On the picture Ms. Aura de Aguilera, H.E. Mr. Carlos Herrera Rodríguez, Ambassador of Peru, Ms. Veronique Miclea and H.E. Mr. Gabriel Aguilera Peralta, Ambassador of Guatemala.
By Ellen Brager
It is the tradition at Diplomat Magazine’s Meet & Greets that the host Embassy presents its guests with a selection of the best of its home country. “It was not easy to choice”, said Ambassador Carlos Herrera Rodríguez in his welcome speech, referring to the rich Peruvian cuisine.
Peru is indeed known for its rich culinary variety that features a combination of indigenous and natural products into a feast for the palate. Quinoa is one of these products and was ultimately chosen as the central theme for the “bocadillos” that were served.
For a photo-album of Peru Diplomats Meet & Greet please click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157650511075774
“Quinoa is a typical Andean product”, explained The Ambassador, “that is conquering cuisines worldwide because of its dense nutritional and healthy properties”. He told the anecdote of Inca Garciloso de la Vega who wrote in 1590 that a shipment of quinoa sent to him in Spain was useless by the time it arrived. He must have been quite disappointed if he felt the need to mention it in his “Royal Commentaries”! Luckily for us quinoa is now readily available in most European supermarkets.
The evening’s selection of quinoa-based snacks included a frittata of quinoa and asparagus, a toast with quinoa and apple, a quinoa tortilla, and a tapenade with sprouted quinoa, all delicious and unique. Since Peru is also the birth place of the potato, some potato-based snacks, such as Causa – a cold dish with layers of mashed potatoes, avocado, tomato and chicken – as well as Papas a la Huancaína – little potatoes with a mildly spicy dip – had to be on the menu as well. A feast for the palate indeed!
“Other quinoa and kiwicha derived products – a variety of cereals, food supplements and energy shakes – were showcased on a side table. These products are commercialized under the brand IncaSur. For more information you may contact the Embassy of Peru.” said Deputy Head of Mission, Paul Duclos Parodi.
While the choice of snacks may have been difficult, the choice of the welcome drink certainly wasn’t! It had to be pisco sour, Peru’s trademark cocktail, made with pisco, a spirit derived from grapes, mixed with lime juice, jarabe de goma syrup, and egg whites. Perhaps lesser known, but equally delicious and also served that evening, was the chilcano, a cocktail of pisco, lime juice and ginger ale. Pisco is mostly produced in the region around the city of Pisco, south of Lima, and its origins can be traced back to the 16th century, though I suspect that it must have been an Inca favorite well before that!
It became clear that it was going to be a special evening already at the entrance of the event, where Romy Uijttenboogaart, a young violinist and student at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, welcomed the arriving guests with her musical talent. This was a very nice touch that, together with the first glass of pisco sour, set the mood for the rest of the evening. It didn’t take long before the downstairs bar of the Carlton Ambassador Hotel was packed with diplomats, expats and friends of Peru engaged in friendly conversations and laughter.
Everybody agreed that there was a lot of “calor”, referring not only to the temperature but to the “calor humano”, the personal warmth that was so generously conveyed by Ambassador Herrera, his wife and his staff and that typifies Peruvian hospitality. It all made for a very enjoyable evening indeed and a successful Meet & Greet to remember!
Published also in Peru, click here: http://www.bizusaperu.com/
