The French
The criollo legacy is vigorous and spirited in Peruvian cuisine today, but the 19th century brought new developments, which again added a completely new twist to Peruvian eating habits. The wave of revolution that swept through the world eventually forced Madrid's rulers to concede the loss of Spanish America. On July 28th, 1821, Peru declared its independence and in 1824 the last Spanish soldier left Peruvian soil. The umbilical cord had been cut and a newly independent country was left struggling to forge a national identity.
The flame of the Peruvian revolution was fanned energetically by the criollos' fascination with the French Revolution, itself inspired by the American Revolution. It was only natural that, with the Spanish gone, Peruvians looked towards France for inspiration. People felt an emotional link to the new ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity for which that country had overthrown its monarchy.
Soon after the declaration of independence San Martin issued a decree permitting free entry to foreigners. European immigration took off so effectively that by the year 1857 there were an estimated 20,000 non-Spanish Europeans living in Lima. These included French, Scots, English, Germans, Italians, as well as citizens of most of the Scandinavian countries and the rest of the Mediterranean basin. With the arrival of the French, the cooking and eating habits of France changed forever not only what, but even when criollos ate. Mousse is an example of this. For six or seven generations Peruvians have thought of the many mousse desserts at meals and teas as their own. In fact, the mousse's presence in our diet is a direct result of the Libertadores' fascination with all things French, and dates from the early 19th century and independence from Spain.
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