In our territory, in our kitchen, it is all about products coming from different ecosystems. My country’s communities’ relationships with their surroundings have taught us a lot about respect and integrity.

When you find yourself up in the Andean mountains, you start seeing yourself as a part of the world of living and non-living things where everything matters. Like in nature, our food is alway surrounded by different elements which influence on the natural harmony and are important for each other’s existence. Taking into account our ancestral knowledge we are aware that nothing should ever be wasted.

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So, when we present a dish of tubers and roots from the extreme altitude, we place the elements of the highest peaks of the cordillera – ollucos, mashuas, ocas – with sierra aromatics like huacatay and muña showing that even in the most hostile environments you can find the most amazing ingredients that may be hidden in the grounds thanks to the farmers with ancestral knowledge, or growing wildly without being noticed. In a dish they are all relevant, and they transcend as a part of the culture of embracing nature.

Virgilio Martinez, Central (Lima, Peru)