Arroz chaufa is a fried rice dish that is literally translated from Spanish as “fried rice”. Its Peruvian rice with some Asian elements to it, a fusion of Chinese and Peruvian cooking. Chaufa is significant because it represents a transculturation between the Chinese immigrants and natives in Peru. Chaufa is normally served in restaurants called “chifas” in the capital city, Lima, but can really be found almost anywhere. (Horton)
Peruvians eat chaufa, with almost every “chifa” dish. People who are knowledgeable about the dish’s history claim that it became popular after there was an influx of Chinese immigrants moving to Peru. When the Chinese immigrants came to Peru, they missed eating fried rice. To make up for the desire to eat traditional Chinese fried rice, the immigrants created chaufa. Chaufa was a new version of fried rice they adapted using common ingredients to China such as soy sauce, ginger and oriental flavoring, but with many new items such as scallions and garlic. To finish the dish of they used the Latin American elements of peppers, green vegetables, and cooked eggs. Natives describe it as the perfect recipe to pull out when there is leftover rice from a previous meal. (Horton)
Most versions of chaufa use pre-cooked rice. Chefs usually first add chicken, beef, duck, or seafood with the vegetables and other ingredients before adding the rice to save cooking time and for food safety. There are some more exotic meats sometimes used in chaufa like lizard, eel, alligator, or beef tongue. The egg is added early on in the process along with the flavoring so the dish can blend together. When rice is fried it has a variety in texture, instead of just being soft. It also has an appealing coloration and taste from soaking up the flavors it is fried with. In some parts of Peru, the fried rice is replaced with quinoa or noodles. (Horton)
Lexicographer:
Emma Schmidt, Tulane University
Works Cited
"Arroz
Chaufa." Inside-Peru. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Horton,
James F. JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
