Mr Virgilio Martinez gives us a preview of his cookbook Central. Here are his five favourite Peruvian ingredients, and how to use them.

In his latest book, Central, named after his restaurant in Lima (currently fourth on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list) – Mr Virgilio Martinez exhaustively documents the ingredients he uses by altitude and ecosystem. Everything in his kitchen is native to Peru.

I came back to Peru about 10 years ago. I had been working in Madrid and I needed to reconnect with my culture. I knew a lot about Lima, but not the nature of the country – like the Andes, etc. I decided to go very deep into my roots. I spent a year travelling around all the different regions of Peru, and trying to work with different produce. I could draw a lot of inspiration from the landscape and the huge culture that we have.

I rediscovered a culture based on different altitudes and geographies. Peru is one of the most bio diverse countries in the world. I was really surprised and amazed by all the different ingredients. I had been at the likes of elBulli for 15 years, working for different chefs, and I thought it was time to open my own place. So I decided to stay in Lima and open Central. It took me about two years to understand what I wanted to do. The way we work isn’t easy. It’s a unique approach to Peruvian cuisine.

I wanted to work on this idea of altitudes and ecosystems. In Peru, I was constantly moving up and down and there was different produce up in the mountains and in the valley – from potatoes to quinoas to species of fish – things I’d never seen before. So I decided to base recipes on altitudes.

I didn’t want to do traditional dishes, nor were they on trend. On the tasting menu at Central, we decided to do 18 courses – and every course would represent one altitude or ecosystem of Peru. We do dishes that represent the sea, for example, where you find different seafood and seaweed. And then you might go to the Andes where you get various potatoes and vegetables.

We wanted to give a sense of place and landscape. We listened to anthropologists and sociologists and botanists – people who are experts. We couldn’t just forage and grab stuff. We work with people who truly understand the Andes and the Amazon.

Here are five of my favourite ingredients native to Peru.

We work with different varieties of oca, which is a beautiful tuber, and we use the whole thing, including the stem. This is a vegetable that reflects the Andean culture – about 3,000 metres above sea level. It has a sweetness – similar to radish. It can be eaten raw in slices, or cooked. We cover the ocas with clay and salt to make a crust and then we cook them.

This is an Andean grain, found in the mountains, that is tiny, delicate and has a beautiful texture. It is similar to quinoa in flavour and other properties. There are so many varieties as well. It’s always a discovery working with kiwicha.

This is a bark from the jungle in the Amazon. You can extract a resin from it to give a gelatinous texture to a dish. This is a good example of an ingredient and a process we have rediscovered. This was a medicinal plant used for healing – in the Amazon and in the Andes.

Bitter potatoes are found in the Andes mountains near Lake Titicaca (where we can trace the origins of potato farming). During the day, the potatoes are put in the river be cleaned. Then, they are left under the sun to dry. During the night, the temperatures are very low and the potatoes become frozen. So you end up with freeze-dried potatoes. This is an ancient Andean method. They’re very white – like flour – and we use them as a thickener at Central.

This is a herb that tastes like mint – it’s quite strong and it gives a lot of character to a dish. It’s used in sauces, stews and soups and grows in every region of Peru – including at altitudes as high as 3,800 metres.

Central (Phaidon) by Mr Virgilio Martinez is available to buy now