Peru is famous for its delicious seafood and also has some of the most unique seafood dishes in South America. Along the coast you have restaurants serving fresh seasonal fish that many will not have tried. These dishes are prepared in a myriad of ways, from Arroz con Mariscos, colourful rice with vast portions of scallops, shrimp and chilli to Parihuela, a spicy comforting fish stew.
The national dish is the world-famous ceviche, a room temperature dish of acid-cooked fish, seafood or black shellfish, marinated in lime juice, chillies, salt, onions and coriander and served with sweet potato, corn and onions
Peruvian limes are especially acidic which allows the ceviche to be ‘cooked’ quickly. In many other countries, the fish needs to be marinated in the limes for much longer, thus losing its freshness!
Although Peru has some seriously stellar seafood dishes, there are plenty of meat dishes for carnivores to get their teeth into in Peru. One of the original Chinese-Peruvian ‘fusion’ dishes, lomo saltado combines tomatoes, peppers, and onions in a pan with beef, soy sauce and fried potatoes for delicious effect. Similarly, chaufa is another Asian-Peruvian combination, fried rice with eggs and chicken cooked in a wok. Meanwhile pachamanca, is a mixture of beef, lamb, pork and cuy (guinea pig), marinated in chicha de jora (maize beer) and herbs, and then cooked with fava beans.
Travelling in the Andes in Peru, is perfect for adventurous foodies. The culinary traditions of the Inca people have been preserved in the Andes by the use of wood fired ovens and ceramic pots, which help meaty stews and soups to develop and maintain rich flavours. A local food to try is guinea pig – or cuy – which is usually oven-roasted and served with chips, and quite often with the head still attached! You can also expect to find hearty stews and soups featuring meat, beans, corn, potatoes and herbs.
Sometimes vegetarians or vegans may worry about what they can eat when visiting Peru. Although meat and seafood dishes are prominent, travelling in South America as a vegetarian is much easier than it once was.
Peru has some delicious dishes to suit vegetarian or vegan diets. Salads are of course widely available, including huevos de la rusa (egg salad) and tomato salad. Stuffed avocado, called palta rellena, is a tasty snack and papas a la Huancaina are potatoes served cold with a spicy cheese sauce. For dessert, try some fresh cheese served with honey, coconut, manjarblanco (caramel) or jaleas (blackberry and elderberry preserves.
Lima especially has some of the best restaurants in the world, and these are fast catering for vegetarian and vegan diets.
You may find when travelling in Peru that the menus change depending what region you are visiting. In the mountains, potatoes, corn and rice are staples served with meat. In the jungle bananas, plantain and yuca are more often the base of the meal, along with palm hearts, rice and river fish. Occasionally this is supplemented by game such as wild pig. The coast obviously calls for the freshest ocean seafood – which have given Peru it’s gastronomical fame!
Peruvians are extremely proud of their food since it has made its mark internationally. You will not get into a taxi or an elevator as a tourist without someone asking you if you have tried a, b, c, d and e dishes. Peruvians have no doubt that their food, Peruvian food is the best in the world.
El Ceviche de Ronald
(Comandante Espinar 849, Miraflores)
La Lucha Sangucheria Criolla
(Parque Kennedy, Diagonal 308, Miraflores)
Grimanesa Anticucheria
(Calle Ignacio Merino 466, Miraflores)
El Bodegón
(Avenida Tarapaca, 197 Miraflores)
Isolina Taberna Peruana
(Av San Martin 101, Barranco)
La Picantería
(Sta Rosa 388, Surquillo)
Panchita
(Calle 2 de Mayo 298, Miraflores)
Edo Sushi Bar
(Calle Berlin 601)
One of the most popular local drinks is the Pisco Sour, a refreshing alcoholic cocktail of lemon juice, Pisco liqueur, egg white and syrup. Peru is also known for its beer and popular brews include Pilsen, Cristal and Cusqueña. In the Amazon region, look out for fresh fruit juices such as aguajina and cocona, chuchuhuasi which is alcoholic, as well as uvachado, a fermented grape-based drink, and chapo, prepared with banana and/or milk.
Locals like to go for a drink at small cafes known as chicherías, to drink a fermented maize and fruit ‘corn beer’ called chicha. The cafes can be tricky for visitors to find, since they’re not always oriented to tourists and are often signposted with nothing more than a pole outside the door, bearing a red flag or marker. Once a meeting place for students, artists and bohemians, chicherías these days attract a more cosmopolitan crowd including locals visiting after work for a beverage and spicy nibbles that are often sold with the drink. If you’d like to try a chicha, buy a large ‘caporales’ glass, find some wriggle room at one of the traditional long communal tables, and enjoy the background hum of chatter, laughter and music as you sip your foamy brew.
When you think of Peru, what cuisine do you associate with it? Heavy on the meats and veg? Or does it perhaps resemble Mexican cuisine? After visiting Lima which is known as the culinary capital of South America, we shortlisted some of our favourite and most fascinating drinks, ingredients and dishes we recommend trying for yourself when visiting this Andean treasure of a country.
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