Ceviche - denaturation

Traditional Peruvian cold appetizer known as ceviche is prepared by chemically "cooking" raw fish and shellfish in an acidic citrus marinade, without heat. It's an example of protein denaturation.

Protein folds on itself so that hydrophobic elements of the protein are buried deep inside the structure and hydrophilic elements end up on the outside. The final shape of a protein determines how it interacts with its environment.

When a protein is denatured, the secondary and tertiary structures are altered but the peptide bonds between the amino acids are left intact. Since the structure of the protein determines its function, the protein can no longer perform its function once it has been denatured.

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The name - One theory suggests that the Ceviche got its name from the Quechua word "siwichi". However, it is more likely for the name to be a cognate of the Spanish word "escabeche" (marinade), derived from the Arabic term "sikbaj". Another theory suggests that its name comes from the word Cebo, the name given to the Corvina (sea bass) fish by black Peruvians.