Peruvian Cuisine - Tallarines Verdes

Now, I had never really been a pesto eater before, and it wasn't because I necessarily disliked it. Truth is, I'd never tried it! It was just one of those things that I'd never really given the opportunity, for one reason or another.

Actually, the only Pesto I knew anything about was one of "GoodFeathers" from the old Animaniacs cartoon series.

But I digress.

Peru has some of the most diverse gastronomy of any country in the world - they're definitely on par with China or India when you look at the sheer number of Peruvian dishes that exist. There are two big reasons for all this diversity. One, is the geography. Peru has three distinct geographical regions - the coast, the mountains, and the jungle. That means that there's also wide variety of native plants and animals to cook and eat. The potato and the chili pepper (called aji in Peru) are both native to the country, and influence many of the dishes. The people living in each region developed dishes that were based on the ingredients - both plant and animal - that they had available.

The second reason for Peru's great gastronomical diversity is immigration. Over the last three to four hundred years, various other cultures have brought both new ingredients and new cooking styles to Peru, and it was all added into the mix. The Spanish brought onions and lemons, which helped develop Peru's famous ceviche. The Chinese immigrants brought soy sauce and ginger, and taught Peruvians all about stir-fry. And the Italians brought with them - pasta.

Just about the only time rice is absent from a Peruvian dish is when the dish is based on pasta. Tallarin is the Spanish word for noodle, and tallrines verdes is Spanish for "green noodles". The Italians also showed how to make a delicious pesto - but the Peruvians took that recipe and made it their own. One of the things they did was cook the basil before grinding it, and the other thing they did was add spinach for a milder flavor.

This typically Italian dish is another great example of just how much influence immigrants have had on the cuisine here. And it's really easy to make!

As mentioned above, the dish is typically served with chicken - either roasted or pan fried - or with a simple pan-fried steak. The choice is really up to you.

I like it best with chicken, and usually just season the chicken and fry it in the pan without breading.

Don't forget to serve with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top!

This dish almost always comes with a side dish, and it's usually Papas a la Huancaina (wahn - kah -EEN-a). This is a dish made of boiled, sliced potatoes that are smothered in a spicy, creamy cheese sauce. You can get the recipe by clicking on the picture!