Peruvian ceviche, cebiche, sebiche, or sevicheDomènech, Conxita, and Andrés Lema-Hincapié. “Paladares En Perú: Un Imperio Del Ceviche.” In ''Saberes Con Sabor'', 171–193. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis Group, 2020. is a traditional dish widely eaten in
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
, specially for summer and celebrations such as Fiestas Patrias.Levin, Amelia. “Peruvian Cuisine.” ''Foodservice Equipment & Supplies'' 67, no. 10 (2014): 16. The method of preparing it is different to that of ceviche in other countries, using lime juice, fish, sweet potatoes and other foods.
In 2004, ceviche was declared to be part of Peru's "national heritage" and today, it has a holiday celebrated in its honor every June 28th. These achievements are attributed to different factors including the transformation of ceviche into a luxury due to scarcity, or a Peruvian gastronomic boom led by gastropolitical elites who brought ceviche outside of Latin America.Irons, Rebecca. “Ceviche Revolution: Coastal Cholera, Marine Microplastics, and (Re)Fashioning Identities in Postcolonial Peruvian Gastropolitics.” ''Gastronomica'' 22, no. 4 (2022): 10–19. This growing global popularity of the dish has contributed to an even greater sense of pride in the national cuisine among Peruvians. On the other hand, because ceviche has become a luxury, some restaurants resort to seafood fraud to increase their profits by selling less valuable species labeled as species of greater value.Velez-Zuazo, Ximena, Joanna Alfaro-Shigueto, Ulises Rosas-Puchuri, Chiara Guidino, Andrea Pasara-Polack, Juan Carlos Riveros, and Jeffrey Mangel. “High Incidence of Mislabeling and a Hint of Fraud in the Ceviche and Sushi Business.” ''Food control'' 129 (2021): 1–8. Moreover, threatened species have been found among these substitutes.
History
Very little is known about the origin of ceviche, but there are some references attributing the Peruvian ceviche to a mix of inputs, including
European cuisine
European cuisine comprises the cuisines of Europe "European Cuisine."Andean cuisine. There is also a variety of historical anecdotes or legends surrounding the dish's creation. Some historians propose that Indigenous communities potentially utilized the extract from a passion fruit referred to as ''
tumbo
Tumbo is a locality situated in Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 292 inhabitants in 2010.
See also
* Södermanland Runic Inscription 84 250px, Runestone Sö 84 in Tumbo, Sweden.
Södermanland Runic Inscription 84 or Sö ...
'' to preserve the plentiful seafood along the Pacific Coast, while other scholars theorize that a combination of saltwater, seaweed, and hot peppers might have been employed instead.Sharpe, Patricia. “Worth Its Stripes: A Love Letter to Peruvian Ceviche, Leche de Tigre Is One of San Antonio’s Most Compelling New Restaurants.” ''Texas Monthly'', July 2023. Others say Incas used herbs or ''
chicha
''Chicha'' is a fermented (alcoholic) or non-fermented beverage of Latin America, emerging from the Andes and Amazonia regions. In both the pre- and post-Spanish conquest periods, corn beer (''chicha de jora'') made from a variety of maize land ...
'' for the preservation of fish. They add that the arrival of
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
and his associates in the fifteenth century, bringing citrus fruits to the
New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...
, allowed ceviche's gradual evolution. Among other theories, there is the belief that the Mochica culture was the first to prepare ceviche, that it was actually fisher slaves during the colonial period trying to end their hunger and malnutrition, or even that it came from the Philippines.Vilchis, Jaime. “El Ceviche: Una Receta y Un Cuento.” ''Diálogo'' 18, no. 1 (2015): 163–164.
Preparation and variants
The classic Peruvian ceviche is composed of chunks of raw
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
key lime
The Key lime or acid lime (''Citrus'' × ''aurantiifolia'' or ''C. aurantifolia'') is a citrus hybrid ('' C. hystrix'' × '' C. medica'') native to tropical Southeast Asia. It has a spherical fruit, in diameter. The Key lime is usually picked ...
or bitter orange (''naranja agria'') juice, with sliced onions,
chili pepper
Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...
s, salt and pepper.
Corvina
Corvina is an Italian wine grape variety that is sometimes also referred to as Corvina Veronese or Cruina. The total global wine-growing area in 2010 was , all of which is grown in the Veneto region of northeast Italy, except for planted in Ar ...
or cebo (
sea bass
Sea bass is a common name for a variety of different species of marine fish. Many fish species of various families have been called sea bass.
In Ireland and the United Kingdom, the fish sold and consumed as sea bass is exclusively the European ba ...
) was the fish traditionally used. The mixture was traditionally marinated for several hours and served at room temperature, with chunks of
corn-on-the-cob
Corn on the cob is a culinary term for a cooked ear of sweet corn (maize) eaten directly off the cob. The ear is picked while the endosperm is in the "milk stage" so that the kernels are still tender. Ears of corn are steamed, boiled, or g ...
, and slices of cooked
sweet potato
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...
.
Regional or contemporary variations include garlic, fish bone broth, minced Peruvian ''ají limo'', or the Andean chili ''
rocoto
''Capsicum pubescens'' is a plant of the genus ''Capsicum'' (pepper). The species name, ''pubescens'', refers to the hairy leaves of this pepper. The hairiness of the leaves, along with the black seeds, make ''Capsicum pubescens'' distinguishab ...
'', toasted corn or ''cancha'' ( corn nut) and ''yuyo'' (
seaweed
Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...
). A specialty of Trujillo is ceviche prepared from
shark
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimo ...
(''tollo'' or ''tojo''). ''Lenguado'' ( sole) is often used in
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...
. The ingredients that characterize these regional variaitons are chosen depending on the natural features of the landscape, most are local ingredients that can be cultivated or found within the region.
Most Peruvian ''cevicherías'' serve a small glass of marinade (as an appetizer) along with the fish, which is called ''leche de tigre'' or ''leche de pantera'', "tiger's milk" or "panther's milk," respectively. It is a milky white, finely blended, and strained mix of lime juice, raw fish, red onion, garlic, cilantro stems, celery, and ginger. This appetizer differentiates Peruvian ceviche from other styles in Latin America.
Among these other popular presentations are the Mexican-style ceviche, which includes fish marinated in lime juice and tossed with '' pico de gallo'', baked potato, and parsley; the Colombian-style one, that features Corvina with lime juice, avocado, and coconut milk;Schwaner-Albright, Oliver. “Bathing Beauty.” ''The New York Times Magazine'', March 2008. and the Ecuadorian one, which includes shrimp with onion, lemon juice, and cilantro with '' chifle'' as side.
The modern version of Peruvian ceviche, which is similar to the method used in making Japanese
sashimi
is a Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce.
Origin
The word ''sashimi'' means "pierced body", i.e. "刺身" = ''sashimi'', where 刺 し = ''sashi'' (pierced, stuck) ...
, consists of fish marinated in citrus juice for about 45 minutes and served promptly. It was developed in the 1970s by Peruvian-Japanese chefs including Dario Matsufuji and Humberto Sato. Some elite restaurants employ a rapid-marinade techique instead, a citrus bath of only five minutes which elite chefs believe to be perfect to get the "best flavor." However, experts suggest a marinade time of a minimum of 15 minutes in order to kill all bacteria present in the seafood.