 
Eat Smart in Peru : How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure (Eat Smart in Peru)
Average Rating: 5.0 Total Reviews: 6
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 On: 2008-01-16
This is a handy, travel sized guide to eating in Peru, which I am sure will enhance our trip to Peru later this year. There are two excellent glossaries, one for menus with the names of foods in Spanish and in English, and the second listing a number of markets. There are recipes for some typical dishes from different regions in Peru (Ive included one in the Comments). I especially liked the history of dishes.
There are a couple of useful websites that make this book even more useful. The publisher, Gingko Press, maintains an interesting website with news about the authors and other books in the Series. ginkgopress.com The site announced recently that this book received the 2006 Gourmand Award for Best in the World Award for a culinary travel guidebook. There is also the helpful perufood.blogspot.com devoted to the foods of Peru; Joan Peterson contributes suggestions on how to find ingredients, and suggests alternatives for those that arent available in the US.
As a portable guide book, this one cant be beat. But, if you are really serious about Peruvian food, consider obtaining the encyclopedic THE ART OF PERUVIAN CUISINE, by Tony Custer. ISBN-10: 9972920305 The Reviews on Amazon and elsewhere are estatic.
If you are interested in traveling to Peru, take a look a my suggestions on how to enhance your trip on my List on ListMania!
by: professionalwriter On: 2007-05-18
Eat Smart in Peru by Joan Peterson and Brook Soltvedt, Illustrated by Susan Chwae is a travel guide for food lovers which guides the traveler in Peru through the market and the menu in order to have a savory tasting adventure. The unique concept of this book is one of many in the EAT SMART series. The guides include a history of the culture and development of its unique cuisine. There are many recipes sprinkled through the book to try before making your trip to Peru or to enjoy as a special memory after returning. Especially useful is the chapters about shopping in the market with the needed languages phrases.And every traveler to Peru needs this book even if it is just for the restaurant guide which lists the dishes and food items in alphabetical order with descriptions of what it is, with national and regional Peruvian favorites indicated. With this guide you will no longer be ordering mystery foods when you dine. The book is unique and really well organized. Be sure to pack it for your trip!
by: jeannie1132 On: 2006-07-07
People who love combining great food and travel make pilgrimages to Italys Po Valley, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hanoi, Singapore, Frances Lyon, San Francisco, Charleston, New Orleans and other shrines to fine cooking.
Add Peru to the list.
If you arent aware that Peru has its very own fusion cuisine -- very approximately like that of New Orleans with a blend of Indian, Spanish and African styles -- plus contributions by Chinese and Japanese settlers, Eat Smart in Peru will open your eyes to yet another fine gourmet destination.
Authors Joan Peterson and Brook Soltvedt are way ahead of the curve in discovering Peruvian cuisine. I was only aware of Peruvian chicken, based on a carryout in my neighborhood that serves this dish, cooked on a rotating spit over charcoal, with a rosemary-based spice shoved under the chicken skin, and a fine salsa verde on the side. Peterson and Soltvedt found a vast variety of other dishes, including curries, desserts and appetizers. A section on recipes includes Aji de Gallina, a chicken stew that I plan to try.
In addition to the recipes, Eat Smart in Peru contains a history of the development of Perus cuisine, a regional specialties chapter, a glossary of ingredients and menu guide.
Finally, Eat Smart in Peru tells you how to shop in a Peruvian market and how to locate rare ingredients stateside. Its an easy read, with nice illustrations and a logical organization.
By the way, the author has done other "Eat Smart" guides to Brazil, Mexico, India, Turkey, Poland and other destinations.
On: 2006-07-06
People who love combining great food and travel make pilgrimages to Italys Po Valley, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hanoi, Singapore, Frances Lyon, San Francisco, Charleston, New Orleans and other shrines to fine cooking.
Add Peru to the list.
If you arent aware that Peru has its very own fusion cuisine -- very approximately like that of New Orleans with a blend of Indian, Spanish and African styles -- plus contributions by Chinese and Japanese settlers, Eat Smart in Peru will open your eyes to yet another fine gourmet destination.
Authors Joan Peterson and Brook Soltvedt are way ahead of the curve in discovering Peruvian cuisine. I was only aware of Peruvian chicken, based on a carryout in my neighborhood that serves this dish, cooked on a rotating spit over charcoal, with a rosemary-based spice shoved under the chicken skin, and a fine salsa verde on the side. Peterson and Soltvedt found a vast variety of other dishes, including curries, desserts and appetizers. A section on recipes includes Aji de Gallina, a chicken stew that I plan to try.
In addition to the recipes, Eat Smart in Peru contains a history of the development of Perus cuisine, a regional specialties chapter, a glossary of ingredients and menu guide.
