In a sort of farmhouse in the colors of the earth, amidst the sharp miracle of the Andes, sits one of the most original restaurants on the planet. Led by Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez - dubbed "the new king in the land of ceviche" - MIL is a revolution that goes beyond gastronomy. It is a restaurant, yes. But also an initiatory experience at 3,800 meters high, in the untamed peaks of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. And it also has a bit of a research laboratory of a territory trodden by divine mountains revered by the Quechuas.
MIL is the purely gastronomic extension of a much more ambitious project led by Virgilio's own sister, Malena Martínez. It is Mater Iniciativa, a research project that encompasses gastronomy, agriculture, anthropology, and archaeology of the area. A cocktail shaker that seeks to value the indigenous communities in the vicinity, harness their ancient knowledge of the land, work with their raw materials, and ultimately experiment in the kitchen with all these ancestral living forces. A kind of Inca test tube 500 years after the extinction of that unique civilization.
"We conduct botanical routes, recover endangered tubers and vegetables, carry out genetic crosses to achieve more nutritious foods...", explains Malena. "In short, we generate content for our restaurants." And in the midst of these synergies emerges MIL, which in Virgilio's own words "is an interpretation center that brings together art, science, and cuisine." For $260, the 25 diners who arrive at this extremely remote restaurant every day will not only enjoy an eight-course tasting menu - one for each high-altitude ecosystem of the surroundings, from the high jungle to the puna or the steppe mountain range; in addition to eating, visitors can interact with local farmers or artisans - with whom Virgilio and his sister work closely -, learn about the indigenous traditions that have been carved out at almost 4,000 meters high, visit the nearby crops that supply the kitchen... In short, connect with the land in the most literal sense of the word.
And everything is, therefore, a festival of infused and fermented beverages, a playful game with endemic plants, wild herbs, roots, and tubers that grow in the foothills of the Valley. Or another twist on meat -beef, duck, alpaca...-. Served in pottery that once again evokes Inca energies, in an explosion of colors that up there, so far from solid ground, take on an almost magical shine. All passed through the filter of haute cuisine, but never forgetting the anthropological aspect.
Among the most surprising dishes prepared by Virgilio - whose restaurant Central, in Lima, is the best in the world according to The World's 50 Best Restaurants - are some of the 55 native potatoes - ocas, mashwas, tunta...- cooked in an underground oven; duck cured with the sweet root of the South American cactus; stewed alpaca meat with cereals; and up to seven subvarieties of cocoa. Always with the same premise: what is not grown or raised in the vicinity of the Sacred Valley, will never be served at MIL. Welcome to the most delicious edible history lesson in Latin America.