Comida Nikkei

Have you ever heard of Comida Nikkei? Comida Nikkei is taking the UK foodie world by storm. They are the latest gastronomic sensation to hit Europe’s culinary capitals today.

Comida Nikkei is a cuisine of Japanese food with Peruvian twist. It has got 100 years of history. As the Japanese began to immigrate to Peru in the late 19th century, Peru has the second largest Japanese population in South America after Brazil. The Japanese community in Peru started cooking Japanese food with Peruvian ingredients and that is how Comida Nikkei started. Nikkei cuisine was born as a result of the fusion of Japanese recipes and traditions with Peruvian ingredients.

Like how soy sauce and mirin are often used in Japanese cooking, Ají Amarillo (chili pepper) is often used in Peruvian cooking. Their cuisines are quite sour and hot, as Lemon, lime and gingers are also used in their cooking often. In Comida Nikkei dishes, they are cooked not to destroy each flavours of those condiments.  

Things that Japanese and Peruvian cuisine have in common is that they eat fish raw. Peru's national dish 'Ceviche' took inspiration from Japan's love of seafood. Nikkei approach to ceviche is that soy sauce is added to sweet sour Peruvian sauce. Also the seafood that is often eaten in Japan like octopus and tuna are used in ceviche. We can see Peruvian approach to Japanese dishes too. "Achevichado" is a sauce mixed with ceviche sauce with mayonnaise, and it became a popular as a sauce for sushi. Some more Peruvian twists: in some restaurants in Peru, they serve soba noodles that is made with Peruvian potato of the Amazon.