Finally, Eat Smart in Peru tells you how to shop in a Peruvian market and how to locate rare ingredients stateside. Its an easy read, with nice illustrations and a logical organization.
By the way, the author has done other "Eat Smart" guides to Brazil, Mexico, India, Turkey, Poland and other destinations.
by: castlebooknook On: 2006-05-27
"...picarones, a doughnut-like snack or dessert made from a yeasty pumpkin dough. The rings of dough are formed by hand, deep-fried and served with raw-sugar syrup flavored with orange, aniseed, cinnamon and cloves." ~ pg. 14
The Eat Smart guides are an exploration of cuisine itself and are interesting even if you never reach the desired destination. You can order ingredients online for the recipes featured. There are pictures of delicious cultural favorites, food markets and unique ingredients. Some of the main sections include:
Early History through Pre-Inca Civilizations
The Regions of Peru
Tastes of Peru
Shopping in Perus Food Markets
Resources
Helpful Phrases
Menu Guide
Food and Flavors Guide
Restaurants
Joan Peterson and Brook Soltvedt also show how various cultures influenced Perus culinary world and the first part of this book contains a lot of culinary history that may appeal to food writers. Maps and pictures of the food make it easier to understand the cultural significance of food choices.
"Rare is the Peruvian dish that does not include chile pepper. Each river valley oasis along the western slopes of the Andes has a microclimate that produces unique varieties of chile peppers, which are, in turn, completely different from the peppers native to the jungle." ~ pg. 19
Recipes for Rice Pudding look familiar and if you can find gooseberries, you can make the gooseberry marmalade to serve with quinoa crepes.
Other highlights include a section on helpful phrases you can use in restaurants. List of foods like "nuez moscada" have translations, nutmeg. If you order a tortilla, you will get an omelet.
Eat Smart in Peru will appeal to anyone who is curious about new culinary discoveries and wants to either travel to Peru or incorporate new recipes into their cooking repertoire.
~The Rebecca Review
On: 2006-05-26
"...picarones, a doughnut-like snack or dessert made from a yeasty pumpkin dough. The rings of dough are formed by hand, deep-fried and served with raw-sugar syrup flavored with orange, aniseed, cinnamon and cloves." ~ pg. 14
The Eat Smart guides are an exploration of cuisine itself and are interesting even if you never reach the desired destination. You can order ingredients online for the recipes featured. There are pictures of delicious cultural favorites, food markets and unique ingredients. Some of the main sections include:
Early History through Pre-Inca Civilizations
The Regions of Peru
Tastes of Peru
Shopping in Perus Food Markets
Resources
Helpful Phrases
Menu Guide
Food and Flavors Guide
Restaurants
Joan Peterson and Brook Soltvedt also show how various cultures influenced Perus culinary world and the first part of this book contains a lot of culinary history that may appeal to food writers. Maps and pictures of the food make it easier to understand the cultural significance of food choices.
"Rare is the Peruvian dish that does not include chile pepper. Each river valley oasis along the western slopes of the Andes has a microclimate that produces unique varieties of chile peppers, which are, in turn, completely different from the peppers native to the jungle." ~ pg. 19
Recipes for Rice Pudding look familiar and if you can find gooseberries, you can make the gooseberry marmalade to serve with quinoa crepes.
Other highlights include a section on helpful phrases you can use in restaurants. List of foods like "nuez moscada" have translations, nutmeg. If you order a tortilla, you will get an omelet.
Eat Smart in Peru will appeal to anyone who is curious about new culinary discoveries and wants to either travel to Peru or incorporate new recipes into their cooking repertoire.
~The Rebecca Review
by: ronmader On: 2006-05-08
(Planeta Journal) - This latest title in the Eat Smart series helps travelers decipher menus and shop in the lively markets of Peru. There are so many options for visitors throughout the country, this book is the definitive guidebook for enjoying Peruvian cuisine. Includes tips on shopping in markets, a menu guide, helpful phrases and a list of helpful resources.
by: mwbookrevw On: 2006-04-10
Knowledgeably compiled and expertly co-authored by Joan Peterson and Brook Soltvedt, Eat Smart In Peru: How To Decipher The Menu, Know The Market Foods, And Embark On A Tasting Adventure is a superb introduction and guide for tourists and business travelers when dining, cooking, and eating in Peru. Providing readers with an excellent reference for all connoisseurs of hearty and healthy South American cuisine, Eat Smart In Peru contains helpful advice and resources for eating and drinking in a number of local areas of Peru, enabling the visitor to experience foreign foods and knowing what they are, unlocking secrets of Perus exotic menus and markets with two bilingual glossaries, and how to get to the heart of the culture through their culinary arts. The newest addition to the "Eat Smart" travel guides, Eat Smart In Peru is enthusiastically recommended to all visitors of Peru, especially those searching for a reliable, portable Peruvian travel and food guide.
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