salad, there is usually a little bit of green on top, which in another life could actually be salad. The food in Central and South America can be roughly divided into three categories. Soups in all variations with surprising animal parts like feet or innards, main courses either fried almost to petrification,or lightly cooked with at least two carbohydrates on top and rarely or no salad. And dessert so incredibly sweet and delicious that a piece of cake makes you do gymnastics in the following nights. Desserts. Anything sweet is generally good. Especially in Colombia, the sweet dream is in high demand. From ice cream sticks to ice cream and cake variations to over 2000 different chip flavors. Who needs a healthy blood sugar level... And thus, fruit salad in Colombia has cheese and a vanilla-like sauce on top. Just fruit alone could be too healthy after all! Speaking of fruits... Fruits everywhere! Fruit stand in the market hall in Quito Juices are available throughout Central and South America and can usually be safely consumed. But even here: If you want it without additional sugar, you have to order it separately. Bread! If you expect a variety of bread, you will be disappointed. And gluten-free or whole grain are great sellers, the lovely people here have also recognized that. But unfortunately, that does not mean that you will also get such a product. Ceviche in Mancora (Peru) Spices like Ajio here are the heart of the kitchen in South America. Especially cilantro and onions are high up in the spice kitchen, but also garlic, celery, and chili. Empanadas. Filled pastries in all variations. From very simple to sophisticated. From wheat to cornmeal, vegetarian to seafood. If you're lucky, you sometimes find a hair in between. Good and cheap. Especially in Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador. Less in Peru. Meat!!! The per capita consumption of meat in South America is 78 kg per year. That is relatively still less than in Switzerland and Germany. And...pay attention to the South American basic rule: A dish can never have too many carbohydrates!! Chiiicken!!!! Probably the most consumed animal here. By the way, in Ecuador, chickens and pigs are often kept in the private backyard even in large cities. So locals often get meat cheaply by simply buying it from the neighbor. You can find chicken everywhere and on every corner in all possible preparation variations. It's good when the animals wake you up in the morning with loud noise. The revenge tastes good!!! Fish. A good choice. All the countries we are traveling to are located on the coast. That means above all one thing: fish and seafood, wherever possible and affordable! Papas rellenas. Pan-fried mashed potatoes with cream sauce from Peru. Unfortunately, potatoes are often available in the form of fries, but sometimes they are also very deliciously prepared. And if you're lucky, you'll discover little treasures at the other end of the street, like an apple strudel with vanilla sauce and fruit ice cream. Found in Colombia. Finally, it remains to be said that Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the best in the world, and I can definitely confirm that. And where is a better place to gain a few extra kilos than the place where culinary arts were invented! And it is true that understanding a new culture is like love: it first goes through the stomach. In this sense! Bon appétit!
