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October 06, 2022 7 min read
It’s not uncommon to find Peruvian-Japanese “fusion” restaurants all over the world. You might think this is an exotic mix created by high-end chefs exclusively for hip, fancy restaurants, but the truth is the combination of Asian and Latin American flavors has a deep-rooted history in Peruvian culture.
As it happens with many countries’ gastronomies, they are shaped over time by cultural blends, conquests and even invasions. That’s why is safe to say that the gastronomy of a place tells a lot about its history. If you’re curious about how Japan made a huge impact onPeruvian food to turn it into the delicious blend our palates enjoy nowadays, keep reading!
In the late 19th century, Japan was going through, you might say, ‘rough patch’ both economically and socially. This can only mean many families looking to migrate to improve their quality of life quality, and at that time America was just the perfect place for that. Of all countries in America, Peru was often advertised by the Japanese government as the perfect place to grow, but this was far from the truth.
Japanese immigrants arrived only to realize Peru has its own trouble, with an adjusting economy their only place could be in the agricultural branch, with low pay and physically intense jobs. Despite this, families relied on what comforts people the most: food. But as an immigrant trying to recreate your traditional dishes with whatever ingredients are at hand always results in an interesting, new mix.
Slowly, Japanese families began doing better and opened small food businesses and restaurants; with ingredients they could afford to bring from back home and Peruvian resources they had at hand. It wasn’t long before Asian-Peruvian food leaked into what they call urban restaurant culture.
So, at a slow but steady pace Japan earned a place in the heart ofPeruvian food and cuisine. And even though there’s a bigger Chinese population in the country, it was Japanese techniques and ingredients that endured through time and marked history forever giving birth to Nikkei cuisine.
Nikkei is a term coined for people living outside Japan, later it started to refer also the result of the combination of Japanese andPeruvian food; which by the way, is one of the most exotics you’ll find in Peru.
The most common ingredients from Japan used for Nikkei cuisine are miso sauce, ginger in many forms, soy sauce (Sillao Kikko), wasabi and rice vinegar, to name a few. As forPeruvian food it’s common to see lots of potatoes as base for meals, corn and of course Peruvianají paste or pepper paste. It’s probably hard to imagine what kind of dishes can be made with different ingredients, but the results are actually quite tasty.
One of Peru’s most popular dishes is ceviche, and it happens to have a strong Japanese influence. This is the result of the Japanese mastering the use of raw fish in its meals, thanks to the maceration of the meat with the citrics from the lemon juice. Mixed with ají amarillo paste to add a touch of spice, this recipe is loved by many all over the world. Click here to learn the full recipe forceviche.
Another cool, exotic and fancy (when presented correctly) recipe that results from a mix of Japanese andPeruvian food is the Barranquito. This recipe consists of fine slices of fresh salmon over a bed of sweet potato (a very common Peruvian ingredient). This meal also has wasabi and cocona, an Amazonian fruit.
If you’re looking for a quick bite there’s also Nikkei cuisine snacks you can enjoy. Empanadas are a very common meal in Peru because of their pocket size and ease to eat on the go. Some empanadas are filled with Japanese curry, which gives them a strong yet delicious taste.
As you can see, there are no accidents when it comes to food, and in the case ofPeruvian food it has been an incredible turn of events which resulted in one of the most eclectic cuisines in the world. If you haven’t tried Japanese- Peruvian meals you’re missing out on a very rare yet amazing mix.
In Sen Sakana, a buzzy newly-opened restaurant located in Midtown Manhattan, Japanese-Peruvian cuisine is featured on the menu. In a spacious, multi-leveled space, guests can try genre-bending food items, like ceviche topped with shrimp dashi and Japanese empanadas with curry.
A sushi chef makes the chirashi con choclo(a dish that consists of fish and substantial Peruvian corn) in the small seating sushi bar. In addition, they serve cocktails made with pisco or garnished with Katsuobushi.
To the uninitiated (and maybe most Midtown lunch-goers), it could be the newest, most fashionable concept of fusion that is sweeping the city.
But in reality, the menu's vastness is rooted in the ages of food and culture. You might be conscious of the Japanese diaspora that is located in Latin America. Many are unfamiliar with the food that results from this, called Nikkei, the Japanese word meaning emigrants and their descendants. It is well-known beyond the tiny percentage (less than 1%) of Japanese-Peruvians.
