In My Kitchen with Paula

The Heart of Peru: Cuisine and Culture with Ericka La Madrid

• Paula Mohammed

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What if the most memorable part of visiting Peru isn’t Machu Picchu… ?

In this episode, I sit down with Ericka La Madrid, founder of Delectable Peru Food Tours, a proud Peruvian who grew up surrounded by big family tables, Andean flavours, and the kind of culinary traditions that carry stories across generations. Today, she helps travellers experience Peru through its kitchens, markets, and regional dishes.

Erica, is generously offering a 5% discount on when you book a tour with her, just mention the podcast episode and that you are following Delectable Food Tours and In My Kitchen on Instagram

You’ll hear about:

🍽️ Why the family table is central to Peruvian culture and how memories and meals are inseparable
 🌊 How Peru’s three regions: Coast, Andes, and Amazon shape its iconic dishes
 🍋 The magic of ceviche (plus why it’s not as simple as it looks!)
 🏡 What it’s really like to cook with locals in Lima, from tamale masters to home-kitchen chefs
 ✈️ Travel tips, cultural etiquette, and how to experience Peru safely and meaningfully
 🥔 Fun fact: Peru has over 3,000 varieties of potatoes — and Erica tells us why it matters

This episode will inspire you to travel with curiosity, savour new experiences slowly, and embrace the stories behind every dish.


HELPFUL LINKS

🧑🏽‍💻 Delectable Peru Food Tours: https://delectableperu.com
 📸 Erica’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delectableperu_food_tours
📧 Book a tour / contact Erica: info@delectableperu.com or text/call:  ( 703) 725-0616
🍋 Erica’s Ceviche Recipe: Find it at exploreinmykitchen.com

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SAY HELLO

In My Kitchen creates connections one dish, one story, one journey at a time, by exploring culture through food. We do this through unique culinary workshops, speaking engagements, and of course, this podcast.

I'd love to hear from you! Connect with me in one of three ways:


Hi, I'm Paula Mohammed and welcome to In My Kitchen with Paula. This podcast is a gathering place for culinary adventures who love to travel. Every week, we'll come together with chefs, cookbook authors, talented home cooks, and everyone in between to talk about their story and their unique dish using food as the vehicle will take a ride into the ins and outs of their culture and country. Come on, let's get this party started. Today we're traveling well, at least in spirit. To one of the culinary capitals of the world now Peru, and I'm absolutely thrilled about this conversation. My guest is Erica La Madrid, a proud Peruvian who splits her time between Lima and Virginia, and the founder of Delectable, Peru Food Tours, which is an immersive, deeply local culinary experience company that brings travelers straight into the heart of Peru's food culture. What I love about Erica is her story is woven into the very dishes and traditions she shares. She grew up in a multi-generational Peruvian household, filled with big family tables, vibrant ceviche and de, and and stews, Chinese Peruvian chifa dishes, and those unforgettable grandmother made meals that shaped her love of food. After years living abroad, she returned to Peru and found a food scene transformed Creative chefs, global recognition and rich fusion that still honors Peru's, deep indigenous African, Japanese, and Chinese roots. In this episode. You'll hear how Erica's childhood memories became the foundation for her food tours. How Peruvian cuisine evolved into one of the most celebrated in the world now, and what it truly means to experience Peru, not just from the plate, but through its people, its regions, and its stories. She also shares practical insights for visiting Peru today, not just Machu Picchu. We also talk about cultural etiquette around food, and yes, we talk ceviche. In fact, Erica has generously shared a ceviche recipe for you, and you'll find it at explore In My Kitchen dot com. So wherever you are walking, cooking, gardening, or planning your next trip, settle in with me. This conversation is full of heart history and the flavors of Peru.

Paula:

Erica, welcome to the show. I'm so excited to have you here today.

Ericka:

Thank you for having me.

