If you read the Wikipedia overview of Peruvian cuisine, it doesn’t mention a lot about Peruvian chicken. These places are ubiquitous in this area – we think there are about 50 in Falls Church alone just along Seven Corners. Quinoa, Pisco Sours, and a lot of diverse cuisine seem to dominate the entry. However, if you look up Pollo a la Brasa, this comes up:

Pollo a la Brasa, also known as Peruvian chicken in the United States and Charcoal Chicken in Australia, is a common dish of Peruvian cuisine and one of the most consumed in Peru, along with ceviche, and Chifa. The dish originated in the city of Lima in the 1950s.

The origins of the recipe are attributed to Roger Schuler, a Swiss citizen who was in the hotel business in Peru. He devised the specific method of cooking the chicken, observing his cook’s technique in preparation, and gradually, along with his business partners, perfected the recipe, creating the Granja Azul restaurant in Santa Clara, district of Ate, in Lima.

Roger Schuler dedicated himself to the restaurant business and his business partner Franz Ulrich dedicated himself to the fabrication of special ovens in which the chicken is cooked.

Originally its consumption was specific to the high socioeconomic classes (during the 1950s until the 1970s); however its consumption later came to include the middle and low socioeconomic classes as well. The original version consisted of a chicken (cooked in charcoal and marinated only with salt) served with large french fries and traditionally eaten with the fingers, without cutlery. Its popularity became massive in the 1970s.

We thought it was pretty interesting that it technically was invented by someone who was Swiss, while it is likely to be as ubiquitous in Peru as it is here. Even the fries are part of the original ensemble. We did notice that the place was packed with people when we entered of all races.

We also read that the infamous Inca Cola is also actually from Peru, although Coca-Cola owns the Inca Kola trademark everywhere but in Peru. The Inca Kola Wikipedia entry states:

Inca Kola (also known as “the Golden Kola” in international advertising) is a soft drink created in Peru in 1935 by British immigrant José Robinson Lindley using lemon verbena (verbena de Indias or cedrón in Spanish) although many believe that lemon grass, a herb native to India, (hierba luísa in Spanish) is used. The soda has an unusual sweet fruity flavor sometimes compared to liquid bubblegum. It has been described as “an acquired taste” whose “intense colour alone is enough to drive away the uninitiated.”

Inca Kola reached levels of 38% market penetration by 1970, eclipsing all other carbonated drinks in Peru and firmly establishing itself as “Peru’s Drink” (La Bebida del Perú). A common logo in the late 1970s and early 1980s featured the slogan “Made of National Flavor!” (¡De Sabor Nacional!), later changed to “The flavor of Peru” (El Sabor del Perú).

By the mid 1940s, Inca Kola was a market leader in Lima due to an aggressive advertising campaign appealing to the prevalence of Peruvian nationalism among the population. Bottling volume expanded greatly, growing steadily and positioning it as a traditional Peruvian drink, using national and indigenous iconography and images. This advertising campaign appealing to nationalism was so successful that some Peruvians believe it is their “national duty” to drink only Inca Kola and some Peruvians even believe that it a “sacrilege” to drink any other soda.

So, despite the fact that Inca Kola is now available and many types of restaurants, it is legitimately Peruvian.

We also had to look up our favorite South American cookie: the alfajor. If you love this cookie, reading the Wikipedia entry on the Alfajor might be interesting. Apparently the cookie is Arabic in origin, which makes sense considering the fact that the cookie’s texture and flavor conjures up crescent shaped Middle Eastern cookies. We assume that the Moorish influence in Spain brought the cookies there, who then brought it to South and Central America. In Spain, the cookie is entirely different than the South American variety, due to different availability of ingredients. They’re most popular in in Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay, Chile, Perú and the South of Brazil. From there they were brought through immigration to the United States. The American alfajor is recognizable by its two layers of either cake or cookie with a filling, then covered with powdered sugar (or chocolate). The ones we’ve had in this area have varied a bit, as well. At Pan American Bakery on Columbia Pike in South Arlington, they are cookies sandwiched with a thick layer of dulce de leche, with the edges rolled in shaved coconut. At El Pollo Rico, we noticed that they added anise to the cookie, so they have a mild licorice taste.

Does anyone know where we can try other Peruvian cuisine, like chifa or ceviche?

The Lebanese Taverna is located in Tysons II mall in what they are now calling “West McLean” (?) at the ground level of the mall adjacent Saks Fifth Avenue. The restaurant is high-end with exposed stone, wood paneling, and recessed lighting. There are three dining areas: a bar/cafe area, an outdoor seating area, and an indoor dining room. There is a full bar with a huge selection, including Johnny Walker Blue at $30/shot. We ate outside because you can smoke out there and they make it feel formal and nice.

