Nikkei Cuisine

Japanese migration to Peru began in 1899 with contract labourers for the coastal plantations, and the community that formed - the largest in Latin America after Brazil's - developed a cuisine out of Japanese technique applied to Peruvian ingredients. That meant treating fish the way a Japanese cook would, with precision in cutting and a short cure, then seasoning it with ají, lime and soy: tiradito, thin sliced raw fish in a chilli sauce, is the emblematic result, along with dishes using miso, ponzu and dashi alongside rocoto and Peruvian corn. Humberto Sato and Rosita Yimura are the names most often credited with formalising it; Mitsuharu Tsumura and Nobu Matsuhisa, who cooked in Lima in the 1970s, carried it internationally.

What to look for

• Tiradito - thin-sliced raw fish in ají-based sauce, the emblematic dish.
• The technique - Japanese knife work and curing with Peruvian seasoning.
• The names - Sato, Yimura and later Tsumura and Matsuhisa.
• The community - a migration from 1899 and its difficult wartime history.

When to go

Year-round. A meal takes two hours or more at the better restaurants. Book ahead - the well-known Lima Nikkei places fill weeks in advance.

What to expect

The best-known restaurants are expensive and require reservations far ahead. Raw fish carries the usual risks. Some places labelled Nikkei are simply sushi restaurants. Portions at tasting menus are small relative to price.

Nearby

Miraflores, San Isidro and Barranco hold most of Lima's Nikkei restaurants.