Paula:

Erica is a proud Peruvian living between Lima, Peru and Virginia USA, and we just established that today she's coming to us from Virginia. Erica is also the founder of Delectable, Peru Food Tours Delectable. Peru Food Tours is a unique and interactive tour company exploring the culinary capital of South America, Lima, Peru, and we're gonna get into a lot more about that because I am. Personally very interested to hear more. I actually was in Peru way back in 2002 and I don't know if I told you this, but I'm going back in March on route to the Galapagos Island. this has been on my mind. And my youngest son was in Peru this past summer. He was volunteering, in the Amazon at a animal conservation area. Yes, Peru has been on my mind and when I came across you, I was so excited, Erica, to get in touch and to have you be so welcoming to do a chat together. I am looking forward to hearing how things have changed since I was there 20 plus years ago. Learn more about the culture and especially to hear your personal story. Erica. So let's, let's go right from the beginning. I understand you grew up in Peru. You started off in Peru, so what was that like? and without revealing your age to us, maybe you can give us a decade or era of that time that you were there growing up in Peru.

Ericka:

I'm 49, so it's not a big deal. I like to just, my agent is, been like a few years since my childhood and my memories, but they're fresh on my mind because I feel like every time you sit in the table and you chair, Dish like from Peru or you're in a restaurant or you're in a family, you know, gather is always memories that come with the meals, right? That's kind of like the purpose of, these experience celebrations for me, every time you sit in the table and you share meals with people, it's like a celebration, you know, because you have opportunities to talk to, learn more about the family or friends, and it is. Probably one of the reasons, as Peruvians, we're so proud of our food is because it's a time to enjoy and time to be, just amazing. It is special. It I know sometimes it is oh, Peruvians and you, oh yeah, you have the best food in the world. But it is true. It's true. We are lucky too. I'm blessed to have this amazing land where we have, fruits, vegetables, and so many things that make our food so special. And talking about my childhood. Yeah. So lucky to have grandparents and the family that were very close. Actually, my grandparents from my mom's side are from Cusco, from And so they came to the city, around 1820. They move, you know, looking for a better life in the city. And the roots were very, into the Andes and, looking always for like these family get togethers and mostly, most of my uncles, they. Travel since they were younger, moving to all areas abroad. And but one of the things that keep us as family is those get togethers and the sharing the food and Yeah. Talking about my childhood is just that, you know, moments where we share ceviche or when we share like a. Creole food. We call it comida criolla food made, you know, stews meats, the and we have a lot of variety. Of course, all these fusions we have with Chinese food and Japanese food and food from Africa. So our food is amazing. But all these blends and the fusion with all the different cultures are also amazing.

Paula:

If I can picture a day in the life of Erica when, you were growing up in Peru, what would those meals look like in the time of day? What was the flow of the meals for a typical day?

Ericka:

We have a big table. We have also, like my grandma used to have delicious like dishes, or Yuto that is like a special dish from her native cusco and potatoes, like dried potatoes called like chuño. That is kind of like a chicken. Probably you, you try it in Peru. It is a chicken with, yellow sauce with chili. And then, uh, they use the bread. And they, put it with rice and potatoes and the ceviche is kind of like part of something at least in the coast, like close to the ocean. We have a variety of seafood, like fishes and fish and seafood in general. So we're lucky to have that. And the ceviches a national dish, but from that is so many more. And yeah, like I say, these, the moments are like sitting the table. Looking at the big dishes, many dishes. My grandma was like into cooking big meals for the family, but also oh, let's try, to learn about food from China. And then in Peru we have a immigration, like a community, people that if you go to to different areas in Lima, you're gonna find chifas chifas is how you call it, like the fusion in between Peru and China. And we have different dishes that are, could be very similar, like fried rice will be a Peruvian fried rice, that we call chafa or like different dishes that are like. So she decide, oh, I wanna learn about that. And she takes, she, she used to talk like some courses about that, and so she surprised us with these big meals and things like that. So that's special for me because there's special moments, but she just have her time, spend, just learning about different, besides the good hands they have for our dishes, she start like checking other stuff to do.

Paula:

At a very young age, you were exposed to a real variety of cooking and dishes.

Ericka:

And she always tells, like one of the things very quick I was, is okay, pick a day. During the week, it could be Saturday or the during the week, you gonna do your favorite dish, but you are the one in charge of it, And then until now, with my kids, I'll be like, okay, learn if you like that dish, learn it so well that you can share with others. So you'll need to learn it to do it, share with others. And then he comes forever. Like you'll know forever that.

