Lomo a lo pobre
Lomo a lo pobre, bistec a lo pobre, or bife a lo pobre is a dish from Peru and Chile. The ingredients are beef tenderloin (Spanish: lomo) topped with one or more fried eggs and French fries.[1][2] Unlike steak and eggs, lomo a lo pobre is eaten as a lunch or dinner.
Course | Main (lunch) |
---|---|
Place of origin | Chile Peru |
Serving temperature | Hot |
Main ingredients | Beef, eggs, french fries |
Ingredients generally used | Fried onions, rice, fried plantains |
Variations | Bistec a lo pobre, bife a lo pobre |
There are variants that replace steak with other types of meat, such as beef tenderloin or fillet, chicken, or fish such as conger eel, salmon, or hake.[3]
Etymology in PerĂº
There are several possible origins for the term a lo pobre ("poor man's style").
One is that it was named because of the irony of nineteenth-century Peruvian common folk eating similar dishes with an abundance of food and at a high price, despite their economic situation.
Alternatively, it may have originated due to the idea that poorer residents of Lima ate meat combined with carbohydrates, eggs, and rice, while higher-class individuals were associated with eating meat alone with a vegetable. Yet another possibility is that it is a derivation from au poivre ("with pepper") even though the preparations are quite different.
Today it is consumed in lower- and upper-class restaurants, and there is no negative connotation associated with the dish.
The term a lo pobre in Lima today may refer simply to the addition of a fried egg and is used in other dishes besides steak, such as grilled chicken breast (pechuga a lo pobre), rice (especially arroz chaufa), lomo saltado, salchipapas, or even hamburgers.
References
- Bladholm, L. (2015). Latin & Caribbean Grocery Stores Demystified. St. Martin's Press. p. pt233. ISBN 978-1-250-10851-7. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- Lonely Planet South America on a shoestring. Travel Guide. Lonely Planet Publications. 2016. p. pt1282. ISBN 978-1-78657-733-7. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- Ercilla (in Spanish). Sociedad Editora Revista "Ercilla". 2003.