Sánguche de Pavo

The turkey itself entered Peruvian festive cooking through the Creole tradition of pavo relleno, the stuffed Christmas turkey already noted in Ricardo Palma's 19th-century 'Tradiciones peruanas' as an obligatory dish at family feasts. The sandwich is the everyday afterlife of that roast: rather than waste the leftover bird, Lima families slice it cold into rolls the next morning. The salsa criolla is the constant; the applesauce echoes the chopped apple traditionally folded into the stuffing.

The turkey is lean and tender, carrying a faint smoke and the herbs it roasted with. Salsa criolla cuts in sharp and limey, lifting meat that could otherwise read flat, and where applesauce is added it rounds the whole thing with a gentle fruity sweetness. The soft roll soaks up just enough juice to bind it. Comforting and a little festive.

A whole turkey is brined or marinated and roasted slowly so the breast stays moist, then rested and sliced thin once cool. The sandwich lives on contrast: the cold acidic onion relish and the sweet apple bracket the mild meat from two sides, savory-sour against savory-sweet, while day-old roast turkey — firmer and easier to slice cold — is in fact ideal for it.