Paula:

Exactly. My son just texted me. He's at university as well. And he is first year where they're living not in a dorm. And he's just said, mom, I'm going to the grocery store. I need some ideas. And it's, and he likes to cook, but I realized that they were, they would cook very creative dishes but not necessarily know how to do day to day, weekly meals, is a bit different. would dinner. Be the main meal in Peru, or is it lunch

Ericka:

Lunch, lunch. Lunch will be an weekend, but mostly Sundays. We have a very famous breakfast with pan con chicharron. That is pork, right? Pork with sandwich that is probably, right now it's big. Everybody's bloggin with influencers and they have a big award where oh, competing like this country with these different sandwich and we have our Panko chicharron that is the port sandwich. Who is gonna be the winner? So everybody's like voting. So that, that now is like my mind is. Pork and yeah, I think that's a staple, like breakfast in the morning on Sundays or lunch with the family, or we can extend the whole probably, but.

Paula:

What took you to the US and how old were you when you went from Peru to the us?

Ericka:

I was about 19, almost 20, we're talking about nineties where like the terrorism was very violent and the country was not really in a very stable situation. My family with the history, with my uncles and stuff they suggest what about, trying to explore other options. That's when, was my first trip to the US and I started in Florida and I met wonderful people there. Eh, I stayed for almost 12 years. And then after that, when they we're talking 2010 things were like better. And the kids were little. It was like, I feel like time for me to spend with my grandparents and with my family, and the kids were little, so I decide to move back. And then that's when I spent almost seven, seven years there. And that's where like the opportunity for the travel and food tours started. And it was, I think, yeah, it was hard because it was a whole transition for me and the kids and the whole family. But it was a good, I think like families are so important that what I had when I was little. I think it's something that, I wanna transfer to my kids. They have the time with my grandparents, their grand great-grandparents that now they're in somewhere else better. But they have that right. They can say, oh, I spend time with them and I learn, the roots. It is different when you just visit and try to be there for a few days or something than living with them.

Paula:

Absolutely. What a gift to give to your kids to have that time with their great grandparents.

Ericka:

Yeah. And it was a great decision because like I say, it was an opportunity because everything come, came on the, oh, what about you give recommendations to people to go and eat places, right? Why you don't put together a plan, because that's what people come to visit from us and everywhere. Around, eh, they were like, Erica, did you visit a new place this week? Give us a recommendation. So I keep up, I have my red notebook with all these places and the, my favorite dishes and things like that. And for me it was something new for me. It's like a discovery because I was away for so long and rediscovering, so many new places in my country. So I was ah. Surprised mood all the time. I was my tourist in my own country.

Paula:

I read somewhere that when you came back and started the Delectable Peru food tours, One of the things that motivated you was you were so impressed to see where the food scene had evolved to. Can you tell us a little bit about that? How it had changed from when you left to when you arrived back?

Ericka:

Because like I say, I left Peru the first time in around nineties. And that was the times where, you know, getting out and have family dinners outside and restaurants was like, oh, let's go to Italian restaurant, right? Let's go for a pizza, or for pasta or for something different because Peruvian food will be just. At home, like what grandma will do with my aunt, my mama, or like something like that. We'll never be like we going out because we wanna have a good ceviche or something like that. So we were not used to just go out for trying our food. It was like that was at home. Something else will be. So I think that was my curiosity because when I returned and we're talking about 2010. Everything was like, wow, those dishes, and those are all Peruvian dishes, like the way they presented it was a revolutionary for me and for the whole transition. I felt like it was a whole open eye for the people like looking into the dishes with these, glamorous presentation, but flavors in the high end, in A 3D, presentation and the flavors too, like that you can see that you can trace things that are, amazing, but in a better way. And of course, the internationalization of our Peruvian chefs and the importance of so many amazing chef that went away and return and give us all these art and stuff like that.

Paula:

Creativity. Tell us a little bit about this type of food tours that you offer in Lima. Yeah.

