Lomo saltado is a popular, traditional Peruvian dish, a stir fry that typically combines marinated strips of sirloin with onions, tomatoes, french fries, and other ingredients; and is typically served with rice. The dish originated as part of the chifa tradition, the Chinese cuisine of Peru, though its popularity has made it part of the mainstream culture.
Dish
The dish is normally prepared by marinating sirloin strips in vinegar, soy sauce and spices, and stir frying these with red onions, parsley, tomatoes, and possibly other ingredients. The use of both potatoes and rice as starches are typical of the cultural blending that the dish represents. In his 2013 article in the Huffington Post UK, British-Peruvian chef Martin Morales called lomo saltado "one of Peru's most loved dishes" and that this dish "shows the rich fusion of old and new worlds. This juicy mixture of beef, onions, tomatoes, aji Amarillo paste and soy sauce sauteed in a large pan is one of the many contributions Chinese immigration brought to Peru." He explains, "Lomo Saltado is sometimes known as a Criollo dish but more known as a Peruvian-Chinese dish; a favourite Chifa dish. These are its true roots". According to a 2011 article that was published in the Peruvian newspaperEl Comercio, the book "Diccionario de la Gastronomía Peruana Tradicional" published in 2009 by Sergio Zapata Acha, includes an old description for lomo saltado, which fails to mention its Asian influence. Although this doesn't deny the dish's widely accepted Chinese-Peruvian roots, the article's author then ponders possible relations to similar dishes like lomo de vaca and lomo a la chorrillana. The word saltado refers to stir fry, a widely recognized Chinese cooking technique. Hence, saltado dishes are commonly known in Peru to have a Chinese cuisine influence. The same 2011 newspaper article mentions that having a Chinese cook was considered a luxury at the time and that years later after completing their indenture contracts, many Chinese Peruvians opened restaurants that became known as Chifa by 1921. A census of Lima in 1613 show the presence of Chinese in Peru, mainly servants. Later, large numbers of Chinese immigrant workers arrived between 1849 and 1874, to replace African slave laborers, while Peru was in the process of abolishing slavery. So it is not a surprise that a 1903 Peruvian cookbook included a short description of lomo saltado. An indication of assimilation of Chinese cooking technique in Peruvian cuisine. The culinary term saltado is unique to Peru, and didn't exist in other Latin countries of that era, nor used in any Spanish cuisine terminology. This old cookbook description of the dish is very short and does not mention soy sauce or other typical Asian ingredients of the dish known today. It also does not mention black pepper, vinegar, or Peruvian chilies. A few critics incorrectly theorized a purely Peruvian origin based on this cookbook, which features an assorted variety of regional Peruvian dishes. But this cookbook's list of traditional Peruvian Criollo cuisine includes many dishes with Spanish, Italian, Cuban, Guatemalan and Chilean origins. The 1903 cookbook is not an all-inclusive list of old Peruvian dishes available in the country, and it does not contradict the Chinese-Peruvian roots of lomo saltado. It serves as an example of a variety of dishes that were commonplace in Peru of that era, regardless of origin. In a 2014 video interview for the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio, noted Peruvian chief Gastón Acurio demonstrates how he makes his version of lomo saltado.
