Home > International > Americas > Eat Well and be Wealthy
Eat Well and be Wealthy
By Hector Ramos Samanez, Peru
While it has been said that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, soon people may say the way to Peru's burgeoning economy was through global recognition of its cuisine.
Boasting ecological and climatic diversity enough to make any professional chef envious, Peru is banking on the fact that people all over the world will soon be bellying-up to Peruvian ceviche (marinated white fish), escabeche criollo" (pickled fish), "anticucho" (grilled beef heart), "chupe de pescado" (fish cioppino), "lomo saltado" (sliced beef), and "cuy chactado" (herbed guinea pig), and more. Once that happens, Peru's stagnant economy will get a kick as Peruvian restaurants become as hot as Andean yellow chili peppers.
"The idea is simple - create a Peruvian food industry capable of competing with popular pizzerias, taco restaurants and sushi bars around the world. This would also increase the demand for Peruvian products." -Hector Ramos
And why not? Just a few years ago The Economist predicted, "Peru can lay claim to one of the world's dozen or so great cuisines." Lima, the capital of Peru, was then declared the Gastronomic Capital of the Americas at the Fourth International Summit of Gastronomy Madrid Fusion (2006), which is regarded as the world's most important gastronomic forum.
But what makes this cuisine so rich and deserving of compliments? Part of the answer lies in Peru's historical ethnic mixes - Spanish, Basque, African, Sino-Cantonese, Japanese, Italian, French, British have all made indigenous contributions to this unique cuisine. But Peruvian delicacies have also been shaped by a rich pre-Incan and Incan cultural heritage. Recipes exist for the 4000 varieties of potatoes that grow in Peru, of which 200 are commercialized.
But this gastronomy was only pleasurable to those living in or visiting Peru - that is until last year when 26 Peruvian chefs cashed in on the concept of internationalizing Peruvian foods. They founded the Peruvian Gastronomy Association (APEGA) under the concept of Peruvian food as an industry to export.
The question remains - what economic revenues will the cuisine bring to the country and how will that benefit the Peruvian people?
The Peruvian economy is currently experiencing a boom from the mining industry and other sectors of the economy are having improvements as well - although history reminds us that these kinds of booms do not last forever.
But when it comes to good food, long term economic growth is all but guaranteed with enduring economic growth benefiting all segments of society. "Our faith is born out of analysis, not an illusion ... out of a sense of duty and the conviction that we chefs are real actors in the process of transformation Peru requires," said Gaston Acurio, a national and internationally renowned chef. "We firmly believe that success in Peruvian restaurants worldwide will bring with it many direct and indirect benefits … and the permanent bases for the stability of our country".
The idea is simple - create a Peruvian food industry capable of competing with popular pizzerias, taco restaurants and sushi bars around the world. This would also increase the demand for Peruvian products. Andean chili peppers will have to be produced in larger quantities, opening new markets for farmers. Peru's fishing industry will also see an increase in revenue as people become acquainted with the more than 2000 fish species that exist along the country's coastline.
Already Peruvian cuisine is being heralded in Japan and Spain. In March of this year more than a dozen types of Peruvian potatoes and other produce were featured at gastronomic festivals. And Peruvian Pisco (Liquor distilled from grapes) has had the distinction of winning numerous international contest awards.
Commercializing and promoting a country's cuisine involves the cooperation of many sectors of society from the chef to the president. But as markets are opened and trade agreements with other nations signed Peru will have to face other challenges. Presently, the agricultural sector is not yet ready to compete with American subsidized products. The Ministry of Agriculture is already taking steps to improve its sector, giving farmers the option of micro-credits, access to water canals, forgiving debts and providing important training to modernize farming. In order to benefit from the Free Trade Agreement recently signed between Peru and the USA, farmers need vast amounts of capital and government support to be able to saturate the market with competitive products. Still, the Ministry does not see subsidies as a feasible option.
Coupled with the development of new markets for export of such products as Andean chili peppers, Peruvian limes and red onions, APEGA and the ministry envision a new manufacturing industry to meet worldwide consumer demands. Officials are fairly confident that awareness will help boost the demand for these products that are unique to Peru.
National investment in agriculture is already creating an increase in jobs and it is anticipated that as production grows the standard of living in Peru will rise as well. This could bring meaningful change for the 54% of Peruvians living under the line of poverty and the 18% living in extreme poverty.
However, the hardcore reality may turn out differently. Opening international trading markets can also deeply damage the Peruvian domestic market if regulations are not imposed. Tariffs will have to be imposed and farmers will need a lot of assistance to keep step with international demand. In order to avoid domestic or international failure, a trade off might have to happen.
Nonetheless the potential for others to sample Peruvian traditional and nouvelle cuisine has a lot of people excited. Certainly to try our ceviche, Peruvian-style roast chicken, sample nouvelle Andean cuisine or Peruvian-style brochettes is to begin to acquire a taste for the exquisite. It might take a while before we see a cevicheria in every corner but this will be the first step to prosperity and to delight palates from all over the world.