Ericka:

So basically the whole experience started for writing each of the recommendations. And I'm like, when people go visit museums, it is because they wanna learn about the history. They wanna learn about what everything started, right? When you go to a restaurant, it's something like that because behind this restaurant is also a story to tell like about the chef, about the dish, about the, everything that is involved around that. Of course, it's not a museum, but it's like a lot of things to tell. From, the ingredients that come from the local market or they come from fishermen artisanal or even the farmers that, are taking care for the potatoes. And there's so many things that you can start, like a whole conversation, about that. So for me it was the idea is to tell more. It was not just sitting down and just enjoying, which is great. Because you have time. But if you have a little more time, you can, learn more about this chef and what is behind the restaurant, the efforts going, in there. And I'm so proud now to tell that so many of these chefs and these restaurants grow so much because they're earning. These awards, and you probably saw that it's 50 best restaurants. And I'm like, they really work hard to keep up because it's not easy. Like you will say, oh, you're having a restaurant and then it is really dedicating your life and your 24 probably is your first home, and then the other one is your second home because you need to be there most of the time. So that's, I think it's important knowing even when we stop and visit a local market where. Markets change and people, they move around. But we used to have this guy that, for me was like the master ceviche. And he has a small stand where the family, it was the sister that tell fish and seafood, and then in the other corner was the daughter. There was offering soups and the other corner was like him preparing the ceviche. And it was a whole, example of the family working together, but also it's oh, I met them like probably 15 years ago and I'm telling them like, they worked so hard, they provide this and then we're a part of the whole visit. And so that is very special for me because it is even. Is changing. It is like it stays with you that so hardworking people, us doing the best to. And that's probably what tourists see when they we're very welcoming. In Peru, we are going always gonna smile or hug you even if we don't know you, we know you like for an hour or so. So that, besides the food and all the good stuff and the offer, I think it's also like that the attitude and the way that we receive people.

Paula:

I am, really quite pleased with myself that I've found you, Erica, because my listeners are seeking experiences as exactly like what you offer, an experience where you can get to know the culture, the people, the country, the history. The identity behind the dishes, behind the recipes, and behind the chefs who are making it. I hope some of my listeners will, if you're going to Peru, I know I, I'm for sure gonna be talking to you on the side about my upcoming trip.

Ericka:

I hope that we can meet at some point in March. It is birthday, it's around 13th, so I always try to be around family, so hopefully we have the same date so we can get together.

Paula:

I really love getting into the kitchen of someone who's local. Do you do any in-home culinary experiences?

Ericka:

Yes, actually, with all these connections, we try to, depending on the times, because like I say, try to plan this for three, four months in advance, but closer to the day we can confirm really could be like, chef or like a lady that love to do tamales or like to welcome people in their home and wanna do some empanadas or dishes that are Peruvian typical. So it's a lady, eh, her name is Maria Sunga, and she is like the master of tamales, all types of colors and everything. So I always, oh, I wanna visit you. And she's come anytime. Mostly we try, after COVID and Pandemic, we closed those experience where there were like too close and that was like a transition. But it's just, like I say, have, I'm lucky to have so many connections that, with those connections I know oh, this lady. It will be great for showing us how to do the tamales, or this lady will be great to do like the dishes, or even is one that is just specific to Peruvian desserts or one that is anti ccho only. So it's just so many options that we can just plant something totally different than the regular. And like I say, I love the high-end restaurants. I love like the local, it's like just a variety you can pick from anything.

Paula:

One of my interviews that I did with a gentleman named Michael Moto, Medi, interesting guy. He, you may have heard of him. He's quite big on social media and he was, a master chef contender, but he's traveling the world with his young family and has been doing it for three years. And anyway, when we were interviewing, I made the comment like, I'm not necessarily looking for the Michelin star experience. I want that behind the scenes. And he said something to me that changed my perspective on that. And he said that he welcomes that Michelin star experience because it's a platform and an opportunity where you can see how creative. Chefs are getting in a region I never really looked at it that way before and I thought, it's a really good point. It's also celebrating the innovation of chefs and the dishes that they're doing now, I know from my experience when I started In My Kitchen, the process of recruiting hosts and vetting. And finding people who'll be a good fit for these experiences. How did you, and how do you select the restaurants and the chefs and the partners that you bring people to in your tours?

Ericka:

So it's been, like I say, more than th probably 14 years now. I just keep up with the times. Like I say I was so into the times where they were like just chef coming out and starting the restaurants or just. Becoming very famous. So they were not that famous in that time. And now it's like they're unreachable because they're keep traveling and they have restaurants all over Dubai. They have restaurants in for Lauder, like everywhere. One of the famous chef that I really admire is Gastón Acurio is like, they call him like the Jamie Oliver, on the big and he really. Until now, still working. Very hard to put through right there, and I think it was the right time because I was able to meet him and many others, and I'm lucky to just like. Text him and say, oh, I have this group, can we go to your restaurant? Or let's plan something in that. So he has many brands like part of ceviche, like a seafood restaurant. Another one is like a high end, but they also have one that has a Peruvian. And then with that, it's many more the other one is Virgilio Martinez. That is the owner of Central. And if you start looking into these restaurants, you're gonna be, wow, this is amazing. He Lio, for example, he is in chef tables. You go searching ne Netflix chef table. One of the Peruvian chefs, he is there. I'm like, I know this guy.

