Peruvian cuisine may soon be a World Intangible Heritage

The National Cultural Institute (INC) will soon finish the documentation that will be hand over to the UNESCO in order to apply for the recognition of the Peruvian gastronomy as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Originality, quality and the variety of ingredients lead to the National Cultural Institute (INC) to declare Peruvian cuisine a national cultural heritage on October 2007. According to a news report from the INC, the Peruvian cuisine has been considered one of the world’s best gastronomies. Furthermore, the Madrid Fusion in Europe has awarded the city of Lima the title of Gastronomy Capital of Latin America.

The INC pointed out that the Peruvian cuisine has a long tradition and that on pre-Columbian times it had a magical and religious character, which grants it symbolic and cultural content.

Meals thousands of years old are still on the menu such as Carapulcra, Humitas and the Pachamanca. Among the most popular dishes in Peru are Cebiche, Papa a la Huancaina and Aji de Gallina. The many restaurants in Peru with their creative chefs have made the country an important culinary destination for tourists from all over the world.