I can’t stop thinking about it. I do believe that I am a Peruvian food addict. Pure Peru is a food truck here in Brunswick that you simply have to find. We found them at Silver Bluff Brewing and ordered their most popular dish, The Lomo Saltado. That’s stir-fried strips of beef or chicken sautéed with onions, tomatoes, and fries, served with rice and fresh cilantro. I have to say, the addiction creeps up on you. At first, you might think, okay, chicken stir-fried with rice and (fries?), but after a couple of bites, you realize that you can’t stop eating it. It’s so friggin‘ delicious, and days later, it’s all you can think about.
I’m a newbie to Peruvian cuisine, but there is something magical about the blend of cultures. Let’s walk through the evolution. Firstly, there was the indigenous cuisine. Peru has thousands of varieties of potatoes, and they also grow corn and a variety of peppers. This is the foundation for the cuisine. Next came the Spanish with beef, pork, rice, onions, garlic, and the magical lime, all key ingredients in the modern day cuisine.
This is not unlike a lot of Latin culture, but where Peruvian food really got a kick was from waves of immigration from China and Japan. These bring the flavors that make it just so hard to put your finger on why this food is so good: soy sauce, ginger, scallions, sesame, fresh, clean flavors, and stir fry techniques. Oh man. It’s all just a match made in heaven.
All of those flavors marry perfectly in the Lomo Saltado, and everything down to the cilantro is just so fresh.
One person in our party ordered the Tallarin Saltado, which is akin to Lomo Saltado but (here comes the Italian influence) with noodles. Delicious! The feature image of this article is the Alitas Acevichadas: breaded chicken wings tangy, ceviche-inspired creamy sauce with fries. They are crispy (like for real), juicy and that creamy sauce is just amazing. Like everything else here, they are just addictive.
Pure Peru founder, Alejandra Patron, grew up in America, but from the time school let out for summer until the day before school started, she spent her time in Peru with her abuela cooking, eating, and learning the fine art of Peruvian cooking. Her father and uncle are also in the food business. You can taste that lineage of culinary mastery in Alejandra’s menu. From fried rice to crispy fried chicken to crispy wontons stuffed with melty cheese, there is so much to explore at Pure Peru. Like all food trucks, be sure to follow them on their social media channels to find out where they’ll be for the week, and go find them! Tell ’em Brunswick Eats sent ya!