Paula:

Yeah. Fantastic.

Ericka:

And I'm like, I'm so like, and they're so humble and amazing people, and like I say, just the honor, the one from the top of the best of the world that is fusion between Japanese and Peruvian. It's his name is Mitsuharu and his restaurant name is Maido. So I'm like, oh my God, these people is amazing. I'm so lucky that I, got to meet them at some point and they're doing amazing things and that is just so many, is a female chef, Martha, that is now in Florida and other, amazing people that I'm like. So just reach and say, oh my God, I wanna visit you, when the restaurant can, I go and they're just getting together and hug them like, friends that I don't probably see very often.

Paula:

You've got these personal relationships with these proprietors.

Ericka:

I think that's important to keep up with these connections and these people that are doing amazing things, for everybody because, yeah, we talk about restaurants like high-end restaurants restaurants from all over, but all that, have people, it's a whole community that you are supporting, not just that restaurant. You're supporting the whole team that is. Part of this place, right? And in the, if they're putting the name of a country out there in the world, it's because they're doing it for everybody.

Paula:

Let's move on to talk more about the cuisine and culture of Peru in general. Can you tell us a little bit about the diversity? Of the food in Peru, like the different regions, just oh, but before you do that, in case there's anybody that wants to quickly book a tour with you and they don't wanna listen to the rest of the podcast, how do we find Delectable food tours? And I'll Peru Food tours, and I'll put it in the show notes as well.

Ericka:

We have our website that is delectableperu. com. If I'm, websites and technology, we were talking about this. If not just my phone number, I can give my phone number because you can text me and say, oh, I'm going to Peru, Erica, like just, text me and I probably not. Answer it right away, or my email, my phone number is(703) 725-0616 and then my email is info@delectableperu.com. So it's super easy.

Paula:

Perfect. Thanks for sharing that. And it'll all be in the show notes as well, and we'll bring it up again at the end. But in case anybody's itching to go book with you right away, they can do that now. Let's go back to learning more about the diversity of cuisine in Peru and the different regions.

Ericka:

You mentioned something important about the regions. The regions, we have three big regions. One is the, I mentioned the ocean, the Pacific Ocean, right? That is the coast. So the coast, you're gonna have all these fresh food from the ocean, but also the vegetation. We have Mason AP. Mangoes. And we have like where you have the highest and the hot weather, of course you have the coffee beans, the cacao, you're gonna have the bananas and all these tropical, right? And then we are gonna have the mountains that is more like in the region of the mountains, you're gonna see more stews. Food like are for meats. Potatoes and things are gonna be more classic from the middle and the Andes. Cuy. Cuy is the Guinea pig is a very typical dish in the Andes, in the mountains, and then we are gonna see the jungle. The Amazon, the Amerson is very exotic. Fruits and vegetables that you probably did not even see in Lima. You are gonna have a wild. Tomato, that's how they call it. Or fruits that are like totally into that. One that is called cocona and ca that is probably nothing that you will see anywhere that kind of cherry look like that ca that has a lot of vitamin C, eh, we have fish from the Amazon River. Eh, I am not gonna say piran, but they, some people eat piranha and some exotic dishes over there. I tried many dishes from the jungle. I will not mention all because I probably not gonna be very good into that. Eh? I wish I can have more time traveling. The Amazon, I went a couple times Totos, and for me it is so much there to try and it's so delicious just thinking about it. I'm like hungry. But yeah, it's basically, I give you a little bit of but it's probably more to, to that.

Paula:

And if you were, could describe say one traditional more indigenous style dish versus something that's more modern infusion now what two dishes would you describe for us to show that diversity between more traditional and more fusion?

