By Jochebed Kastaneer, MSc.
From the 25th to 27th of May, Crowne Plaza Hotel in the Hague was home to the second edition of Peruvian flavours, showcasing traditional Peruvian cooking at his best.
Peruvian Flavours was organized and presented by courtesy of the Peruvian Embassy for the Promenade Food Festivals.
His Excellency Mr. Carlos Herrera, Ambassador of Peru to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, opened the Festival on the first evening and hosted a diner for invitees together with Diplomat Magazine.
Amongst the illustrious guest was present, Ambassador Alain Wagner, previous Peruvian ambassador to the Netherlands, in route for an official trip; H.E. Philippe Couvreur, Registrar of the International Court of Justice, H.E. Aviv Shir-On, Ambassador of Israel, H.E. Marithza Ruiz de Vielman, Ambassador of Guatemala, Pablo Piñeiro Aramburo, Minister Counselor of Argentina.
H.E. Carlos Herrera and his wife Mrs. Véronique Micléa personally welcomed all the guests before the official opening. In this atmosphere of the warm and welcoming Peruvian hospitality the key address of His Excellency was: “The most important is that you enjoy the evening and enjoy the Peruvian cuisine”.
And enjoy is exactly what everyone did. We were welcomed with a glass of an exceptional ‘Pisco Sour’, a cocktail made of the ‘flagship beverage’ of Peru the ‘Pisco’. One would think that Pisco is a liqueur but Pisco is an elixir derived from distilled grapes, protected by the first Peruvian Denomination of Origin. And Pisco is also protected by the ‘Ladies of Pisco’, a non-profit worldwide women’s association dedicated to the promotion and culture of Pisco nationally and internationally.
During the evening Mrs. Ana María Korver and Mrs Miryam Jara Villegas, ladies of Pisco for the Netherlands, were present and kept a close eye on the Pisco cocktails being served to assure that they were of the traditional high quality.
Peru has been voted the number one culinary destination for years. And to show us why, the Peruvian Embassy has brought Chef Lourdes Centy Pluvinage, owner of the famous restaurant ‘El Picaflor’ in Paris. Together with her Mr. Sido de Brabander, chef at Crowne Plaza and responsible person supporting the cooking team.
For starters Chef Lourdes served a ‘Causa’ of potato-tuna with avocado, a ‘Papas a la Huancaina’ (potato with typical Peruvian spicy cheese sauce) and a Cod ‘Ceviche’ from heaven, with crusty sweet potato and corn duo.
By the time we’ve put our forks down our resolute and unanimous verdict was: ‘That’s it, I’m going to Peru!’. Effective culinary diplomacy at his best; and Chef Lourdes was just getting started. No wonder that the first edition of Peruvian Flavours marked the start of the Promenade Food Festivals. And some of the Peruvian dishes have even been included in the regular Menu of Crowne Plaza restaurant ever since.
Main course meant being lavishly spoiled with an exquisite ‘Chupe de Camarones’(Shrimp soup with corn, pumpkin, potato, rice, beans and huacatay), ‘Arroz con Pato’ (Sticky rice with duck and coriander), ‘Seco de Cordero’ (Lamb stew), ‘Escabeche de Pescado’ (Fried fish with marinated onions), ‘Quinoa Atamalada’(Spicy quinoa with feta cheese), white rice and white beans with bacon and piment.
And to make sure we remained in heaven we had ‘Tartelette de Lucuma’ (Lucuma tartelette), ‘Delicia de Quinoa’ (Quinoa crème with lucuma mouse, honey with coffee and a tuille), ‘Alfajores’(Alfajores filled with dulce de leche) for dessert. The Lucuma liqueur that accompanied dessert made us experience first-hand why the ancient Incas loved the special fruit Lucuma so much.
Peruvian Flavours diner was a pleasure to enjoy with all the senses. We were touched by genuine hospitality and got to explore a world of new flavours, fragrances and textures with the Peruvian gastronomy.
Peruvian Flavours’ Menu
Appetizers
- Cebiche tradicional. – causa rellena atún y palta. – papa a la huancaina
Main course buffet
- Chupe de Camarones
- Arroz con pato
- Escabeche de pescado
- Seco de cordero con frijoles
- Quinua atamalada con queso feta
Desserts
- Capricho de Lúcuma
- Delicias de Quinoa /Lúcuma
- Alfajores con Aguaymanto
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For additional Kim Vermaat’s pictures, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157694459062812
