Peruvian ceviche The Pride of Peru Although many Latin American countries lay claim to ceviche, I'm going to remain unashamedly biased, and uphold Peru's claim to the dish. Gastón Acurio, from one of Lima's top restaurants Astrid y Gastón agrees, explaining that because of Lima's prominent position on the coast and its strategic importance as a trading base for the Spanish conquistadores, dishes like ceviche quickly spread to other Spanish colonies, and became assimilated into their own local cuisine. Although there are many variations, even within Peru, ceviche is essentially strips of raw fish which are 'cooked' in lime juice. In Peru it's usually served up with red onion, cilantro (coriander), aji amarillo - a flavoursome and spicy indigenous chili pepper, sweet potato and choclo, a local variety of corn with giant kernals. Whilst there are a wide array of restaurants we can recommend for you try this classic dish, my colleagues and I recently had some exciting ceviche experiences that we'd like to share. Lima with Zest Matt, Erika, Silvana and Claudia from Aracari's sales team recently went on Aracari's Lima with Zest tour - one of our best selling experiences in Lima. Led by local chef Penelope Alzamora this is a great hands-on introduction to Peruvian food, including a cooking lesson where you prepare ceviche and other classic Peruvian dishes. For a full description of Lima with Zest, check out our previous blog about the experience. I recently opted for a truly local experience, at a bustling marketing in Lima. The freshest ceviche in town A great experience is to eat Peru’s celebrated national dish right in the fish market. Last Saturday, bright and early, I headed to Mercado Central in downtown Lima. The market sprawls across two levels of an entire city block, and spills out into the streets and buildings that surround it. I found a popular local fish