Back to the Western Hemisphere, and our first stop in South America.
Join the Central Jersey Cachers for Bistek a la Parrillia, Pollo a la Brasa, Choros a la Chalaca, and other Peruvian cuisine. The Latin Grill in Perth Amboy is the excursion here. BYOB is the liquid fare.
No need for sunscreen, as this event kicks off at 6:30pm.
586 Amboy Ave, Perth Amboy, NJ
Peruvian cuisine reflects local practices and ingredients—including influences from the indigenous Inca and cuisines brought in with immigrants such as Spanish cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Italian cuisine, German cuisine, Japanese cuisine and African influences. Without the familiar ingredients from their home countries, immigrants modified their traditional cuisines by using ingredients available in Peru.
Peru's geography yields diverse ingredients: abundant seafood from the coast, tropical fruits from the jungle, and unusual varieties of grains and potatoes from the Andes.
Peruvian cuisine is recognized around the world as one of the best in South America.
Let's learn a little more about the country and history of this South American country, shall we?
Peru lies on the Pacific coast of South America just south of the Equator. To the Quechua Indians Peru means "land of abundance." Sites such as Machu Picchu and Cusco recall the wealth of the Inca civilization, destroyed in the early 16th century by Spaniards, who built an empire on Peru's gold and silver. Today Peru ranks among the world's top producers of silver, copper, lead, and zinc. Its petroleum industry is one of the world's oldest, and its fisheries are among the world's richest.
The Inca capital was Cusco, but the Spanish founded Lima in 1535 along the coast and made it their capital. The Spanish preferred the lowland coast because of the climate and for trade links to Spain. The western seaboard is desert, where rain seldom falls. Lima is an oasis containing more than a quarter of Peru's population—most of European descent or mestizo. The Andean highlands occupy about a third of the country and contain mostly Quechua-speaking Indians. Quechua was the language of the Inca Empire. East of the Andes lies a sparsely populated jungle; the major city of this region is Iquitos. Iquitos can be reached by ocean-going vessels coming 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) up the Amazon River; recent oil discoveries have brought more people.
Peru's recent history has seen it switch between periods of democracy and dictatorship. The desperate poverty of the Indian population gave rise to the ruthless Maoist guerrilla organization Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path). The guerrillas were largely defeated but problems with poverty and illegal coca production persist.
ECONOMY
Industry: Mining of metals, petroleum, fishing, textiles, clothing, food processing
Agriculture: Coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice; poultry; fish
Exports: Fish and fish products, gold, copper, zinc, crude petroleum and byproducts
Where have we been so far? Track the World Traveler Geocoin (TBVF0M) and see this map.
Where will this crazy ship pull into port next? Only the pink flamingo knows.......
1 - Mexico - July 16, 2012
2 - Greece - August 23, 2012
3 - Japan - September 12, 2012
4 - India - October 11, 2012
5 - Russia - November 14, 2012
6 - Poland - December 5, 2012
7 - Ireland - January 22, 2013
8 - France - February 26, 2013
9 - Spain - March 13, 2013
10 - Thailand – April 30, 2013
11 - Portugal - May 28, 2013
12 - United States of America - June 4, 2013
13 - Afghanistan - July 11, 2013
14 - Egypt - August 6, 2013
15 - United Kingdom - September 18, 2013
16 - Sweden - October 16, 2013
