In the previous article I referred to sushi and ceviche as trends.
I explained that sushi is Japan, rice at body temperature, seasoned with vinegar, mirin, sugar and salt, accompanied by all kinds of ingredients. There are dozens, the most popular: nigiris, makis.
Ceviche is Latin America, another latitude, temperature, register. Both in Mexico and Peru it is part of the gastronomic heritage.
It is sea and citrus, it is a festival of flavors, textures due to vinegar, salt, hot peppers, onions, other vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, corn.
While the Peruvians know its origin, they identify the protoceviche in one of their ancient cultures, the Mexicans navigate in the mystery.
“No one agrees,” comments gastronome Alejandro Escalante, author of the award-winning taco encyclopedia, ‘La Tacopedia’, in a telephone conversation.
It refers to the theories of the book ‘Mexico The Beautiful Cookbook’ by Marilyn Tausend with recipes by Susana Palazuelos. One is that Hernán Cortés sailed from Acapulco to Peru to help Pizarro.
The sailors interacted with natives, exchanged culinary secrets and thus the Acapulcan ceviche was born. Another is that the pre-Hispanic inhabitants of Peru and Chile were related to those of Mexico and some knew the spicy and others the ceviche.
Escalante talks about the universe of aguachiles and the chiltepín of northwestern Mexico: Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Sonora and Baja California. He shares his favorite ceviche: the Acapulqueño from Palazuelos with mackerel, sea bass or snapper, lemon, olive oil, garlic, tomato, onion, cilantro, hot sauce, oregano, fresh pepper, serrano pepper and olives.
Add two other versions of his birth.
It could be from Manila and arrived centuries ago through commercial contact. Filipinos traditionally preserve in acids.
The second also highlights the indigenous cultures that preserved fishing in water, ice and salt and ‘tatemaban’ or wrapped it in corn or banana leaves and cooked over firewood.
“They probably mixed with tomato, chili, corn. Over time, the ‘pico de gallo’ appeared: tomato, onion, jicama, cucumber, watermelon and ‘piquete’, a splash of rum, whiskey. I put vodka.
The tequila would go well, it would give it a tastier flavor. Mezcal is not, it is strong”. Escalante lived in Peru in the seventies where ceviche seemed like Mexican ceviche. “They marinated it for hours in lemon. Now it has evolved and the ‘tiger’s milk’ is added at the moment”.
Broadly speaking, the basic recipe for Peruvian ceviche is fish, lemon, chili/spicy/yellow hot pepper, coriander. They serve with potatoes, sweet potatoes, cooked corn, sometimes fried. Gastón Acurio, chef and ambassador of Andean gastronomy, explains the contemporary ceviche of his land in six recipes.
The first comes from a recipe book of the s. XIX with sour orange marinade. Later lemon and regional peppers were used. Then garlic, yucca, beans. The Nikkei provided, among other things, the famous tiger’s milk, fish broth, lemon, onion, coriander.
Likewise, sashimi was integrated, the most perfect Japanese technique in the world of knife cutting, cleaning and preparation of raw fish. Roger Ortuño in the ‘OISHII, Illustrated Dictionary of Japanese Gastronomy’ adds that there is chicken, beef, horse, whale.
Currently, Nikkei is the flagship of Peru. Professor Markel Aguirre of the Basque Culinary Center, an expert on the subject, comments that the Japanese-Peruvian is going through a sweet moment in haute cuisine due to Robert DeNiro.
He remembers that he was fascinated by Nobu Matsuhida, a Japanese who lived in Peru, toured Latin America and landed in Los Angeles where they met. In 1994 they opened Nobu NY and it went viral to Dubai, Spain, Mexico.
Soon they intend to conquer San Sebastián, a place with a difficult palate.
#Nikkei #viral