What people eat is very dependent on culture and country of origin. Therefore, defining extreme food is a very relative matter. Some see extreme as things they have not eaten before or that is just not common in their culture. As I myself come from The Netherlands, I am used to eating a ‘bitterbal’ next to a beer, while a Bulgarian friend of mine rather chooses for a grilled pig ear. This shows that a different country means different eating habits and in this article, I will share my experiences with the ‘extreme foods’ of Peru.
Visiting restaurant Central – rated third best restaurant in the world – it could not be avoided that we were going to eat unusual dishes. Course five from a total of 17 was served, and one cooked tuber per person laid in front of us, garnished by multiple uncooked ones. The sauce that the potato was supposed to be dipped in was topped off with “dried alpaca heart crumble”, as described by the hospitable waiter. This was a subtle touch of something I personally had never eaten before. Besides dried alpaca heart, I had many other experiences with to me unfamiliar dishes. As a snack, we ate grilled cow heart, in Central piranha meat and skin was served on piranha heads and as well we tried guinea pig and goat meat at the famous Astrid y Gastón.
Personally, I consider all these dishes and products as extreme. However, someone who is used to the Peruvian cuisine would say something different. The term extreme depends on culture and how used you are to eat new and unfamiliar products. Another question that can be asked is when ‘extreme’ becomes ‘normal’. For instance sushi, which also started as ‘extreme’ to some, has created trends worldwide and is now seen as a common, popular dish. Besides extreme being trendy, there can also raise a need for consuming more extreme foods. In 2050, there will be 9 billion people on the planet which all need nutrition. In order to feed all mouths, there should be a greater production of protein which is not possible with the current food system. Insects such as grasshoppers and locusts can solve this potential shortage, even though people in the West currently do not see this as tasty.
This also shows that extreme can mean different things to different people. Consuming a cow heart might seem weird, but why would you not consume a good, tasty piece of meat? Because you are not used to it or because it seems like a weird product? Consuming products like this is more sustainable, better for the environment and causing less waste. Experiences like this made me see the importance of trying new and unfamiliar products and I can recommend this to everyone.
By Anne Van Amerongen
The Perception of Extreme Foods