“This is the best food I’ve ever had from the back of a truck,” Wes told Tammy as we ate lunch in the shadow of a waterfall in the Urubamba River valley.
A perplexed look crossed Tammy’s face until she realized Wes was offering the ultimate compliment. Then she broke into a wide smile.
Tammy is the owner of Cicciolina restaurant in Cuzco, and one of her specialties is cooking picnic lunches on site in various scenic spots throughout the Sacred Valley. She and two assistants arrive in a 4-wheel-drive truck, bringing all the fixings and a propane tank for cooking. They set up a tent. Ice down the wine. And lunch is served.
We had lunch this way two days in a row.
First, we dined near the waterfall. The food was incredible and included our second taste of cuy (guina pig), this time as part of a tuna salad that was strikingly different from anything I’d ever had.
The second day, Tammy, an Australian ex-pat who has lived in Peru for 10 years, was supposed to be serving barbecue. But Hernan knew Wes was hankering for a steak, and he managed to get the menu changed at the last minute. So while sheep grazed nearby, Wes and I dug into a couple of delicious grilled steaks. Tammy had to adjust for the altitude when cooking the steaks, noting that it would take 20 minutes to get Hernan’s steak well done. Even then, it came out closer to medium. I could only imagine the adjustments baking must take at this altitude.
For the triple play, we dropped by Cicciolina for lunch while we were in Cuzco. And again, we marveled at how good the food was. I had scallops backed on the shells, lamb shank and a poached pear. Delicioso, even if there wasn’t a roaring waterfall or scenic lake nearby as we dined …