latin fmefrican Culinar y Identit in West Tampa
 (Continued from page 5) vors, the Spanish brought
diversity, with its arid coast- with them African slaves, who
line, frigid mountain provine- also contributed to the melt-
es and tropical Amazon Ba- ing pot a knowledge of manip-
sin, Peru is perhaps the most ulating poor and discarded in-
bi o logi- gredients
call di- tor- 1<-M _via .Vi on. e i. in ,to food
versified that was
country. ock R4o i, er A 4<%.. "ta not only
in Latin edible
America, a trait which is re- but enjoyable in dishes like
elected in its cuisine. anticuchos and tacu-tacu, a
 With an array of immi- special that is offered daily in
grants almost as diverse as West Tampa. To come later in
those who have come to the search of work in the cotton
U.S., the Peruvian culinary and sugar plantations were
landscape is the undisputed the Chinese and Japanese,
champion of fusion food. To whose effect on local cuisine
add to an already strong in- was instantly felt through new
digenous Incan foundation frying techniques, as well as
care Spanish conquistadors. the addition of soy and ginger
Along with advanced western to the Peruvian palette. Fned
culinary techniques, olive oil rice is gne of the nation's pre-
and other Mediterranean fla- mier side items, as opposed
and oe edeaea f er side tems as opposed Happy Fish's jalea con yucca is a platter of fried fish, shrimp, calamari and yucca
 piled high with onions and finished off with lemon juice. The use of seafood and
 yucca comes from an Incan indigenous tradition, while the onions, calamari and
 lemon juice are Spaniard influences brought over from the Mediterranean.


A plate of ceviche de pescado is a house specialty at
Happy Fish, as well as a Peruvian must for any first-
timers, consisting of raw fish marinated and pickled in
lemon juice then topped with sliced onions and cilan-
tro, accompanied by two types of Peruvian com. Cevi-
che is more than just a favorite in Peru, it was invented
generations ago and still enjoys popularity in the U.S.


Inca Kola, a common Peruvian soft drink, is served
daily at Happy Fish. The drink's name refers to the an-
cient Incans, a civilization which inhabited Peru long
before Spaniards settled the area and whose influence
on Peruvian cuisine can still be felt today.









 Wet Jampa, &uidin on the
 da the pait!

 2322 West Cypress Street Tampa, Florida 33609

 Phone: (813) 875-2000
 Fax: (813) 877-9407
 www.cateringbythefamily.com

Page 6 Section B/LA GACETA/Friday, May 8, 2009


to the white, yellow and coco-
nut rices found in other parts
of Latin America. At West
Tampa's Paracas Restaurant,
located on N. Armenia Ave.,
fried rice is served alongside a
variety of meats daily in true
Peruvian traditions, with all
the cilantro and soy sauce
seasonings one would expect
from any Latin American-Chi-
nese fusion dish.
 Also on the list of gas-
tronomic accomplishments
stemming from Peru is the
invention of one of the world's
finest cuisines: ceviche. Ac-


cording to Raichlen, "ceviche
is a simple mixture of thinly
sliced fresh seafood pickled
in a marinade of lime juice
or sour orange juice, onions,
garlic, salt and sometimes
chilies." It is a dish quickly
gaining popularity as entire
restaurants devoted exclu-
sively to serving ceviche have
begun cropping up in some of
the trendiest spots in the bay
area like Bayshore Boulevard
and St. Petersburg's Beach
Drive. But for true Peruvian
ceviche, one need look no far-
ther than West Tampa, where


the restaurant Happy Fish is
located in Fiesta Plaza on N.
Armenia Ave. Happy Fish pre-
pares all of its cuisine to order
- nothing is stored nor pre-
prepared, and manager Mari-
ana Garcia swears by Happy
Fish's dedication to freshness
as the reason for their suc-
cess. It also happens to be the
restaurant's truest Peruvian
quality.
 Garcia claims that it
doesn't get much more Peru-
vian than ceviche, tacu-tacu,
and lomo saltado, and the last
 (Continued on page 14)


mi


The fouticrer. of Mr. Empaiia.I,
 The F>erez'g, woro, lpoP. aid
 raleo4 f1,11WeeV Tmpa n
 p~ll rerpido in the arta.
 www.MrEmpanada.com


 1 *3flA A
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SIDS 3PAT
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7541 W. Hilsborough Ave. 10023 N Dale Mabry 4836 N. Armenia Ave. 4711 Gandy Blvd. 10312 Bloomingdale Ave.
 (TownN.Country) (1blckNrt of (4Hllborough) (Near Westshore) (CornerGornto Lake Rd.)

 249-6233 908-6202 879-6232 832-6232 623-6232
 872-6233 3953 W. Kennedy Blvd. 070-6232 711 University Square Drive
 (South Tampa) 8 3 (In University Collections)
 Frachie Opotuntie Aailble Cll 13-79623 fo mre etal-