An American in Lima

Mamainé will be cooking in La Molina this Sunday.

If that news doesn’t make your mouth water, then you don’t know Chincha and you don’t know El Carmen and you certainly don’t know carapulcra con sopa seca.

Mamainé is the Queen of Afro-Peruvian cuisine. Her restaurant in the El Carmen district of Chincha is the hub of local Afro-Peruvian culture, where dance, music and good food are celebrated daily.  (See this over-exposed video for a glimpse of the Queen dancing in her own restaurant.)

Yes, she does resemble a chubby Aunt Jemima. The bandana and earrings are part of her schtick, and the image doesn’t stop her from being revered as one of Peru’s greatest chefs.

El Fotografo says her seco de cabrito (kid) and seco de carne (beef) are the best he’s ever had.  Ditto Mamainé’s frijoles, which “melt in your mouth,” he says.

EF doesn’t know how she does it, but somehow she takes these traditionally heavy dishes and transforms them into something savory and light. 

Ordinarily, you’d have to travel to El Carmen to sample her famous food, but this Sunday she’s cooking a special feast in the Lima neighborhood of La Molina, in the club Rinconada.

I know where we’ll be this Sunday.

Mamaine on YouTube

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