Hugo La Torre & Peruvian Traditions.

...from left to right: The Matador en Acho (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_de_toros_de_Acho), The Anticuchera (Kabobs street vendor), La Picaronera (the Picarones street vendor), The Turronera (The Turron de Doña Pepa street vendor), and the Cajonero (the Cajón Player)... the next one will come soon. Real soon.

Hugo La Torre.

Peruvian Paintings. Peruvian Art.

...I’ve painted five so far. I’m almost ready to get started on the sixth one. So far I only have the Cajón player (El Cajonero), the Kabobs street vendor (La Anticuchera), the Turron de Doña Pepa street vendor (La Turronera - http://www.amigofoods.com/sanjotu500gr.html), the bullfighter (El Torero), and the Picarones street vendor (La Picaronera). I hope that this group of traditional characters of Lima, the city where I grew up, continues to grow more and more. My intention is to dedicate to you a collection of peruvian paintings you could identify with, or allow you to get to know Perú a little better, or simply this would be a collection of paintings that will bring memories to some of you.

Hugo.

La Picaronera (The Picarones Street Vendor)

My 5th painting is ready. “The Picaronera”. Finally. it measures 4 feet wide by 5 feet tall.
Google “Picarones” to find out some information about this famous peruvian dessert. A few postings ago I included a link that can inform you a little about what the Picarones are, but here it is again: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picarones

I was very lucky to buy, many times, Picarones from a “Picaronera” as I was growing up in Lima, Perú. It wasn’t just the taste, it was also the experience of watching this lady prepare the dough, shaping them with a hole in the center (doughnut -like), and smoothly throwing them one at a time in burning oil without making a splash, beautifully done! ...and when they were ready, they would be placed in a plate and bathed with “Chancaca” syrup (http://peru-recipes.com/2008/03/picarones). Delicious!

Peruvian cuisine has reached heights many of us peruvians never even imagined. Nowadays, you can pretty much savor a delicious Ceviche or Lomo Saltado anywhere in this planet, as peruvian restaurants continue to open everyday, everywhere. I’m very sure you can have some delicious Picarones anywhere around the world, served in fancy plates, arranged in a elegant way, Gourmet-style, with the syrup zig-zaging in an artistic form, and may be you can even savor delicious Picarones as you contemplate the Eiffel tower ...like I said, Peruvian restaurants are everywhere.

But what’s important to mention, is that most peruvian fine foods are of very humble origins, dating back to even hundreds of years ago. I would recommend that if you have the curiosity or craving for Picarones, the best place to try them would be in their land of origin: Perú.

If you ever go to Perú, I hope you can find someone that knows well the city you’re in. And I would suggest you ask this friend of yours to take you one night to the best “Picaronera” in town. Chances are they’ll take you to a very popular, very humble part of town where you can have your Picarones in the street, where the only light that shines is the one from the burning charcoal where they’d be prapering your Picarones. And I know for a fact that the Picarones won’t be arranged in a fancy way, and I’m sure they won’t be served in famous-brand-type of plate, but I do know that you will never forget how delicious these famous Picarones are.

Enjoy.