Anticuchos (singular anticucho, Quechua for Cut Stew Meat) are popular and inexpensive dishes that originated in Peru, and popular also in other Andean states consisting of small pieces of grilled skewered meat. Anticuchos can be readily found on street-carts and street food stalls (anticucheras). The meat may be marinated in vinegar and spices (such as cumin, aji pepper and garlic), and while anticuchos can be made of any type of meat, the most popular are made of beef heart (anticuchos de corazon). Anticuchos often come with a boiled potato or bread on the end of the skewer. A similar dish, shish-kebab is found in Mediterranean cuisine. It is considered one of the most popular and typical in some countries of this continent. In Peru it is a tradition from colonial times and is linked to the procession of Señor de los Milagros.

Anticuchos can be traced as far back as the 16th century, when they were first encountered by the Spanish conquistadors. It was at this time that European ingredients such as garlic were added. It was a popular dish among the inhabitants of the Inca Empire, and it is currently popular throughout most South American countries. Its greatest popularity, however, remains in Peru and Bolivia.^{[citation needed]} Americanized versions of anticuchos are sometimes made of non-organ meats.

Los Compadres was a famous Cuban trova duo formed by Lorenzo Hierrezuelo in 1947. At the time Lorenzo had a singing duo with María Teresa Vera, and this partnership continued alongside the new venture. His first partner in Los Compadres was Compay Segundo (a famous trova singer and guitarist in his own right), who became the second voice and tres player of the duo. Later, when Compay Segundo moved on, Lorenzo formed up with his brother, Rey Caney, keeping the same name for the duo. Both partnerships made many recordings and toured widely in Latin America and the U.S.A.

Gastón Acurio Jaramillo (born October 30, 1967) is a Peruvian chef and ambassador of Peruvian cuisine. He is owner of international restaurants and author of several books. In Peru he's the host of his own television program and contributes to several magazines.

Gastón Acurio Jaramillo was born the only son of Gastón Acurio Velarde, a career politician with Acción Popular party and Senator in the 1980s, and Jesúsa Jaramillo Razuri. He has 4 older sisters.

He studied law (expecting to succeed his father in a political career) at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru in Lima and then transfer to the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain. After dropping his law studies in Spain, he studied cooking at the hotel trade school Sol de Madrid in Spain and the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where he met his future wife Astrid Gutsche, originally from Germany.

In 1994, he returned to Peru with new knowledge of international cuisine and applied it in a Gourmet level to Peruvian cuisine, contributing to the development of the so-called Cocina Novoandina. Acurio is currently recognized as one of the most important chefs in the world.^{[citation needed]}