Peruvian Food: More than Just Ceviche


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Last Updated on July 4, 2018 by Audrey Scott

Peruvian cuisine has attained a certain hipness over the last decade. So when we put out a call to our network for Peruvian food suggestions prior to our visit to Lima, we were surprised when the net response amounted to “ceviche and pisco sours.”

For sure those are requisite tastes, but the Peruvian food scene offers so much more.

Peruvian Food Guide

Influenced from the mountains, from the jungle, from the coast, and from abroad (Europe, Japan and China), Peruvian cuisine — tart, rich, spicy, and international — stands distinct in Latin America.

Peruvian food is accessible: you don't need to spend a fortune to eat well. Peruvians are understandably proud of their food, too. During our visit, we often developed a rapport with fellow diners. As a result, our conversations moved to family, politics, economics and life. Once again, good food opened the doors to a culture.

But before we enter a culinary philosophical vortex from which we can never return, let's dig in.

Seafood

Ceviche

Traditional Peruvian ceviche features raw fish that is citrus-cooked by marinating in Peruvian lime juice, raw onions, and chili. It is usually accompanied by some corn (on or off the cob) and a slice of sweet potato whose sweet starch provides almost perfect balance to the acidity of the leche de tigre, the ceviche marinade. For greater variety, try ceviche mixto which throws in octopus, shrimp and other shellfish. You will also likely be served an appetizer or side of canchas, large toasted, salted corn kernels.

Mixed Seafood Ceviche at Surquillo Market - Lima, Peru
Mixed Seafood Ceviche at Surquillo Market, Lima

Where to get it: For some of Lima's highest value ceviche, pop on into Lima's Surquillo market on Saturday at midday. Find the seafood aisle and chat with the seafood woman who will tell you that the fish most often used in ceviche is the ojo de uva. A few meters away at this popular place, locals will be downing large plates of ceviche mixtos (including fish and shellfish) for 12 soles ($4.50). Share a table, eat beautiful ceviche and — if you put yourself out there — enjoy some conversations about Peruvian history and life in Lima.

Tiradito

Similar to ceviche, but more subtle and refined, hinting at some Japanese influence. The primary difference between ceviche and tiradito? No onions. In place of onions, tiradito marinades often feature ginger and aji (Peruvian hot pepper). You can also find tiradito served (as in the photo below) with creamy aji amarillo (yellow hot pepper) or rocoto (hot red bell-like pepper) sauces.

Tiradito with Aji and Rocoto Sauces - Lima, Peru
Tiradito with Aji and Rocoto Sauces

Causa rellena

Bright yellow mashed potatoes seasoned with lime and aji, filled with tuna, shrimp, or crab and topped with avocado and a creamy cocktail sauce. The ultimate comfort food in the Peruvian kitchen. Just as decadent as it sounds.

Rich Causa with Shrimp and Crab - Lima, Peru
Rich Causa with Shrimp & Crab

Conchitas a la Parmesana (parmesan gratinated scallops)

Rich and buttery. Scallops topped with grated parmesan and baked just brown. Our favorite appetizer.

Conchitas a la Parmesana - Lima, Peru
Conchitas a la Parmesana

Seafood Stuffed Tequenos

Taking a culinary cue from Asia, Peruvians give us tequenos, the Peruvian spring roll. Thinly rolled, filled with chicken or seafood, fried and served with various dips.

Where to get these dishes: Although we sampled seafood fare at several restaurants, we found the best quality and value at El Muelle, a restaurant/cafe located in Lima's Barranco neighborhood. Location: At the corner of San Martin and Alfonso Ugarate Streets (one block away from Metro Supermarket).

Chupe

A creamy chili-seasoned stew-like soup chock full of fish, shrimp, crab and whatever else the chef wants to throw in. Usually also includes cheese and some sort of cream added to the broth to make it super rich and tasty.

Peruvian food, chupe de cameron in Arequipa
A hearty bowl of chupe de cameron in Arequipa.

We had an impressive bowl of chupe de cameron at La Nuevo Palomino in Arequipa. It's big enough to share between two people.

Pescado a lo Macho

Fish fillet topped with a creamy aji-rocoto pepper and shellfish sauce.

