Surfing and ceviche in Peru

21 hours ago 1

December in Peru means surf and ceviche, as our reporter catches some breaks on the beaches outside Lima.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

In the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas marks the start of summer. In Lima, Peru's frequently overcast capital that overlooks the frigid southern Pacific, that means blazing sunshine and warmer waters and Christmases with surfing and ceviche that go together like B.J. Leiderman and our theme music. Here's reporter Simeon Tegel.

(SOUNDBITE OF WAVES CRASHING)

SIMEON TEGEL, BYLINE: When you mention Peru, most people think of the Andes or perhaps the Amazon, which covers most of the country, or, of course, Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel located in a cloud forest where the jungle and mountains overlap. But most Peruvians actually live on the 2000-mile-long Pacific Coast.

FERNANDO VIDAL: (Speaking Spanish).

TEGEL: Fernando Vidal is a fixture on this Lima beach. A two-time Latin American surfing champion, he will be more than happy to rent you a board or get one of his instructors to give you a surfing class. He says the next three months or so are the best time of year to catch a wave, with the sun finally shining after months of gloom and the sea a procession of tidy, beautifully formed waves.

So it's looking like perfect conditions for me for my first time surfing since the last summer ended in early April. The first break, it's about 50 yards out. It's maybe waist-high, very glassy, clean, long. It'll be perfect for me with my longboard.

VIDAL: (Speaking Spanish).

TEGEL: "This break is a machine," Fernando says. "There are always waves."

(SOUNDBITE OF WAVES BREAKING)

TEGEL: Well, that was a lot of fun. Caught a couple of good waves there, maybe 30, 40 yards each, quite long, but it was definitely hard work, especially the paddling. I could really feel that I haven't been surfing in about eight months.

KEVIN CASSANA: (Through interpreter) I definitely prefer the ceviche on the 25th as it's starting to get hotter.

TEGEL: Kevin Cassana is a physiotherapist from the Andes. Since moving to Lima, he has been learning to surf. And after catching a few waves, he loves to eat a ceviche. In fact, he says he prefers the ceviche with his surfing buddies on Christmas Day to the turkey and opening of presents that Peruvians, like in most Catholic countries, usually do on Christmas Eve.

So now I'm in my favorite local cevicheria. It's called La Canta Ranita. The name means the Little Singing Frog. It's in a market here in Barranco, my neighborhood in Lima. And I just thought of ceviche apaltado.

VICENTE FURGIUELE: (Speaking Spanish).

TEGEL: Vicente Furgiuele is the owner and chef at the Canta Ranita. He says ceviche originated in pre-Colombian cultures on the coast, who salted raw fish. And then the Spaniards brought citrus to the Americas, which led to the curing of the fish with lime juice.

So my ceviche apaltado, it's some thick slices of fish - don't know what fish it is. It could be the fish of the day, the catch of the day, cured in lime juice with some diced avocado, some boiled corn ears - very large corn ears, not like the ones you would get in the U.S., and they're white. And then also, there's a thick slice of steamed sweet potato, which is excellent for mopping up the juice. It has garnish with some capers as well, and just really delicious, very tangy, very zingy.

As Christmas celebrations go, this could hardly be more different than the one I grew up with on the other side of the world in England. For some reason, I really don't feel like going back.

For NPR News, this is Simeon Tegel in Lima, Peru.

(SOUNDBITE OF BIBIO'S "WATCHING THUS, THE HERON IS ALL POOL")

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