tuber cream
Virgil Martinez he is one of those chefs who do not settle for his prosperity. And well he could do it.
His was the idea of creating a restaurant like Central, under a concept that was erected from the curiosity for the products and with preparations that planted the seed of the culinary culture of Peru.
A journey through the different ecosystems of the country marked by its heights, from 20 meters below sea level to 4,100 above it.
With that journey of culinary self-discovery came top list recognition. 50Best What one of the best restaurants in Latin America.
You would think that he had hit the ceiling, that there was no way to get –even more so– to the entrails of the products, the crops and the ingredients that for centuries made up a territory as vast as it was diverse.
And, like all genius, his restlessness confirmed that the world was wrong.
Virgilio Martínez was inspired by high-altitude ecosystems, putting himself at the mercy of what the earth offers
He proved it by taking two big, solid steps. The first was Mater Initiative together with his sister Malena.
**Mater is a research project that covers every possible corner of Peru ** to catalog, recognize and acquire new knowledge of forgotten and hitherto unknown foods.
The second just saw the light a couple of months ago under the name of ** Mil ** and, as Martínez defines, "It is an interpretation center that brings together art, science and cuisine."
Mater Iniciatica is a team of researchers led by Virgilio Martínez that travels the country collecting ingredients
There, at an altitude of 11,706.04 feet, 53 kilometers northeast of the city of Cusco and 500 meters from the archaeological center of Moray, its gastronomic proposal direct relationship with what Mater Initiative provides in terms of knowledge, what the region produces -and what exists in it-, but also with what people in the area have to say about it.
“The basic idea of this new concept is that the region and its different heights, as well as the high altitude ecosystems (high jungle, puna, steppe mountains), determine the proposal cooking and study subjects," he explains.
"What matters most to us is connect. With the people, with nature, with different cultures, with the Andean world and with the here and now”, affirms the Peruvian chef.
sweet huatia
Getting here is not easy, but whoever wants to can: a trip from Lima to Cusco on an internal flight of one hour and ten minutes plus an hour by car to Mil they take you to your destination.
Or, through alternative routes, by car from the Sacred Valley -45 minutes- or the salt mines of Maras -15 minutes-.
Both travel and transfer can be a nuisance, but seen with the correct objective they work as a preparation for the diner.
A training that serves to soak up the images that accompany the route, study the locals and blend in with the environment before reaching what, More than a gastronomic experience, it is an immersion in the most forgotten history of an entire culture.
The impressive circular terraces of the Archaeological site of Moray
“We have been thinking about Mil for more than two years. Decentralize towards something more important. In Peru there are many other regions outside of Lima, other realities that no one has wanted to see, other worlds that deserve our attention," Martinez points out.
"The path traveled with Mater Initiative took us to Cusco, a place where things of immense biodiversity happen, of very rich culture, of stories to collect and tell, of friendly, open people and very diligent with the desire to do a lot by nature”, recalls Martínez about the philosophy that led him to start the project.
restaurant room
“Upon presenting the possibility of being located next to Moray It seemed to us that we had to start working immediately to be able to accompany such an incredible work", comments the chef.
"To work so that our interpretation of what we see was respectful and absolutely solvent. We could not stay halfway or not tune in with the site and the people” he concludes.
"An interpretation center that brings together art, science and cuisine", Virgilio Martínez
The story of each diner at Mil begins at one in the afternoon with a walk through the site that inspired Virgil.
The same from which he obtains each of the ingredients and stories that are narrated in each of the dishes, which they vary according to what the land is willing to offer that day.
It is not a farm to table to use, it is a breaking down the barriers by putting on others, like those of having to work with what there is... but also of discovering what there may be.
The mountain range and high altitude ecosystems are evident in an eight-course menu dominated by tubers and roots.
Among them, some of the 55 varieties of native potatoes –such as ocas, mashwas or tunta– that they plant in the immediate surroundings of Mil and that they cook in an underground oven (huatia); various corns such as the piscoronto, the giant white or the chullpi and even aromatic and medicinal plants.
corn diversity
If it is not harvested or raised here, or seen on the plate, so proteins are not a fundamental part.
Although they are present thanks to the calls , fish from nearby lakes and alpaca, which is part of the menu sealed in its own fat.
The coffee enters without a doubt as part of the cast of Mil along with the use of fruits such as cocoa –produced “in house” with native chuncho cocoa beans and the discovery of seven spectacular sub-varieties–, legumes and some native beans.
Coffee is an important part of the menu, with native chuncho cocoa beans and seven spectacular sub-varieties.
The pairings you might think that they are conspicuous by their absence but, in fact, they are abundant and quite a challenge for those who think they have seen it all.
There are two cocktails elaborated with spirits and infusions that are achieved with corn –they harvest it in more than two hectares– or passion fruit from the Andes, to which are added a fermented chica (corn) drink, beers from Andean breweries, a high-altitude wine, and fermented goose root.
And the water? Also local and collected directly from the thaw. A luxury.
In June, if all goes according to plan, the opening of Kjolle, in Lima, and various changes to what has so far made Central famous, for which A thousand will not be the latest news that is seen from the hand of the precursor of the new Peruvian cuisine in 2018.
We already said it comfort is not something that Virgilio Martínez sees as a vital necessity.
In the restaurant they prepare infusions and fermentations
_*This article was published in the number 117 of the Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (May) . Subscribe to the print edition (11 printed issues and digital version for €24.75, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website ) and enjoy free access to the digital version of Condé Nast Traveler for iPad. The May issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available at its digital version to enjoy it on your favorite device. _