Ericka:

I would say traditional. It's not traditional, could be older, but ceviche is a stable, a staple that shows like a lot of parts of what I'm telling you. The freshness of the fish, the versatility of the onions and the chilies and the corn that is the Peruvian corn is totally different to the. American corn or the Canadian corn that is so yellow. Is yellow, sweet as salty and big. The sweet potatoes, it's a mix of everything. So I would say that's classical, but also modern and shows so fresh. It is probably some people will say, oh, this is a easy dish, but all the elements in this dish not really an easy to put it together. And the freshness, oh, need to be, I don't know if I would say. Sorry for my friends in the US but it's so hard to find a good ceviche because you need to have the element of fresh ingredients and they say I will be honest, like for Guinea pig potatoes and heavy, I. When I was a kid, my grandparents, have their classical meals and that's something like very traditional from the Andes. So that will be like a dish that probably, I'm not eating it like often, but it's very typical from Peru and it's something they preserve over the years. The

Paula:

I had is, do you pronounce it kukui?

Ericka:

basically. Sh out.

Paula:

And I remember seeing it. I feel like, would it have been butterflied al and done like rotisserie style?

Ericka:

Yeah.

Paula:

yeah.

Ericka:

Appearance that is not really appealing.

Paula:

Now Erica is kindly sharing a ceviche recipe with us for for the show notes. So we'll put that in there and you can actually, you'll find it at exploreinmykitchen.com and there'll be a link for the recipe there. And I noticed you had a ceviche food tour, so I'm guessing there's a lot of different types of ceviche.

Ericka:

So people try to do like ceviche because they would like to try different types of ceviche, like the fish ceviche, the seafood ceviche, the zo ceviche, or so many types of ceviche even is a mango, which is more like into the summer in specific area. But like I say, so many. Types of ceviche or so many ways to do the ceviche. And that's but to be honest with that, we make it as part of the whole experience where you go to do ceviche, you learn how to prepare ceviche or you, if you are not into like cooking or something, okay, we teach you how it's made and the chef will prepare it in front of you and then you're gonna be delighted and eat it. And then that comes with the pisco sour. Preparation. That is our cocktail. That is with the shaker. I always bother my friends, please don't use the blender. You just take all that whole experience. You need to start shaking and do some muscle movement, and that's like my, and then we go and do three, four different stops where you try also. Peruvian classic dishes like lomo saltado. One of my favorite is papa a la huancaina. That is like the potato, mashed potato with meat inside O seco. That is like my favorite. I'm just sub my about food. My mind is and then I'm like, oh, I need to eat.

Paula:

Fun fact, when I was doing some research, I learned that Peru was the first area of the world to grow potatoes. Did you know that?

Ericka:

We, of course, that's one of the parts that I enjoy to tell people we have more than 3000 type of potatoes. And we're like, they're like, what? Yes, I wish, like we can go visit. It's an area in, and again talking about how blessed we are to visit all these wonderful places and we have a a group of friends that start harvest. And they want us to learn and see how, hard it is to work on the whole potato growing. And so we basically, a friend and his name is Alberto, and he give us a whole. Experience about, different types of potatoes. We have the 3000 types of potatoes in Peru, but in Ayacucho, in the altitude of ayacucho, they have native potatoes. That is so another type. So you probably adding more than. 4,000 right there because they have like native potatoes that probably is not big on production, but it has their qualities are red potatoes or different types of and they have different names too that, yeah, I wish we can just visit him all the time, but it is that's when you say, oh my God, how hard work is just doing all of these heavy lifting and just in your knees and picking up, and that's how you know, I learned to appreciate all these hard work and like the efforts to get all these ingredients to our

Paula:

The farm to table it's definitely what people seek and is trendy's not the right word, but we're all interested in having that experience. If you're a farmer and if you really think about what it takes to get farm to table, it's there's a lot. A lot of labor that goes into that hard labor. I'm interested to learn about some of the celebrations that your family or families in Peru would celebrate. Some of the key ones and some of the dishes that would, we would, might see at those celebrations.

