Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Peruvian Food Blogger Conference, The World's Largest Ceviche, And A Bit Of Shameless Self-Promotion

We were not in Lima this past July 23, when Peruvian food bloggers gathered to meet for a conference exploring the connection between blogs, gastronomy, and tourism.

The event was organized by a recently launched site, Gastroblogs, which touts itself as the "Peruvian Food Blogger Community", in conjunction with the Peruvian blog aggregator, BlogsPerú.

We must say that in the two and a half years we've been blogging about Peruvian food, we've seen many Peruvian food blogs appear in the Peruvian blogosphere. Some are excellent, still exist, and are listed on our left sidebar under the title Peruvian Food Blogs In Spanish. Others, unfortunately, have come and gone, a testament to the challenge of maintaining a blog, mainly time, consistency, and dedication.

So, we were pleased to hear about this event, which gave Peruvian food bloggers in Peru an opportunity to come together and share their ideas.

In Peru, Peruvian food is not only seen as a type of national treasure, but in a country for which tourism is a major industry, Peruvian food is also seen as valuable commodity, an asset that encourages even more tourism and helps brand the image of the country. It is no surprise that the Peruvian government, as well as private organizations, take Peruvian food very seriously, and look to ways to further promote it.

The latest attempt to promote Peruvian food on a global scale is the effort to create the world's largest ceviche in order to set a new Guinness World Record.

From what we've read in the press and at a blog dedicated to this feat, the current Guinness World's Record for the Largest Ceviche is held by Mexico, although Peru has previously held this title.

Over 400 Peruvian chefs are being convened by Chef Flavio Solórzano who will prepare five-thousand kilos (that's a staggering 11, 023 pounds!) of fish, with equally staggering amounts of the hot pepper
ají, lemons, and onions.

What we haven't ascertained is exactly when this event will be held, possibly in November or December, but as soon as we get further details we'll let you know.

And finally, a bit of shameless self-promotion: The
other Peruvian blog aggregator, PerúBlogs, along with the Peruvian Yellow Pages, is currently holding a contest so blog readers can select the top Peruvian blogs. There are 20 categories, and we received an e-mail from a reader letting us know we had been kindly nominated.

Having said, we're just going to copy what we've placed on the right sidebar of this blog. If you find this blog useful or of interest, please take a moment to vote for Peru Food.

Voting ends on August 22. The directions on how to vote, as well as the button, which is a direct link to the voting site, appear below, as well as on the sidebar:
There is a contest currently underway in Peru to select the best blogs. I got an e-mail telling me Peru Food had been nominated in the Gastronomía, Gastronomy, category. If you like this blog, or find anything useful on it, please take a second to click on the button below and vote. We would be very thankful. The URL is already input, and all you have to do is scroll down the Categoría section until you get to Gastronomía, then type your e-mail address, and click the gray Confirmar Mi Voto button. You will receive an e-mail to confirm your vote; otherwise, it will not be counted. Thank you!





Enjoy some Peruvian food today!






Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

14 comments:

Unknown said...

I just vote... good luck...

::Alejandro:: said...

Thanks Avilio!

Canelita said...

Alejandro, when I first read about the "cebiche más grande del mundo" event, the article mentioned the scheduled date as of August 30, which is, coincidentally, St. Rose of Lima's Day. If I find the URL address for the article, I'll pass it along. However, that date is just around the corner, and there's no buzz going on around it at all...

And of course I have already placed my vote(s), but no matter the results of the contest, you're already a winner--good luck!

::Alejandro:: said...

Canelita: I had read August as well, but I've also seen November and December, so maybe the exact date is still not set. And, thanks for your comment about the blog, saludos!

Pico said...

Alejandro,

you and your shameless blog plugs! hahaha! You got my vote man. The question is, are they going to provide enough cerveza to go with all that ceviche? Knowing how thirsty peruchos are...

Saludos

::Alejandro:: said...

Hey Pico, thanks for your vote! You're right, there might be another Guinness World Record set that day for amount of cerveza consumed, hahaha!

Anonymous said...

If only, if only I could enjoy some peruvian food today. Unfortunately it's a little hard to come by in Iowa -- non-existent where I live. :( My husband spent several months in Peru several years ago. Just last year we were able to visit again. We love it!! Enjoy reading your blog (even if it makes me long for the food). Kristi

::Alejandro:: said...

Thanks Kristi for your comments. Some Peruvian food is easy to recreate (even in Iowa) like causa, lomo saltado, papa a la huancaina. You can also buy some Peruvian products online, just search Google for 'peruvian market' and you should get some hits. Saludos!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the ideas. I have made lomo saltado before. It was good, just not as good. :) I guess I'll just have to keep trying! Kristi

::Alejandro:: said...

Kristi, Try this recipe for lomo saltado:

Lomo Saltado

qc.carlos said...

Dude, they didn't even invite you? I hope you get in touch with this group of bloggers, la union hace la fuerza.

By the way, I voted for your blog before I even nominated mine. I am running now in the "entrevistas" section, just because I'm heading in that direction lately, and there is lees competition :)

The biggest ceviche might be in Lima, but the best one is always in Chiclayo, where my aunts make it from pescado salado and tiradito.

Se me hace aguita la boca!

::Alejandro:: said...

Carlos, thanks for your support. So, you're inviting us to your aunts' house for a ceviche? Saludos!

KirkK said...

Hey Alejandro - You've got my vote!

::Alejandro:: said...

Thanks Kirk!