This week’s restaurant is named for one of the greatest remnants of an ancient civilization and serves Latin food of a different sort. At Machu Picchu, 5356 W. 38th St., Peruvian is what’s for dinner.
“I recommend this food because it is typical of Peru and it is so good,” said server Leticia Guevara. “It is different than Mexican or Central American and it covers a lot of flavors.”
So what is Peruvian food, exactly? A little bit of everything. Peru is one of the most diverse places in the world, and the dishes reflect that.
As with much of Latin America, Spanish culinary influence is evident. Native flavors are also prevalent; many dishes at Machu Picchu date back to the ancient Incas. Interestingly, many Italians were enlisted by the Spanish and have been in South America for as long as there have been Europeans. Several dishes feature spaghetti and other influences from “the Boot.”
Soul food fans will also detect familiar flavors, as Peru is one of the few South American countries similar to the U.S. as far as large numbers of people of African descent.
Another group, who you would not expect in Latin cooking, have influenced Peruvian cuisine. At the same time that many Chinese were migrating to America in the 1800s, they were also flocking to Peru. The lifestyle was different; in Peru they worked on sugar plantations instead of railroads; but the food was still Chinese. Their influence exists in several dishes, including arroz chaufa (fried rice) and tallarin saltado de pollo o carne (chicken or beef sautéed with noodles and onions in soy sauce).
Peru is also home to some tasty ingredients. Of course, the lima bean is named after Lima, the capital of Peru and several dishes feature it. Peru is also the birthplace of the potato. According to Guevara, there are thousands of varieties in the nation, and Machu Picchu has them in spades (yes, pun intended – they are dug up).
Customer favorites include platanos fritos (fried plantains), tallarinas verdes con papa a la huaincaina (spaghetti with spinach and cilantro), and lomo saltado a lo pobre (stewed beef and potato with tomatoes, cilantro and onion).
I tried aji de gallina with bread and aji sauce on the side. Fresh bread is always a plus, and the aji sauce was great (Aji is what Peruvians call chili peppers, so any sauce that uses them is an aji). It was mayonnaise based with cilantro and peppers, and had a nice kick to go with good flavor. The aji de gallina featured a potato and rice in sauce consisting of yellow pepper, shredded chicken, cracker and meal and was quite tasty.
Also worth trying are the drinks. Inca Kola, a soda that is similar to root beer, is a Peruvian signature and very popular. I was impressed with Chicha Morada, a beverage made of purple corn, cinnamon, cloves and lemon juice that is really good.
To learn more about Machu Picchu restaurant, call (317) 388-8696.
By the way, according to Wikipedia, Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian Inca site situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often referred to as “The Lost City of the Incas,” it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World.
You can e-mail comments to Aaron Rimstidt at Aaron-recorder@indy.rr.com.