Ericka:

Let's see. So in July, it's our independence Day. I would say this Independence Day come with. It's not like a dish for a specific celebration, to be honest. That I remember. Unlike, again, every time I go to places I learn something new. But when we get together and it goes with the family, like what the family wanna share, like for example in our case will be Cida Rioja. That is food from like traditional food dishes like Papa a la Huancaina. There is potato with the yellow sauce, and the olives. And then we share with everybody. And then it is the lomo saltado, another tradition that we have when it's like a birthday party or something, go, let's go to the Chifa. That is the Chinese Peruvian where we have a whole buffet with a lot of food and stuff like that. Some of my uncles, they will say, oh, let's, get together with family. And there will be like all these cocktails like Pisco Sour, Aina Chicano and things like that. So it's no, we're the drunk people, but we like to celebrate with our traditional cocktail. And I would say Christmas is another big celebration and it's a lot like celebration with very international. We will eat. Turkey, we will have like regular rice and salads. A traditional dish. I don't know, I don't remember specifically, but you see my mind. Sometimes he will play games and I will say, oh, we used to get together Eric and eat a specific dishes for this type of my mom, my grandma, when it was her birthday. She would like to have food from Areqiupa because she was a fanatic from this chili called Rocoto Relleno. And that was like she will order from anywhere. Like she, she probably knew, but she's like enjoying going to a restaurant and. Like I say, different areas or regions will have different kind of food and you need to go to specific restaurants, but it's nothing to go to the, or like the place where this food is from. So yeah, I would say, food from Arequipa from Cusco So we have so many it's a blend on the family coming from different areas on Peru that we will have a little bit of everything.

Paula:

what do you cook now for your family? Do you still make some of these dishes from your childhood or is it hard to find ingredients when you're in the us?

Ericka:

When it's in the US I go to my Latin market where I can find like frozen and stuff like chilies. So you can have that and then make a sauce with make chili. But I'll be honest, sometimes it's just so hard to find the time to do everything and more like when the kids are in college and everything and working in the morning. So yeah, I try like during the weekend to get together and do barbecues and stuff like that. But yeah, it's very Americanized,

Paula:

having you here on the show is a great opportunity for my listeners and myself'cause I'm gonna be heading over there to learn a little bit more or to learn anything about the etiquette. Like any cultural etiquettes and travel tips, especially around if we have the opportunity to share a meal with somebody there, go into somebody's home.

Ericka:

You need to remember, for us, food is so important. I'm just tell my kids that like if somebody offered you something, yes, please don't. Say no because you make people feel like regret or like oh, what It like the way people show you love when they prepare something to you and when you're like, no, I don't wanna eat this. I'm like, even if I don't. Like it, or I don't wanna eat it, I will eat it because it's them showing me they're doing, they're preparing something for me and it's something special. So that I think is very important. I think in times like that, sometimes we don't notice, little small little things that people do with, for us is just very big for them.

Paula:

That's a really good point and yeah, thanks for sharing that. And you mentioned I thought it was really interesting what you said about people go to Peru and they go to Machu Picchu, which exactly what I did, we showed up in. Cusco for one or two days, and this was back in 2002. And what a beautiful place that was. It's probably changed a lot now too. We acclimatized not long enough and then we hit Machu Picchu and that was, oh, and then we were in Lima just for a day, so I really didn't experience much of Peru back then. So you were mentioning it for people to go. To see the ocean. And what were some other places or some other tips that you had about travelers visiting Peru?

Ericka:

It's because it's so many places, and I understand because Machu Picchu is like an amazing place to go. For me I can live there like it is. It's just. A wow moment. Like it's a place where you can go over and over. It will never be the same experience. And I wanna say it is amazing that you, your introduction is Machu Picchu or was a Machu Picchu. And then if you have the opportunity to go back and do the Amazon, do the, that is close to the Titicaca, The border of Bolivia or you go to the jungle where you're gonna see all these amazing places and the visit the Amazon River, go to Arequipa where we have the Misty and the Colca Canyon. It's just so many places. There is probably, I'm not gonna be the one that will. know all, or it's just so many amazing. ANCA and like the tru, eh the ura. We have Ali we have c deco ca eh, a, we have a like I say, it's so many places that you can be.

Paula:

It's a place to take more than just a few days, it sounds and really if you have the chance to really explore it and spend more time there. When I was when I was last in Peru it was soon after the fall of President Alberto Fujimori in 2000. And I guess it was pretty much the calm after the storm. It was interesting. At back then, I wish I was, took more interest in the politics of what was happening. But I remember sharing a car ride with a woman there and she was, I feel like she was an educator or professor and she really was talking to my friend and I, it was a difficult time for the people. She said there was very hard to make a living. I just realized that I'm gonna be going there. Planning to go in March and it's gonna be a month before your next elections. Will things be st, are they stable in Peru right now? Are there any concerns I should have around traveling around that time? Any thoughts around that?

