Not everything is nougat: a review of the most emblematic snacks of each October

The center has something of magic, something of eternity and something of reality wherever you look at it or go through it. These essences coexist, are intertwined with each other, in each of its shreds, squares, streets, balconies, mansions and centuries-old buildings. What you breathe here -when you visit, or when you spend a good part of your life living in this area of ​​the city- is a unique, indescribable spirit. In this infinite Lima, gastronomy is a fundamental part of the experience every day, but it is especially important when it comes to October.

The procession of Lord of Miracles It is one of the most impressive manifestations of faith in the world and the religious meeting that is a symbol not only of our capital, but also of our miscegenation. What better expression than food to commemorate it accordingly.

Along with the Catholic route, another route is usually part of the pilgrimage: that of the street snacks that were found (and continue to be found) in corners, stalls and vendors scattered throughout the historic center. Anticuchos, picarones, zambito rice, humitas, sanguito, pork rinds, tamales and -of course- the king of October: his majesty, Doña Pepa’s nougat. Although the latter can be eaten throughout the year, its consumption increases exponentially during this month (another act of faith, if you want to see it that way). But the menu is much more complete.

Although the pandemic opened up new channels of consumption and access to all sorts of dishes and snacks – just quickly check Instagram to find frozen snacks, anticuchos of all kinds, chancaca honey and other supplies – there are things that are irreplaceable. From memory, but also from the most experiential: the richness of street food, on the go, is in the experience, in the stories and traditions behind each craving. From potatoes with chili or corn with cheese, to bread with pork rinds.

There is another factor, however, that is still key here: the practical side. “Who is going to prepare anticuchos in an apartment?” rightly asks Elena Santos, the cook at the helm of The Corner You Don’t Know, a culinary temple founded by her mother, the endearing Teresa Izquierdo. “These are dishes that can hardly be imitated at home because they are part of an old cookbook. In the case of anticuchos, they were always eaten outside or sent to be prepared, as was the case with my mother who took them to Creole lunches. Formerly they were left to macerate from the night before, but today they can be made the same day. October traditions have been changing a lot, even in those details,” says Santos.

Of course, Elena still remembers when she went to the procession of the Lord of Miracles and what she found along the way as if it were yesterday. “There were street vendors all over Tacna Avenue that offered breakfast with bread with pork rinds and tamales; On the way you found different Creole food, but the anticuchos were from drawers; they were always the most sold as well as the picarones. Once the procession passed, people used to go to the “Huérfanos” patisserie and bakery to buy some butter donuts that were only found there,” she continues. Another important point in this experience was precisely that: the specialty of each person or each place dedicated to preparing a specific bite.

If anyone knows about that, and a lot, it is Félix Yong, who grew up watching his father – namesake and founder of the El Chinito sandwich shop, whose first store opened in Jirón Chancay – create a cult space dedicated to the preparation of a snack like no other on the menu: the pan con chicharrón.

“October was always the best month of the year for El Chinito even before the pandemic started,” says Don Félix. “It was customary to go to the church of Las Nazarenas to listen to mass, or to the procession itself, and then stop by to have breakfast. There are people who only come in October precisely for this reason, ”he maintains. Among the clientele of the local Jirón Chancay are the chargers and incense burners of El Señor de los Milagros, in addition to their families, Yong says. “The 28th is the last tour. That day it passes very close to El Chinito and we always went out to see it go by, ”he adds.

The time is another of the most important points of this entire gastronomic tour. If it is daytime -says the cook- cebiches, rice with chicken and red noodles with huancaine potatoes were part of the classic meals. When the procession is at night, anticuchos, picarones, suckling pig or pig head sandwiches are almost mandatory. “All this apart from Doña Pepa’s nougat, which was sold every day of the month,” concludes Félix Yong.