The history isn't new. For a long time, there have been diasporas, and chefs and home cooks have been required to feed their communities in recent locations. When people cook old recipes using unfamiliar and foreign ingredients, the blueprints of new culinary styles begin to emerge.
For instance, chifa--the food originated from forced Cantonese workers who came in huge waves during the 19th century in Peru. If you've ever eaten Peruvian food, you've likely had the pleasure of chifa.
Lomo saltado, the famous spicy, vinegary stir fry made of vegetables, beef, and french fries, is built on the Chinese method with its solid base of rice and potatoes. It is an excellent illustration of a broader combination of traditional and modern ingredients.
While there are Peruvians of Chinese descendants in comparison to Japanese, Nikkei is also an integral part of Peru's culinary tradition. Sen Sakana is the co-executive chef. Mina Newman, a Peruvian-American who gained her fame in New York under Drew Nieporent, would like people to be aware. "People say, 'Oh, it's a fusion,'" she says. "It's not a fusion. The Japanese families that went to Peru centuries ago, the people born there, consider themselves Peruvian."
She believes that"fusion" doesn't reflect the Japanese diaspora's cultural heritage as well as their contribution to Peruvian foods: "It's not a fad. This is their life. This is their culture." In Sen Sakana, she assists guides a group of Japanese and Peruvian cooks who help bring the spirit of Nikkei food to the forefront.
A convergence of social and economic elements in the 19th century triggered the Japanese diaspora's move to the Americas. Peru was often advertised as a dream destination by the Japanese Meiji government.
However, it was not. In the recent past, independent Peru was still in the process of transitioning from an economy dependent on slavery, and the forced agriculture system that followed could be brutal.
In cities, the rapid consolidation of labor divisions based on race meant Japanese immigrants had to do menial or labor-intensive tasks. At the same time, they were ghettoized in the most undesirable areas.
Social and legal discrimination hindered mobility, political participation upward, and pathways toward citizenship for people of Japanese heritage. However, within a few years, the Japanese-Peruvian community had become a part of the nation's social and economic infrastructure with high levels of small-scale businesses and prominent notable cultural figures such as poetry writer Jose Watanabe and painter Venancio Shinki. In addition, they cooked up what would later become an undercurrent of Peruvian food across the nation and soon became a part of the mainstream dining culture.
Growing up in a Peruvian family living in New York, Newman wasn't acquainted with the Japanese diaspora that was part of her family's country. It was only when she was old enough that she encountered Asian-Americans who spoke Spanish on Lima's streets during the summers that she spent in Peru. Lima.
After being introduced to Nikkei food, she admits, "I was beside myself. I didn't know." She hopes Sen Sakana will provide a crucial counterpoint to the explosion of the criollo-style Peruvian restaurants across the States. "Peruvian food is so popular," she states, "but it's so much more than ceviche."
To complete the project, she sought the assistance of chef Taku Nagai, who was previously the chef for Ootoya (where she used to be a frequent guest). "I used to go all the time," she recalls. "I loved how they prepared the rice there.
We became friends." Nagai says: "She would always order sake, so I eventually came to know her as the 'good sake customer.'" When she informed him that she would like to start a Nikkei restaurant in New York, Nagai was eager to break away from his strict Japanese training--"Of course, I was unable to say no."
What exactly does it mean to be Nikkei food? The lines between them can be blurred, but, as Newman says, much of what we consider Peruvian food has been influenced and sometimes improved through Japanese cooking. For instance, ceviche.
While it's tempting to envision Japanese migrants being welcomed into Peru with a familiar seafood recipe, Newman argues that modern ceviche is due to its influence. "In Peru, they used to cook seafood until it was done, done, done," she declares. "They used to cook ceviche for hours."
Newman says that most of Peru's famous fish dishes were popularized due to Japanese cooks. For example, Tiradito Tiradito, a dish made of raw fish sliced along with an aji hot sauce, is thought to be an interpretation of Sashimi.
Newman states that Nikkei cooks widely used some of the ingredients that are nowadays staples, and she says that in her own experience, "people never used to use octopus or eel." Its term Sen Sakana, which translates to "one thousand fishes," is intended to represent the bounty of seafood in the Peruvian ocean. Newman asserts, without a word, she believes"that "it's because of the Japanese influence that we've learned to handle the fish better."
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