Seafood Chaufa

Peruvian Chinese fried rice turned with ginger and spices. Particularly in Lima, you'll find it chock full of shellfish (squid, mussels, and shrimp).

Parihuela

Think Peruvian style bouillabaisse. Tomato-based seafood soup spiced with hot pepper.

Sushi

We know, we know. Sushi is not Peruvian. Lima's Japanese influence and position on the Pacific coast makes it home to some decent sushi, however. Where to Get It: From the moment we walked through the door at Edo, we enjoyed the atmosphere and pace. A line of Japanese sushi chefs behind a well-supplied counter dish out inventive rolls and healthy cuts of sashimi. Address: Berlin 601, Miraflores, Lima.

Meat and Potatoes

Rocoto Relleno

The Peruvian stuffed hot pepper. Stuffing can include just about anything it seems, but the norm is some combination of chunked or ground beef, cheese, hard-boiled egg, onions, garlic, herbs, spices and raisins, all in a hot cream pepper sauce. Originally a specialty of Arequipa, rocoto relleno is popular and available throughout Peru.

If you are traveling in Arequipa, the rocoto relleno at La Nuevo Palomino is pretty darn tasty and rich. And, it's hearty enough to share between two people.

Full Tray of Rocotos Rellenos - Mistura Gastronomy Festival in Lima, Peru
Rocoto Relleno

Lomo Saltado

Slices of beef stir fried with onions, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and soy sauce.

Anticuchos

Marinated and spiced beef hearts, skewer-roasted. Very rich and tasty, but more than one might just leave your heart beating a bit faster than normal.

Anticuchos in Barranco - Lima, Peru
Anticuchos on the grill, Lima.

Aji de Gallina

Chicken — pulled or on the bone — served in a creamy aji sauce. While we loved the concept of this dish, we found most versions to be lacking the oomph one might expect from a pepper sauce. Having said that, the sauce in the aji de langostina from Trattoria dei Prati at the Mistura festival was subtle, earthy, rich and delicious.

Ocopa

Boiled, sliced potatoes lathered in sauce blended from milk and dissolved saltines, aji panca amarilla chili pepper, walnuts and huatacay (a regional herb sometimes referred to as Amazon black mint).

Papas Huancaina

Think of it as a simpler version of ocopa. Boiled potato slices served in an ocopa sauce, roughly minus the nuts and herbs.

Papas Rellena

Deep-fried mashed potato logs stuffed with various fillings including seasoned ground meat, spices, and olives.

Tacu Tacu

An Afro-Peruvian dish. A seasoned mixture of beans and rice formed into a tortilla/turnover and fried. Often served with an egg and a slab of fried beef or chicken.

Pachamanca

The classic Peruvian grill: meat, potatoes, corn, lima beans, humitas (sweet tamales) all cooked in a pit lined with heated stones.

Drinks and Desserts

Pisco Sour

The cocktail that grows on you. Get your fill of the traditional pisco sour, a cocktail made with Peruvian pisco liquor and lime juice with a layer of egg white foam on top. After having done that, try some other flavors, including the one made with maracuya (passion fruit). When well-made, it's incredible.

The Best Pisco Sours? Lima, Peru
Pisco Sour at Huaringas Bar, Lima

Where to get it: Huaringas in Miraflores, Lima. We sampled several pisco sours. If you want a serious, top-quality cocktail, this is the place.

Chicha morada

Alcohol-free drink made of purple corn (or black maize, if you like), boiled fruit juice (pineapple, quince or other citrus) and spices like cinnamon and clove. Recipes and quality vary widely. Surprisingly good with ceviche. Where to get it: Lots of places serve it, but our favorite: the cevicheria at the Surquillo market.

Picarones

A donut/fritter made with sweet potato dough and served with a sweet honey and fig syrup. This snack is a Peruvian favorite and drew the longest of all lines at the Mistura Peruvian food festival.

Alfajores

Two buttery shortbread cookies with a healthy layer of manjar blanco (or dulce de leche) in between. The center is sweet, but when served with a proper shortbread cookie (not overly sweet), the result is terrific.

Lúcuma Ice Cream

Lúcuma is a fruit that is unique to the Andean region. It looks like an avocado from the outside, and it is supposed to be filled with all sorts of health benefits. We did not try lúcuma fruit in its raw form (it's supposedly a bit dry), but we did have lúcuma ice cream, shakes, yogurt and custard. It has a unique caramel flavor that really goes well with dairy products.