Ericka:

What happened with travel, like going to anywhere in the world, you need to just be careful wherever you go, just be alert. The tourist areas are, for me, still protected because people, Peru is big in tourism, so we want not the people to be scared. So that will be, something to consider to visit the areas where you see, and if you see something that is oh my God, something is going on. Just to stay away from the areas that are and just be advised by a local that will know the areas where you should be going and not outgoing. And like I said. Politics like everywhere. You want, it's like my mom, my grandma used to say like in the table, don't bring religion, don't bring politics because it's. It's gonna be contradictions. It's always gonna be, and yeah, I'm like nothing we are proud of. Because governments were, just messy everywhere and yeah, sadly with our presidents, not just once many more are in jail, just paying for the the things they did. And yeah, sadly that corruption and all those things, come and play when it's like talking with. This beautiful country and beautiful people that tried their best to, go day by day. But yeah, just be alert. Any travel will tell you like. In the best places. I have different situations, so you need to just be alert and careful. Like when we travel or we visit some places, I try to be very specific try not to rush into traffic because why you wanna. Be in Lima Center and the specific time, if you know you're gonna spend two hours stuck in traffic, like you need to pick the times that will be right and probably the weekends are better than the weekdays or things like that. There is small probably, just using the your senses and Okay, maybe that will be better than not during the week. There is so much going on and yeah, we have sometimes difficulty where they close. Roads and you wanna go to a place and it's closed. Sadly, you cannot do this specific tour because, we cannot control things like that.

Paula:

More more important than ever to really. As a traveler if you can do tours or get involved with a local like yourself, Erica, who it's not, I think oftentimes we think oh, I like to travel independently. I like to do my own thing. And I often say that if you have your tools set in place or you've got a local guide that you're gonna meet, it just. Brings up so many more layers of experiences that you can have, but it also allows you the comfort to be a little bit to let, to go with the flow and let it bend.'cause you don't have to worry about those things. So I think you bring up a really good point that if if we get a chance to work with locals in our travels, it's very valuable.

Ericka:

And you add to the country, you are helping economy too, and travel light. Why you wanna bring so much going on? Like you don't need fancy earrings or fancy anything. You just need to travel the light as possible.

Paula:

Great advice. That's a great great advice for life in general.

Ericka:

That will be something I many smart people.

Paula:

Yes. Erica, this has been such a pleasure to chat with you. Just remind us again if people wanna follow you and book some tours with you or get in touch with you. The best way to do that.

Ericka:

so for me, the website is great. But when you send a message on Instagram and the delectableper_food_tours the tools, I will see it right away. And Facebook like Erica La Madrid, or you can find me in Delectable, Peru. And yeah, it's basically, social media is like.

Paula:

Perfect. And that'll all be in the show notes along with you can get the recipe, which I can't wait to try for Erica ceviche at Explore In My Kitchen dot com. And yeah, thanks so much. I'm looking forward to chatting to you about my Future visit. Yeah.

Ericka:

I'm excited and I hope that we can have like time together in Peru because that will be my pleasure to show you around and it's just so many things to do. It's just really never enough time.

Paula:

Yeah. Yeah. No, I'd love that. Thank you, Erica.

Ericka:

Thank you

Paula:

That was fantastic. What a great conversation. I hope like me, you're leaving with a deeper understanding of Peru. Not just the cuisine, but the diversity of the regions culturally and in their cuisine. This is why I love exploring culture through cuisine. Huge. Thank you to Erica for joining me today. Um, if you like me, are planning a trip to Peru, check her out, check out her food tours. They sound absolutely ama amazing and her. Beautiful connections that she has with the culinary scene in Peru Today is, uh, next to none. All of her contact info is in the show notes, as well as that ceviche recipe you can find at explore In My Kitchen dot com. As always, thank you so much for being here and for listening. Uh, don't forget to slow down, SAV. Smile in your tours and if you can leave a review, we would greatly appreciate it and join the In My Kitchen community of Mindful Curious Travelers at Explore In My Kitchen dot com. Until next time, I'm Paula, and this is In My Kitchen with Paula. We'll catch you on the next episode.

Contributor

Paula Mohammed

Host