Peru for F–dies

I’d never thought of visiting Peru for anything other than Machu Picchu but have avoided it because I’m allergic to tourist swarms:

Dare I say that Peru could become a F–die destination. As James Doran discovers in The Observer:

“The real reason to visit Peru is the food. While more athletic types huff and puff their way to high altitude I would rather be sitting in a darkened picantería with a steaming plate of chicharrones (the original hot pork scratchings) and a frothing glass of chicha de jora (fermented corn beer).”

More:

“Here groups of middle-aged women expertly carve the fish, prepare the marinades and hawk their wares with formidable voices all day long. ‘Come inside, come inside, enjoy the heating and the fine table settings of our magnificent restaurant my big strong king with your beautiful queen,’ is a rough translation of the greeting we received. The ceviche women of Ancon are the Latina equivalent of Cockney market traders, and have a patter to match.

The restaurant, of course, has no heating, no fine table settings and indeed no walls. It is merely a series of tables and chairs set out along the jetty under a tarpaulin roof. But the food is sublime. Here you can feast on ceviche mixto – a mix of conchitas negras (black cockles), shrimps, octopus, flat fish, and pejerrey, a sort of anchovy.”