Peruvian food finally set to make a splash in Hong Kong

Next month, two restaurants will bring Hong Kong diners the relatively unfamiliar flavours of Peru, the spread of whose cuisine is one of the few global food trends that is yet to take hold in the city.

When Hong Kong does eventually catch up, it may come as a surprise just how much local and Japanese influence there is on that far away country's cuisine.

"Peru has a big Chinese community and 14 per cent of Peruvians have some Chinese blood," says Peruvian chef Maria Rosa Vasquez.

She was here recently to teach chefs at the Hotel Icon's Market buffet restaurant how to cook the dishes they will be offering as a promotion from July 4 to 14.

One of the first ingredients that immigrants from Macau and then Guangdong province introduced to Peru was rice, specifically fried rice or .

"This is found in every restaurant in Peru. People make it at home and in most restaurants there is a variation of fried rice on the menu. Rice is a very important part of the gastronomy. You'll never find a single home or restaurant without rice. If they don't list it, you can ask for it," says Vasquez.

The migrants also introduced restaurants called , serving their own cuisine. These restaurants can be found all over Peru, but are especially common in Lima.