October beyond nougat: anticuchos, chicharrones and other traditional snacks of the purple month

The center has something of magic, something of eternity and something of reality wherever it is looked at or traveled. These essences coexist, intertwine 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 dedicate a good part of your life to inhabit this area of ​​the city – is a unique, indescribable spirit. In this infinite Lima, the gastronomy It is a fundamental part of the experience every day, but it is especially important when it comes to October.

Due to the pandemic, 2021 will be the second consecutive year that the procession of the Lord of Miracles, one of the most impressive manifestations of faith in the world and the religious encounter that is a symbol not only of our capital, but also of our miscegenation. What better expression than food to commemorate it properly, while things are gradually returning to normal (this year the faithful will be able to visit the image of Cristo Moreno in person in the church of Las Nazarenas).

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

Although the pandemic has opened new consumption channels and access to all sorts of dishes and snacks – just check quickly on Instagram to find frozen picarones, anticuchos of all kinds, chancaca honey and other inputs – there are things that are irreplaceable. From memory, but also from the most experiential: the richness of street food, by the way, is in the experience, in the stories and traditions behind each craving. From the potato with chili or the corn with cheese, to the 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?” you wonder, rightly, Elena Santos, cook in front of The corner that you do not know, culinary temple founded by his mother, the beloved Teresa Izquierdo. “They are dishes that can hardly be imitated at home because they are part of an old recipe book. In the case of anticuchos, they were always consumed 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 done the same day. The traditions of October 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 he found on the road as if it were yesterday. “There were the food stores all over the Tacna avenue that offered breakfasts with bread with pork rinds and tamales; on the way you would find different Creole foods, but the anticuchos were drawer; they were always the best seller as well as the picarones. Once the procession passed, people used to go buy some at the “Huérfanos” patisserie and bakery. butter donuts that they were only there ”, he continues. Another important point in this experience was precisely that: the specialty of each person or each local dedicated to preparing a specific bite.

If anyone knows about that, and a lot, it is Félix Yong, who grew up watching his father -homonym and founder of the sanguchería The Chinito, whose first place he opened in Jirón Chancay- create a cult space dedicated to the preparation of a bite like no other on the menu: the bread with pork rinds.

“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 church of Las Nazarenas to listen to mass, or to the procession itself, and then stop by for breakfast. There are people who only come in October precisely because of that, ”he says. Among the customers at the Jirón Chancay store are the porters and incense burners of El Señor de los Milagros, as well as their families, says Yong. “The 28th is the last tour. That day he passed very close to El Chinito and we always went out to see him go by ”, he adds.

Time is another of the most important points of this entire gastronomic tour. If it is daytime – the cook points out – cebiches, rice with chicken and red noodles with potatoes a la huancaína were part of the classic meals. When the procession is at night, anticuchos, picarones, suckling pig or pig’s head sandwiches are almost mandatory. “All this apart from Doña Pepa nougat, which was sold every day of the month ”, concludes Félix Yong. Although today these spaces cannot be visited in the same way, the food will always allow us to review those flavors – and those smells – that are so missed from the center and its eternal hot revolutions.