Eating Peru - by Robert Bradley (Paperback)

About the Book

This delightful book is the product of twenty-five years of digressions from Bradley's "real job"-the culmination of decades of personal discoveries about the food of Peru and the history that led to its current culinary florescence.

Book Synopsis

Today, Peru is rightly recognized as the number one food destination on the planet. But twenty-five years ago, the world's culinary critics were focusing their attention elsewhere. Fortunately, wine merchant-turned-archaeologist and art historian Robert C. Bradley was in Peru. This delightful book is the product of twenty-five years of exquisite digressions from what Bradley might call his "real job"-the culmination of decades of personal discoveries about the food of Peru and the history that led to its current culinary florescence.

Bradley's book is a tour of the most delicious facts and foods revealed to him while he traveled Peru, with several recipes thrown in for good measure. Journeying from coasts to highlands and back, the intrepid author introduces us to the most interesting aspects of Peruvian cuisine that he encounters along the way: How the tomato got to Italy. Why Tabasco sauce is misnamed. What the superfoods of Peru are. Where the potato rose and fell. And of course, when coca leaves gave real meaning to Coca-Cola's "pause that refreshes." Bradley sizzles about Peruvian ceviche, pisco and the pisco sour, and the country's best restaurants, all the while sampling food lore, Andean anthropology, history, linguistics, and the pleasures and perils of travel. He makes a knowledgeable, congenial guide, and his book, a generous companion.

For the armchair tourist or the actual traveler, the gourmet and the gourmand, and the merely curious, Eating Peru offers a welcome break from everyday fare, and a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to a taste of Peru.

Review Quotes

"Robert C. Bradley expertly blends memoir, history, travel guide, and gastronomy into a magnificent tribute to the bounty of Peru. A delicious read for those unfamiliar with Peruvian cuisine, and an even tastier one for those who are."--Melissa Guerra, author of Taco Nation: 30 Easy Taco Recipes


"Robert C. Bradley's book is immensely useful in deciphering the complexities within the vastness that is Peruvian cuisine. After reading Eating Peru, you will understand the best way to fillet a snake-like freshwater catfish beloved by the Moche and why chicha brewed on the coast is often stronger than in the highlands."--Nicholas Gill, coauthor of The Latin American Cookbook