We found the service to be unhelpful. Luckily, we were able to order some sort of fixed price meal that included appetizers and entrees. The waiter assured us that we would get an good assortment of vague things.

Lebanese Cuisine

I read that animal fats are consumed sparingly in Lebanese cuisine, according to Wikipedia. When animal fats are consumed, they are typically poultry rather than red meat. I was surprised by this because I generally think of Lebanese food as being meat centric and mostly red meat focused (perhaps this is because this is American Lebanese food?). They say that Lebanese food contains large amounts of garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice and these are included at every meal. Also, most foods are grilled, baked, or sauteed in olive oil, which seems true since our meal contained no fried foods.

The food is typically served mezze style, similar to tapas with a variety of small dishes of differing textures and tastes. I would say this was definitely true of the appetizers, which were quite traditional. Wikipedia noted that the mezze course generally has hot and cold dishes and typically hummus (a dip made of blended chickpeas, sesame tahini, lemon juice, and garlic served), baba ghanouj (char-grilled eggplant, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic puree), falafels (deep fried spiced ground chick pea patties), tabbouleh (diced parsley salad with burghul, tomato, and mint), stuffed grape leaves (a.k.a. wara’ enab). We were served all of these items. Although these portions were served similar to tapas, the portions were quite large.

One of the sauces I love is the ubiquitous extremely garlicky white sauce. This sauce is called toum/toumeh/toomeh and is a garlic dip typically served with shawarma. I always wondered what was in it and I found a recipe that lists egg yolks, vinegar, mustard, salt, olive oil, and garlic as the ingredients, but also also a second recipe that contains yogurt, olive oil, garlic, mint leaves, and salt. I think I typically get the former style of dip.

I found that kibbeh is considered the national dish of Lebanon, and this interesting history of the dish from Sallybernstein.com:

The national dish of Lebanon is kibbeh, an emulsified paste of the freshest lamb and bulgur wheat. Think of kibbeh as a sort of Lebanese pate. Originally, kibbeh was made by pounding lamb with a jorn (mortar) and modaqqa (pestle), then kneading in spices and soaked bulgur. To some, that are unaccustomed to this procedure, this can be an unpleasant sight. The informative English food writer George Lassalle, in his book Middle Eastern Cuisine, East of Orphanides, describes kibbeh-making in the rural villages of Lebanon as “frightening.” He found the incessant pounding and kneading of the meat and bulgur both dreary and alarming. With the advent of the electric grinder and food processor this ancient method of kibbeh-making has all but stopped, except in the most rural villages. Often in American cities with large Lebanese and Syrian populations you’ll find butchers that specialize in “kibbeh meat”: lamb that is ground two or three times to form an emulsification.

Kibbeh can take on many forms, the most famous being kibbeh nayee (raw kibbeh) which is somewhat like steak tartar. Two other common forms of the food are kibbeh bil-saneeya (baked kibbeh) and kibbeh rass (fried kibbeh), both of which usually contain a filling of cooked meat and pinenuts. Baked kibbeh is layered in a pan with its stuffing and drizzled with olive oil, while fried kibbeh is shaped into miniature hollowed out footballs and then stuffed before being fried. Both of these cooked kibbeh are often served with refreshing yogurt sauce. Despite advancements in modern technologies, kibbeh-making is still an arduous task and usually reserved for holidays, festivals or Sunday dinner.

For our entrees, we did not eat any kibbeh, but instead we served kofta (listed as Mixed Grill), which are fingers of minced meat and spiced that are baked or grilled on skewers. We were also served shawarma: marinated meat (chicken or lamb) that is skewered on big rods and slowly cooked, then shaved and eaten with pita and condiments (listed as Mixed Shawarma). These were served in huge portions along with lots of fresh pita.

Although I read that drinks aren’t typically served with the meal, we certainly drank during our meal and sampled some Lebanese beer called Almaza – apparently owned by Heineken! Coffee is a staple at the end of the meal. Although we had beer, Arak is the national drink of Lebanon, similar to anise-flavored liquers like Ouzo and Sambuca.

For dessert we sampled a sort of fried dough dessert covered in honey and served with saffron yoghurt and rose water as well as a pistachio and honey bread pudding with ice cream. We didn’t have any baklava, but what distinguishes Lebanese baklava from other types is that it is often drizzled with rose water syrup and contains pistachios, versus walnuts and honey in Greek baklava.

Total: About $25-$30 per person