Peruvian vs Japanese food & cuisine

Sauce-based dishes are another focus, but these sauces are unique in their complexity. A unique aspect of Peruvian meal patterns is the prominence of soup, which often appears at multiple meals throughout the day.

Peruvian cuisine is distinguished by how it combines different techniques within single dishes, often featuring both cooked and raw elements, hot and cold components, or crispy and smooth textures in the same preparation.

What’s this framework for? Instead of focusing on protein as the main, it balances the nutrition: ensures a mix of carbs (rice), protein (fish/tofu), fiber (vegetables), and probiotics (miso/pickles).

Kiwicha (amaranth) is another distinctive Peruvian grain that was sacred to the Incas. Unlike amaranth found elsewhere, Peruvian kiwicha has been selectively bred for larger seed size and better nutritional content. It’s often used in unique ways, such as making kiwicha pop (similar to popcorn but tiny).

Cañihua, a lesser-known but nutritionally powerful grain, is almost exclusively grown in Peru’s Altiplano region. It’s similar to quinoa but smaller, and doesn’t contain saponins (the bitter coating that must be washed off quinoa).

Giant white corn, maíz blanco gigante,  from Cusco’s Sacred Valley is so unique that it has a denomination of origin. These corn kernels are two to three times larger than regular corn, with a distinctive texture and flavor that can’t be replicated elsewhere.

Purple corn, used to make chicha morada, represents another unique aspect of Peruvian grains.

In Peruvian cuisine, corn (maíz) is undoubtedly the most culturally significant grain, but rice did not take long to become a daily staple after Chinese immigration. It appears at most lunch and dinner meals, served alongside dishes rather than incorporated into them. The consumption pattern is similar to that of many Latin American countries, where a plate of white rice is a fundamental accompaniment. Even when potatoes are served, rice often appears on the same plate.

Wheat, consumed mainly as bread and pasta, holds the second position. Bread is particularly important for breakfast and evening meals, while pasta dishes appear regularly at lunch and dinner.

Fermented grains are also important: rice koji molds transform soybeans into miso and soy sauce; sake brewing relies on polished rice’s starch-to-sugar conversion. Even the Japanese word sushi refers to the flavored rice. The raw fish is just an addition.

Wheat appears as flour for making noodles, tempura batter, and confections. Barley is used in teas like mugicha, a popular summer drink. Noodles arrived in Japan around 800 AD from China and were quickly adopted due to their flexibility. The three main Japanese styles are soba, udon, and ramen.

Tempura is one of the few successful foreign culinary adaptations. Tempura provides peace of mind for those uncomfortable with raw fish, appears in tendon (tempura rice bowls), tempura udon/soba, and various combination dishes.

The Japanese do eat bread, but its significance is far from that of rice.

Peru’s native fruits have created entirely new flavor categories in global gastronomy. Take lucuma, for instance – its unique maple-caramel flavor profile is so distinct that it’s become a highly sought-after flavor in international dessert making. Similarly, camu camu sour berry, with its extraordinarily high vitamin C content (up to 60 times that of an orange), represents a category of ‘superfruit’ that existed in Peru for centuries before the term was even coined. Peruvian fruits frequently go into savory dishes: sauces for fish and meat, and combined with chilies in ways that challenge the conventional sweet-savory divide found in many other world cuisines.

The top four ways to prepare vegetables in Japan are lightly blanching, simmering in dashi broth, quick pickling, and simple stir frying.

Long ago in Japan, fruits were called ‘water sweets’ and were categorized as confections in Japanese culture. The most popular are mandarin oranges mikan, melons, persimmons, strawberries, ume plums, apples, grapes, apricots, watermelons, and yuzu.

Sea plants (seaweed) are important in Japanese cuisine, both as a flavor foundation and for their nutritional value. Kombu, nori, hijiki, and wakame are offered to the gods in Shinto rituals, which shows how sacred these sea plants are in Japanese culture. Kombu is especially important because it gives dashi that deep, savory umami. Seaweed is thought to be a contributing factor to the long life expectancy of people in Japan, as it is low in calories and rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

In high altitudes, alpacas and llamas were raised in their entirety – meat for food, wool for textiles, dung for fuel, and bones for tools. The Inca empire had a sophisticated system for llama meat preservation – they created charqui (where the word “jerky” comes from), dried meat that could be stored for years and was vital for feeding their armies and as emergency food supplies. Today, those are particularly lean meats, high in protein and low in cholesterol, best prepared with slow cooking or stewing.

The three main types of meat eaten in Japan are beef, pork, and poultry, with chicken being consumed the most. Pork was previously Japan’s most consumed meat for many years before being overtaken by chicken. Beef is a premium choice; Japanese wagyu has developed some of the world’s most prized beef varieties, representing the finest Japanese meat and a major export product.

Peruvians frequently combine lime with aji peppers in their seafood dishes. This isn’t just in ceviche – look at parihuela (seafood soup), tiradito (raw fish dish), and even fried dishes’ accompaniments. Many dishes combine hot and cold elements in creative ways.

Japan likely leads the world in raw fish consumption in absolute terms, but the Japanese actually eat far more cooked fish than raw. Daily meals feature cooked fish: grilled for breakfast, fish in soup, tempura, simmered fish dishes, and fish cakes. Raw preparations are more often for special occasions or dining out.

Milk is used primarily in desserts and sauces. Fresh cheese queso fresco, is important in savory dishes and soups. Condensed and evaporated milks are more of a signature of Latin America – imported during the 19th century, they are staples in Peruvian desserts.

Peruvian cuisine historically hasn’t relied heavily on fats compared to many other world cuisines. Many traditional techniques like pachamanca (earth oven cooking) and huatia (field-baked potatoes), raw fish ceviche, dried meats don’t require added fats. Steaming and boiling are common cooking methods that use minimal fat. In contrast to cuisines that rely heavily on butter, ghee, or large amounts of oil, Peruvian cuisine generally uses fats more sparingly.

Raw and lightly cooked eggs are quite distinctive in Japanese cooking. Take tamago kake gohan – just a raw egg stirred into hot rice with some soy sauce, and you get this creamy, super comforting dish. Raw or lightly cooked eggs also work like dipping sauces for sukiyaki and other hot pot meals, where the egg coats the hot food and cools it down. Food safety standards make this totally safe to do.

Dairy was once essentially nonexistent in Japanese cooking. Buddhist beliefs weren’t big on dairy, and many people have lactose intolerance. After World War II, dairy became more common, but it’s still not really a centerpiece.

Peru has relatively low consumption and cultivation of nuts compared to many other regions of the world. Tree nuts weren’t native to the region and weren’t a significant part of pre-Colombian diets. However, peanuts, while technically legumes, are used in some traditional dishes like carapulcra and some ceviches.