Arroz Con Leche For Your Skin

Lima is characterized by having a humidity level that oscillates around 90%. A better way to illustrate this is by telling you how some years ago, when the Jorge Chavez International Airport didn’t use to have boarding bridges and you would have to off-board (leave) the airplane by way of stairs you were hit by the humidity and it felt like you were suddenly breathing under water.

One of the good things about this is that your skin is definitely less likely to need extra hydration, so that’s the main reason why I believe I have never been too much into using body creams. That being said, I couldn’t resist the temptation of getting an Arroz con Leche (rice pudding) body whip from Kara. I recently learned about this new store that specializes in making body creams and soaps made with fruits, grains and plants that are typical from Peru. I also got there a Camu Camu shower gel, and a Chicha Morada and a Maracuya foam soaps. They use ingredients such as 100% organic sacha inchi oil, quinoa milk, purple corn, lucuma, cacao and maca extract. I love how Peruvian gastronomy is crossing over to create innovative products outside the kitchen that by the way make a great souvenir or present.

From Coca to Cocoa

I used to be able to live without chocolate and could even turn down any offer to have a piece in exchange for anything salty. Two pregnancies later, and I now have a sweet tooth that has a predilection for chocolate!

Peruvian chocolate has been gaining more popularity locally and internationally (like at the Salon du Chocolat - Paris, where in 2010 Peruvian cacao was recognized as having the most aromatic seed). So it's no surprise that in our recent family trip to Tarapoto - San Martin, topping my list of things to do and see was a visit to La Orquidea - Organic Chocolate Factory. Needless to say, the wonderful smell of chocolate right as I walked through the doors to the small factory, followed by a delicious sample of melted chocolate, had me running to the shop to buy some chocolate bars. I tried the bitter, coconut and pecan and honestly I cannot tell you which one was my favorite.




The only thing that can make savoring these chocolates even sweeter is knowing that only six years ago, the same farmers that are now growing this amazing cacao, were growing coca leaves, thus propelling Peru into becoming the second producer of certified organic cacao and producing 20% of aromatic and fine cacao worldwide. This is a transformation that needs to continue and I will gladly eat more chocolate to support it.