Alfajores - Lima, Peru
Peruvian alfajores. Melts in your mouth delicious.

Leche asada

A baked custard made of evaporated milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Where to get it: You can find leche asada, alfajores and a whole array of other desserts at La Tapa cafe on the corner of the San Martin Avenue and Domeyer Street in Lima's Barranco neighborhood.

Leche Asada - Lima, Peru
Leche Asada


Lima is worth a stop on your Andean itinerary, if only to sample the food. If you go, however, you must make an effort to beyond Lima's tourist ghetto, Miraflores. Consider this: the “Best Ceviche” award at the Mistura Peruvian food festival was given to a cevicheria in San Juan de Miraflores, considered to be one of Lima's poorest neighborhoods.

Therein lies the key to Peruvian food.

About Daniel Noll
Travel and life evangelist. Writer, speaker, storyteller and consultant. Connecting people to experiences that will change their lives. Originally from the U.S. Daniel has lived abroad since 2001 and most recently has been on the road since 2006. When he's not writing for the blog you can keep up with his adventures on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. And you can learn more about him on the About Page and on LinkedIn.

60 thoughts on “Peruvian Food: More than Just Ceviche”

  1. Man, all of that looks really delicious. I probably shouldn’t have read this on an empty stomach as my stomach is aching for the things that the eyes can see.

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  2. This makes me miss Peru. I loved the Chicha, Ceviche, Lomo Saltado and Chaufa as well as the home-made sushi I enjoyed on Christmas eve as a guest of some Japanese Peruvian friends. My biggest surprise was the difference in the Ceviche, as my introduction was a Veracruz style. If I didn’t want to visit Japan so much, this would be enough to convince me to return to Lima.

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  3. This could not be more timely! Leaving for Lima today, so this will be the guide I’ll be looking to when trying to figure out what everything on the menus mean when I arrive on Friday.

    Thanks guys! Great photos!

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  4. Everything looks so delicious! Surprised you didn’t include quinoa on the list though. Though I haven’t been to Peru, I thought it was a pretty popular food there.

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  5. I had no conception of Peruvian food until I read this post. It looks amazing and the flavors are right in my wheelhouse. I must now seek out Peruvian food in Wisconsin, of all places.

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  6. I thought this was going to be the post where you guys at some guinea pigs. Sounds like you had some great meals. Appetizing photos.
    Your mention of bouillabaisse reminded me of dinners in Lisbon.
    It’s been almost 2 years since I broke my knee and went searching for your grandfather’s house. I’ve been out cross country and downhill skiing again this winter but still find the time to keep up with your travels. Years ago I read an article about sand skiing on the dunes along the coast of Peru. Are they still doing that?

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  7. Wow, what beautiful food! I have a feeling it tasted pretty amazing too. We haven’t been to Peru yet, but my husband traveled to a couple cities there for business and really enjoyed the food. Now, I can see why.
    Did you try lucuma fruit? He brought me back some lucuma flavored chocolate, but I’d love to know what the actual fruit is like.

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  8. The first time I was in Peru, I turned lots of folks on to chicha morada, and discovered that later that evening, an embarrassed majority of them became copious producers of intestinal gas–not enough to threaten OPEC, I’m told, but…. Didn’t happen to me, though… maybe because they were from Toronto?

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  9. My goodness, I’m just about to leave the office and now you are whetting my appetite. Thanks for posting these delicious photos. 🙂

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  10. Forgot: most places I had alpaca didn’t do it justice–it has a tendency to feel and taste dry and plain; but a restaurant in Qosqo (Cusco) prepared it very much like a slow (and deliciously) cooked mutton, with an excellent blackberry (mora) sauce. It was served with very tasty sides of yuca and quinua–the first with a light honey sauce; the second, mixed with herbs and slivers of toasted ginger and nuts.

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  11. The Ceviche and the Conchitas a la Parmesana look so delicious!! I’ve been really keen on visiting Peru, and after having seen all these examples of the cuisine I want to go there even more!

    Did you take a cooking course there?

