Cusco and impressions
I am not a religious person but I experienced two very different but profoundly exalting experiences in Peru that could be described as deeply spiritual. The first was Machu Picchu which I suppose everyone experiences in a different way and the other was a Mass, my first in years, on the occasion of the celebration in honor of the patron saint of Cusco, el Señor de los Temblores, a black Christ dressed in colorful native wear.
Most photos by Pedro Luis de Aguinaga
The gorgeous cathedral at the Plaza de Armas, or town square, smelled of burning wax candles, incense, and exuberant tuberoses, or maybe there were lilies and roses, and the glorious harmonized aleluyas of a tiny choir with a somewhat out of tune violin tugged at my heart strings. A man stood just to the left of the entrance door, drawing energy from a stone idol represented now by the saint or figure being celebrated today.
Inside the church the faithful face the resplendent silver altar rapt in prayer, hands outstretched and cupped to receive the blessings of the priest enunciating the Mass clearly in the Quechua language in a baritone voice. Some men hold their hats to their chest . I envy but do not seek their faith and devout fervor –twelve years of Catholic boarding school can do that to you. Still I was pleased when an ancient priest dipped a bunch of roses in holy water and hit me on the head with them to bless me before going on to bless a woman praying the rosary with her dog at her feet. In this city dogs who follow their master are allowed anywhere! And you will never see any dog doodoo or a cigarette butt anywhere. Peru in general is the cleanest country I have ever been to and Cusco has the friendliest people in a very friendly country.
Cusco sits prettily at an altitude of near 11K feet. Some people have trouble breathing and get headaches at this altitude. I did not but I couldn’t walk on the cobblestones, could not digest my food, and just didn’t feel great no matter how many cups of fresh Coca leaf tea I had. We arrived in late afternoon and had to explore and Cusco at night is magical.
Our best meal in Cusco was at a little hole-in-the wall called Los Mundialistas where they only had two dishes to offer at the time we were there but both beautifully prepared and served: chicharron de puerco and asado de puerco . They also serve an intense chicken soup for breakfast but run out early.
The meat is marinated overnight in chicha but not according to this recipe on yanuq.com, a site recommended to me by food people in the know in Lima. The recipe is in Spanish but I will soon test and translate it
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The Chicharron was the only other dish offered at the time (they also serve chicken soup for breakfast but run out early) and it too was delicious. This is not really a home dish so I won’ give you a recipe but here is the picture. Its really just as piece of fried pork but pork that has an intense flavor not like the cardboard kind one usually finds in US supermarkets, One interesting thing about this dish is that they serve it with fresh mint leaves and the fabulous mote, the most satisfying corn on the cob I’ve ever had and that I became addicted to and brought back home on my hips!
Our first meal was at the Inka Grill, a highly touted place that thought was mediocre at best. The meal seemed promising because the Pisco Sour was good as were the salt-baked tiny potatoes they served as an appetizer with a delicious sauce made with soda crackers, milk, an aji paste and the distinctive herb called huacatay without which you really cannot duplicate the food of this marvelous country
The technicolor tiradito was scary looking but remarkably pretty good.
Lomo Saltado, another local chifo (Chinese-inspired) specialty had unexploited possibilities.
Conclusion: Cusco is not a culinary stronghold but the market that I will write about next is worth the trip.
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