Ceviche
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Ceviche (or cebiche) is the most famous dish of Peru. In its classic form, it is composed of chunks of raw fish, lime juice, chopped onion, and minced ají limo or rocoto, both species of chili. The mixture is marinated briefly and served at room temperature with cancha (toasted kernels of maize), chunks of corn-on-the-cob, slices of cooked sweet potato and/or white potato, and yuyo (seaweed). While the dish is believed to have originated in Peru after the arrival of the Spanish (bringing citrus fruits), it is also popular throughout the rest of Latin America, with many regional variations.
Variations
Cebiche is also prepared with cooked shellfish (shrimp, mussels) (cebiche mixto) as well as cooked octopus (cebiche de pulpo).
In southern Peru (ie, Arequipa), chopped celery is customarily added to the marinade. In northern Peru and Ecuador, cebiche is also prepared with concha negra, raw black clams. (Not recommended if cholera is prevalent.)
In Cajamarca, cebiche made from a bean-like vegetable, yoyu (known as tarwí in southern Peru) is also prepared. In southern Peru, (ie, Cuzco) cebiche prepared from freshwater fish (trout and pejerréy) can also be found.
A specialty of the Peruvian coast (ie, Lima, Trujillo) is cebiche prepared from shark (tollo or toyo). In the vicinity of Huancayo, cebiche with artichokes can be found in artichoke season.
Many Peruvian cebicherías serve a small glass of leche de tigre as an appetizer. This is a small quanity of the lime juice marinade.