Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, known as the “jungle chef” of Peru, digs out the flavors of the Peruvian Amazon at his restaurant, Amaz. As Peruvian food got popular around the world, he decided to offer another twist on Peruvian cuisine, the mix of modern Peruvian food combined with its Amazonian jungle roots. As soon as we arrived, we were submerged by the theme of the Amazon which extends to the décor. Lanterns made of dried leaves, tribal paintings on the wall, wooden serve ware and all while eating in a hut made from rush.
You won’t find the ordinary ceviche or causa limeña here, but you will taste unfamiliar recipes such as tamal but this time made of cassava and just like in the Amazon, wrapped in bijao leaves.
To give you a glance of our experience I will guide you through our menu at Ámaz.
#MADUROS DOÑA ELI
The rush baskets did not take long to be passed around the table.
This dish is a pastry shell called "canastitas” but this time, made with “plátano pinto” and corned pork.
CORNED PORK
Corning is a process similar to brining or pickling. Unlike brining, corning pork does not require sugar, so the results are savory rather than sweet. When you corn meat, basically you infused it with a salty liquid (livestrong, 2017).
#CASABE
A crusty, thin and circular bread made from cassava flour. Its production and consumption goes back to pre-Hispanic times. Although its origin is Caribbean, many indigenous communities of the Venezuelan and Colombian Amazon have incorporated it as part of their daily diet.
#CHUROS PISHPIRONES
Those snails are river snails drizzled with a chorizo oil sauce and served with tapioca river eggs and a regional sauce made with cumin. Being born in France, I was not reticent to eat snails but I have to say those were bigger than I was used to. However, this was definitely my favorite dish of the day. The combination of the the snails with the tapioca river eggs made this an exciting mouthful and the use of chorizo and cumin gave it an extra twist. Very tastefull dish!
Ámaz, Short For Amazon