Pop-up: Ceviche, Insects & Amazonas

Together with the Cevicheria Berlin we started another Insect Pop-Up Restaurant. On the base of delicious Peruvian and South-american dishes we created the mood of the Amazonas. Conscious about our unsustainable planet conditions and new protein alternatives, we decided to go deeper in the fusion of Peruvian traditional dishes and combine them with edible insects.

In Western societies eating insects is considered disgusting or primitive. But in dozens of countries worldwide 2 billion people consume insects on a regularly base. One of these countries is Peru where in the Amazonian region eating suri, a type of worm that’s a highly popular speciality, is long upheld by native populations for its delicious and nutritious properties, not to mention its source of sustenance.

A big surprise during the event was also the visit of Finnish food philosopher, insect expert and Ento chef Topi Kairenius who created the amazing event series Bugs & Beer. He brought me his fantastic book and we talked about future collaborations.

But back to the menu! Together with the chef of the Cevicheria Berlin we composed some really interesting dishes, such as:

  • Grilled octopus in olive cream with cold potato cake with avocado, spinach salad and cricket pesto with crispy worms
  • Mussels with worms, ponzu jelly, rocoto chili and yuca pearls
  • Smoked coliflower mash with marinated and grilled eggplant with worm tortilla
  • Potatoes with huancaína sauce and fried grasshoppers

The Cevicheria Berlin is a small family restaurant in the heart of Kreuzberg, between Oranienplatz and Kottbusser Tor. It offers, among many other options, the „Ceviche“, the must-have fish specialty of the Peruvian kitchen. Inspired by the mixture of cultures, such as Spanish, Chinese and Italian, and the culinary secrets of the various aboriginal populations, the Peruvian kitchen is shaped by many flavors and textures. A perfect match for insect food!