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  12. It’s great to see such a comprehensive post about Peruvian food – it may be trendy in the US but it’s barely made an impact in the UK, so it was a complete surprise to me. I tried most of things on your list and loved them all – it was wonderful to find a country with such a varied and exciting cuisine.

    Surprised there’s no mention of alpaca – I ate it quite a lot, and found it really good (unlike Bill M I didn’t get one dry alpaca dish), especially in Lomo Saltado. Cuy (& Llama) on the other hand….

    Another great thing you missed out on is Kiwicha, an Andean grain that I ate a lot as a snack food (in popped form, tasting a bit like a nuttier popcorn) to give me energy whilst hiking in the Andes around Huaraz. Absolutely delicious, and apparently very good for you too.

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  13. Even the supermarkets in Lima were amazing. The selection of food was huge, and all of it was so fresh and delicious. I literally think I spent half a day wandering through one when I just meant to go and pick up a few things for lunch on a lazy day.

    Did you have any ceviche in Ecuador? I think I preferred the ceviche I had there to that I had in Peru.

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  14. The English name for kiwicha is amaranth.

    In over a decade of eating South American cuisine, I’ve had decent cuy only once—and “decent” is generous. Cuy (guinea pig) flesh takes on the taste of whatever the animal eats, and they don’t seem all that selective. Yeah, they’re herbivores, but like goats, they can get pretty strange-tasting. The best cuy I ever ate must have eaten mostly sweet stuff, and it was fresh killed. (The cook went out behind her house, where the cuy were running around like chickens, grabbed one up, cleaned and cooked it.) The problem is that the animal isn’t all that tasty at its best, and is pretty much overwhelmed by any kind of sauce that might give it character: it becomes more-or-less nondescript, semi-fibrous rodent protein with sauce.

    Some might be put off by the presentation, which comes close to the appearance of road kill: the animal is flattened and butterflied, with head and feet intact. It has the appearance of a fire-roasted beaver-toothed rat (minus its hair, of course). Cuy is basic subsistence food–it’s easy and cheap: good graze, freshness, proper cooking, and (as with goat or cat or dog satay) a flavorful sauce can save cuy, but in my opinion, nothing can exalt it.

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  15. @Colin: All the conversations we had in Buenos Aires this past week about Peruvian food and restaurants in Lima motivated us to put together this article so a broader audience could enjoy it. Hope you have a chance to try some of these dishes during your time in Lima.

    @Cornelius: Peruvian ceviche vs. sushi. That’s a hard one. One of our favorite meals in Lima was sushi at Edo – everything was so fresh and carefully prepared. Perhaps a compromise: tiradito.

    @Adam: We did have quinoa soup and several other dishes with quinoa in Peru, but we didn’t include it on our list since those dishes didn’t quite as lasting an impression on us as the others listed above. We are also inclined to think of quinoa (and other grains) as part of a broader Andean table. I guess that puts us on the hook for another food post. Having said all that, it’s important to note that this list only begins to scratch the surface of Peruvian food. It really is a diverse cuisine.

    @Keith: Even though we had visited a couple of Peruvian restaurants in the States before our visit, we had little concept of the breadth of Peruvian cuisine. We’d be curious to know your experience when you find a Peruvian restaurant in Wisconsin.

    @Pete: Has it been two years already since you first found our website and became one of our favorite readers/commentors? Time flies. We didn’t spend any time on the coast outside of Lima, but it wouldn’t surprise me if sand skiing still is popular.

    @Zoe: Thanks! Credit for most of these photos go to Dan. He’s the food photographer in the family

    @Lori: Next time your husband travels to Peru for business, you should find a way to go with him and spend the time researching food. The selection of fruit in Peru is incredible due to the diversity of jungle, mountains and coast.

    We did not try lucuma fruit in its raw form, but we did have lucuma fruit shakes, yogurt and custard. It has a unique caramel flavor.

    @Bill: We were warned about drinking chicha morada by a few locals, but never had any problems. I’ll restrain from commenting on the connection between your friends getting sick and being from Toronto…

    We sampled alpaca in different ways, but our best experience was the alpaca carpaccio at an Australian-run restaurant in Cusco (Two Nations). Rich, tender, and healthy (we’re told there’s on cholesterol in alpaca meat). I’m with you on cuy (guinea pig) – we actually tried it in Vilcabamba.

