Peruvian cuisine has absorbed Chinese, Spanish, Japanese and African gastronomic traditions. This is a unique cuisine, in which there are national dishes, the recipes of which are a reflection of the culinary experience of the Indians.
National cuisine of Peru
A dish called "saltado" has become widespread in the country - it is a vegetable stew fried with various spices. In Peru, many dishes are cooked based on potatoes. So, here you can try “papas-a-la-huancaina” (this dish includes green salad, fried potatoes, cheese, lemon juice and hot sauce) and “carapulcra” (a dish of pork, chicken, dried potatoes and sunflower seeds). As for the meat dishes, they are often prepared from alpaca meat, which is served with the local quinoa cereal.
Cui (fried guinea pig) is considered the “star dish” in Cusco and Arequipa. And on the coast and in the Amazon Valley, fish and seafood dishes are common: these include "escabeche" (an appetizer made of fish, pepper and onions) and "supe de samarones" (a soup to which eggs, peppers, milk and shrimp are added).
Popular Peruvian dishes:
- Creole soup (soup with vegetables, beef, noodles, egg, milk and local spices);
- “Anticuchos” (beef shashlik with pepper, mushrooms and onions);
- "Chincheros" (pork dish with peanut sauce);
- “Puchero” (a dish of meat cooked in a pot with pickled vegetables);
- “Levanta muerto” (a dish in the form of a spicy soup with seafood);
- “Picarones” (a dessert in the form of donuts, drizzled with sugar syrup).
Where to taste the national cuisine?
Planning to order ceviche at a Peruvian restaurant and don't want to feel the fire in your mouth? Ask the waiter for a medium hot dish (say “medio”).
In Lima, it is worth visiting "Brujas de Cachiche" (guests are treated to Peruvian Creole dishes - crushed corn tamales, beef heart shashlik anticuchos stuffed with rocote) or "Maido" (in this Japanese-Peruvian restaurant you will be offered to taste sushi and rolls in Peruvian style, and ceviche and tiradito - in Japanese), and in Cusco - “Inka Grill” (guests here prefer to feast on Peruvian snacks, as well as the signature dish - Kui; and in the evenings there is live music).
If you are a chocolate lover, you will be offered a trip to the Chocolate Museum in Cusco, where you can enjoy chocolate and bean shell teas, as well as other drinks and chocolate dishes at a local cafe.
Cooking classes in Peru
In various restaurants in Lima, those who wish are taught how to cook ceviche, lomosaltado and other Peruvian dishes.
It is worth visiting Peru on the Pisco Sour Cocktail Day (July), the Shrimp Festival (November) and the Mistura Culinary Festival (Lima, September).
