Lentils on Mondays. This describes a bit of food culture that went on in my house growing up, and in many houses, around the city of Lima. Perhaps it's purely a superstition since lentils are thought to bring bounty when consumed early in the week. Perhaps it is the fact that gastronomy in Peruvian households is very much driven by the freshness and availability of local ingredients, but most importantly by good old-fashioned home economics. Lentils are highly nutritious and very inexpensive. They are extremely high in iron, B-vitamins and protein. What a perfect food to eat on a Monday, paired with some simple white rice, or with a salad on the side (for us carb-conscious eaters). After perhaps some over-indulgences and overspending during the weekend, why not some healthy and seriously cheap lentils! Traditionally, Tuesday would be a great day for tacu-tacu, made by frying up some left-over lentils and rice and topping it with a thin steak or some fried up bananas. Yum!
Coming from a background where food was always something to get excited about, my curiosity was sparked from an early age. The kitchen was where I wanted to be as a kid. Asking my mom and grandmas questions about measurement conversions was not enough, according to a story my mom reminded me of recently, I wanted to be enrolled in a cooking class. Me, a 7 year-old kid, with a bunch of older ladies learned how to bake brownies and such. I'm surprised they even allowed me to join. I wish I had a picture to share of those times!
Now, I am almost 30 and I still get struck by the same curiosity about food as I did as a child. I love watching food being prepared, exploring new ingredients (thank you Farm Fresh biweekly food co-op), and of course, eating. I hope you will enjoy this journey of culinary inspiration and exploration!
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