Peru is famous of all kind of festivals, but this year the country will be hosting a new one. From May 13 to May 15 2011, the region of Lambayeque in northwest Peru will hold its first Mushroom Festival. This will be celebrated in conjunction with marking the 20th anniversary of San Isidro Labrador de Marayhuaca, a peasant community. Specifically, the celebration will take part in the district of Incahuasi.

The peasant community San Isidro Labrador de Marayhuaca is organizing and promoting this event with assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG) and AgroRural in Lambayeque. The goal is to increase awareness of edible mushrooms and the farmer who harvest them. The hope is that the event will help improve the productiveness of this activity. It is also to highlight the relationship between different communities in Peru and how they can work together to be productive.

The event will feature mushrooms cooked in the indigenous and local way. Marayhuaca is a community where the dominate language is Quechua. Quechua was the language of the Incas and is considered an official language of Peru, along with Spanish, by the Peruvian government. As such, those on a Peru vacation who attend this event will learn a lot about how indigenous culture still thrives in Peru. Additionally, the event planners intended to have numerous exhibitions and tastings. There is even an official “dance of the mushroom” that will take part on Saturday, a day that is locally called “Festihongo.”

The local chefs, as well as a few national chefs, will have a culinary competition to see who can cook the best mushroom dishes. One example of a popular mushroom dish is a platter called “chicharron” made from fresh mushroom, egg, and several other ingredients. In most places of the world, chicharron is a dish made of fried pork rinds.

Those who are interested in attending this festival can do so from the city of Chiclayo, one of the closest main cities to the rural community when it will take place. A Chiclayo tour is a great addition to any trip to Peru. The area is famous remains from Moche, Sican, and Lambayeque civilizations. Chiclayo is also the capital city of the Lambayeque region, so it has many tourist facilities, such as hotels, restaurants, and museums. To get to Chiclayo, guests can choose to travel via plane or bus. The bus journey takes about eight to ten hours.