Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1891-01-03

and boulevards, even those of the botan-
| ical gardens, were chopped down for fuel
by the Chilean soldiers. The entire mu-
| scum of Peruvian curiosities-one OF the
| largest of its kind in the world-was packed
up and shipped to Santiago. The most
| valuable books of the national library. in.
| GLIDING a vast collection of old maru-
scripts, Inquisition relics and other price,
less relics, were thrown into sacks and sent
after the museum. Musical instruments
were hacked in pieces by swords and axes;
historical paintings cut from their frames,
and many smaller, pictures, statues and ar
ticles of virtu were carried off as private
plumber. Peru's greatest painting, Mari.
mis- Burial of Atahualpa, the Last of the
Incas," was stolen from the wall where it
hung, but the protests of the diplomatic
| corps finally induced the Chileans to leave
it. Churches as we'll as private houses were
stripped, and what could not be destroyed
I or carried away was consumed by fire, the
purpose of the invaders being to deprive
the Peruvian of everything they priced.
But despite the present poverty of the
| old capital, evidences of the refined taste OF
| its people in music and art are everywhere
apparent. Its aristocratic circles are ex-
] tremely exclusive, and their social laws are
very rigid. However rich or respectable a
foreign resident may be, he finds it difficult
I to obtain any sort of social standing among
| this highest "set;" but if he comes fer a
! temporary stay with coed letters of intro
duction, he will be received with cordial
hospitality, and will be well entertained.
This is especially true in regard to English
| and American officers, who are in great de.
| mand at balls, dinners, etc, whenever their
ships are in the harbor, for here as else
where, the ladies have an especial liking
for gold lace and brass buttons.
Since that terrible war there have been
few public balls and receptions; and for
the same reason, poverty, there is not nearly
SO much display in dress and jewels as for
merly. However, the glitter of ''gaud and
gear is still dazzling on first nights at the
opera, and on other fiesta occasions; for the
ladies of the present generation inherited
many splendid gems from their fair an
cestresses, bought in the golden days of
Peru when money was poured cut like
water. From the same source descended
the priceless lace and the rich, old fashioned
fabrics one sees so much of in Limaian
"best society,"" which make a nineteenth
century senorita look as if she had lust
stepped down and out of al old painting.
Those ancient social restrictions, which
make it q breach of decorum for lady to
see gentleman alone for one moment until
after marriage still prevail in Peru among
conventionalities are as strongly marked as
is the entire absence of all conventionality
among the lower orders. For example /:
gentleman has had repeated invitations
to call upon certain family, and some fine
| day he goes. In every case he must ask
| for the gentleman of the house; or, if he is
not at home, the point may be stretched to
the extent of asking for the elder brother,
| should there be grown up young man in
| the family. If it happens that both are
| absent, the visitor must depart at once,
leaving his card for the master of the casa
and his verbal compliments for the ladies,
but on no account must he ask to see the
latter. If the father or brother are at home
| they will welcome the caller most hospi-
tably. One by one the female members of
the family will all drop in some music,
on harp, piano or mandolin, will be beau.
tifully rendered by the senoritas, who, CO.
| quettish by nature and eager to entertain
and be- entertained, will make eyes, at
the caller if he has the faintest approach
| to attractiveness about him; tea or choco-
late with dulcies will be served, and most
charming hour or two may be spent.
| Peruvian cookery is an incopgruous mix
ture of foreign and native styles, the latter
predominating at private meals, the former
at all ceremonious repasts. A dinner-table
custom, which was once common and is
not yet entirely done away with, even in
proud Lima, is called the bocaditd, and is a
rather conlicai if not always entirely &C.
| ceptable demonstration of friendship, or
something warmer. 1t consists i'll selecting
a choice morsel from your own plate, and
handing it on your fork to some lady pres.
| ent; who, in her turn, is privileged to not
only pay back the delicate compliment,
| but to intensity it by taking It'd. bit from
her own plate, without the aid of knife
or fork, and presenting it to the gentleman
| who has made the challenge, be leaning
over the teble and receiving it in his mouth
| from her fingers. 1t used to be customary
in Peru, on all occasions of formality, for
the host and hostess to eat by themselves,
Immediately before the banquet; and then
during the progress of the ceremonious re-
past to take nothing whatever, though sit
| ting one at each end of the table, being
supposed in that way to give their undi-
| vided attention to the guests.
Mr.. Knox, in his boy Travellers, makes
| Frank say in letter to his mother: I'VE
cannot say much for the cookery of Lima,
if we are to judge by what we have seen.
One article that may be called a national
dish of Peru is known as puchero. 1 have
| obtained the recipe for you, and here it is:
Have kettle according to your puchero;
put into it large piece of beef or mutton,
some cabbage, sweet potatoes, salt pork,
sausage, pigs feet, yucas, bananas, ounces,
| Irish potatoes, pears, pease and rice; with
spices, salt and plenty of red peppers. Add
sufficient water, and stew the whole gently
four or five hours; then serve on deep
platter. Puchero is patterned somewhat
after the ola podrida of Spain, the chow
der of New England, ard the bouillabiasse
of Southern France, but contains more in
gradients and more favors than all of
them put together. l cannot say that
| dislike it, but could get along with it a
great deal better if they would put in less
| red pepper.
Another stew, simpler than puchero, is
| called chupe. favorite breakfast dish but
not often served at dinner. The lower
classes are fond of the hottest picdiltes
| compounded of meat, fish, crabs, meal, po-
| tatoes, bananas and red peppers, mixed
with the juice of bitter oranges and stewed
| in water. We have tasted this wonderful
mixture, but could not get to a second
| spoonful in consequence of the fiery nature
of the peppers. Fred says they use a
| pound of peppers to pound of all other
| ingredients, water included. Swallowing a
| torch-ight procession would be preferable
| to dinner of picdntes. Around the land.
ing place at Callao we saw women with lit
tie braziers OF charcoal, ladling out steam.
ing picdntes to the laborers and idlers of
the port and were told that it is their only
| article of food. In the poorer parts of Lima
there is a picanteria every few yards and
and each establishment has its patrons
among workmen employed in the vicin-
lty." There are many varieties of picdntes
each having a distinct name; but every one
of them is red-hot with peppers.