Ceviche, Peru's national dish, is made with little more than raw fish and citrus, with the secret to a good version lying in the freshest ingredients and preparation possible. As such, we weren't surprised to learn that ceviche was originally a fisherman's meal — but not just any fisherman. Ceviche's roots may date back several millennia, long before Spanish settlers arrived.
So, who exactly were the pioneers of this world-famous cuisine? To understand the birth of ceviche, we take you to Peru's Pacific Coast, where Maricel Presilla, author of "Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America," explains, "I watched women catching small fish and seasoning them with a lot of ground, hot [chili] pepper and seaweed, and eating the fish just like that, with their hands," per National Geographic . It doesn't get much fresher than that, and although you won't see this style served in restaurants, it's likely the original version of ceviche. As the author continues, "Archaeologists there have found so many remains of seafood and fish in the guts of the mummies, and lots of hot pepper seeds.
" There's also evidence that chilis have existed in South America for over 6,000 years. So, if we connect the dots, it means ceviche is likely thousands of years old. However, today's typical ceviche differs from this raw, fiery version.
So how did it evolve? We've pieced together historical data to create a timeline of ceviche, from ancient roots to modern restaurants. Read on to learn how this fre.
