 "What's on the menu as Peru hosts Xi Jinping and Joe Biden for Apec meet?")
Peru is set to host US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit. While geopolitics will be the main focus, some can’t help but wonder what cuisine will be served at the event?
Peruvian cuisine has a reputation for its vast range of flavours and represents strong cultural roots. Several local ingredients like corn, thousands of varieties of potatoes, kiwicha and a range of fruits are used in the cuisine.
“Our gastronomy was born 5,000 years ago, first from a fusion with the arrival of the Spanish and then Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Arab migration,” said Sylvia Dalmao, in charge of catering and dinner for the two-day summit ending on Friday (November 15).
As chefs prepare for the closing dinner, they are also cooking up gastronomic delights for Peruvian President Dina Boluarte’s bilateral dinners with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei.
What is the menu?
According to organisers, a huge tasting menu will be available at the event, including vegetarian as well as Halal options.
Chef Raul Manrique has crafted a unique quinoa salad for the summit, featuring the revered grain of the Incas, now celebrated as a superfood due to its powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Meanwhile, Lima’s Chinatown has been dolled up with red paper balloons and dragons along with multicoloured walls. This is a monument to Chinese migrants who started arriving in the mid-19th century and made rice a Peruvian staple.
“Peruvians now love the rice brought by the Chinese,” said Luis Yong, a doctor and well-known chef who owns the chifa San Joy Lao in Lima’s Chinatown, which first opened its doors in 1920.
What is on the agenda for Biden-Xi talks?
US President Joe Biden will be travelling to Peru’s Lima where he will also have a meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed the meeting on Wednesday (November 13), calling it an effort to responsibly manage the US-China competition and avoid escalation.
Sullivan said, “Tomorrow, Biden travels to South America.” He added, “His first stop will be Peru for the Apec summit and then he’ll go on to Brazil for the first-ever presidential trip to the Amazon and then to the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.”
This will be the third in-person meeting between the two leaders who met earlier in Indonesia’s Bali at the G20 Summit in 2022 and again in California in 2023 during APEC.
What is Apec?
APEC stands for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation , which is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to promote economic integration, trade and cooperation among countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The organisation brings together 21 member economies that span across Asia and the Americas. These member economies work collaboratively to address issues such as trade liberalisation, economic development, sustainable growth and regional stability.
With inputs from Reuters
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