Peruvian cuisine has become one of the top gastronomies in the world. Remarkable Peruvian Chefs have been winning awards (and fame) in the last few years, including Mitsuharu Tsumura, main Chef at
Maido. This restaurant specializes in Nikkei cuisine, which is, as Tsumura himself describes,
"the delectable meeting between Peru and Japan". This year, Maido has moved up from 44 to 13 in
The World's 50 Best Restaurants, a ranking organized by British Magazine "Restaurant". Amazonia-grown shrimps have been an important reason behind this accomplishment.
As part of the SLP-Peru program, CI has been working with local partner, Amazónicos por la Amazonía – AMPA, to develop a model to convert rice paddies into shrimp ponds, in order to reduce deforestation and the use of fertilizers while also
improving livelihoods and diversifying production. The model includes a solid supply chain connecting the local farmers with gourmet restaurants in Lima; Maido is one of these. "Ceviche selva with river prawns" is part of
this 15-course Nikkei Experience, which has led Maido to move up 31 positions on 2016.
SLP-Peru - a public-private alliance between USAID, the Regional Government of San Martin, Disney and CI - does not only sell a product, but the whole story behind it. In this case, local farmers are changing agricultural practices to provide higher
quality products and conserve the forest at the same time. On the other hand the SLP-Peru model also looks to promote changes in farmer practices linked to existing demand from the markets; in this case high-end restaurants looking to source from
sustainable production systems. This win-win scenario allows the market to provide the economic incentives by paying higher prices for quality products that at the same time reduce their environmental footprint. We expect other restaurants will
join the "Amazonian-Sustainable wave" that is quickly becoming a trend in Peru and the world.
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Carmen Noriega
Gerente de Comunicaciones
Lima, Peru