    @Sofia: I did search around for a cooking class when we were in Lima, but I was only able to find 6-month culinary classes or cooking classes that were part of a larger, expensive culinary tour of Peru. I wasn’t able to find a 1-2 day cooking class like we took in Thailand, India, Cambodia or Vietnam. I think that’s a shame since there are only going to be more people like us wanting to learn the basics without having to sign up for a lengthy, expensive tour. Sounds like a business opportunity to me.

    @Mike: We tried guinea pig (cuy) in Ecuador and once was enough. Peruvians tried to convince us that their cuy was better than the Ecuadoran version, but I wasn’t convinced. Here’s what cuy looks like when it’s served at a restaurant.

    @Theresa: The fresh markets and even the supermarkets were overflowing with produce. I loved the 3 artichokes for $0.66 or huge heads of broccoli for $0.25. Even when we cooked at our guesthouse, we ate well and for very little money.

    We did have ceviche in Ecuador, but we preferred the Peruvian style. In addition to having a tastier and simpler marinade (the leche de tigre, or tiger’s milk), we thought the quality and freshness of the fish was better. Each person has different tastes.

    @Itinerant Londoner: Peruvian cuisine is unique in South America – a very welcome change from what we found in many other parts of this region (we’ll be doing an Andean food post soon).

    We did try kiwicha in granola, snack bars, and trail mixes. It is great for hiking (an added bonus is that it’s super light). We even received a lesson in kiwicha (and more generally on the health benefits of Peruvian grains) at a fresh market in Huancavelica. It’s a shame these grains aren’t more integrated into restaurant meals – that would make the lives of vegetarians a bit easier.

    @Lola: We did not pull out the macro lens for these images. Most of these images were taken with our regular 18-200 mm lens on the Nikon D300 or with a small handheld camera. It also helps that the Peruvian dishes we tried were delicious and photogenic 🙂

    The food photography piece is on its way…

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  16. Fantastic spread! Do you use a macro lens or a regular prime/fixed lens for these?

    Looking forward to the piece on food photography. So exciting.

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  17. The Torontulas (as I came to call them), were earthy and generous, and none of them became sick; just earthily, generously, prodigiously, nearly hyperbolically, gassy–a colonic choral soundtrack to a veritable Verrazano-Narrows Bridge of gastric sighs, as it were. Had we been nearer the coast, surely they’d have summoned a gathering of Humpback pods.

    During the weeks I lived on Amantani, our two daily meals were based on quinua and kiwicha, in both grain and plant forms. Dinner was those grains as soup, with whatever other vegies were available (the people of Amantani are vegetarians almost all of the time); Breakfast was a pancake–a (nearly oillessly) fried mash of the same things. These were not only delicious, but so nutritious that even at that altitude, I never felt tired or hungry. (We also drank lots of muña, a common plant that makes an excellent digestive tea.)

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  18. oh yeah… there´s a whole world beyond ceviche!
    I lived in Peru for almost 8 years while growing up and Peruvian food is in my heart! LOL 🙂 my family was always surprised how I devoured bowls of ceviche as a little girl – fish cooked on lime juice… some tastes are acquired very early!
    I absolutely love lomo saltada, anticuhos and conchitas a parmesana…
    when I lived in Miami I had to go every once in a while to a Peruvian restaurant to eat and remember…
    now in Brazil it´s quite difficult to find!
    GREAT POST! mouthwatering, I shoudl say! 😉

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  19. @Lisa: I’m very jealous that you got to go to El Muelle in the last week! I can’t wait to back to Peru to eat either 🙂

    @Adriana: I never had ceviche until I was in my 30s, but I adapted quickly and love it! The ceviche in Lima blew away everything I had eaten below – must be the freshness of the fish and the special Peruvian limes. Hope you are able to find a Peruvian food fix in Brazil!

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  20. oh man, I didn’t think I liked heart too much until a friend gave me “Anticuchos de corazon.” It was so good that I couldn’t resist eating about 5 and my heart definitely skipped a couple beats afterwards.
    One of my favoite meals in Peru was for a friends wedding where I was introduced to “Pachamanca,” which included Inca style cooked in the ground, chicken and pig. It was soo incredibly good.

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  21. Hi! Delicious post! There are several great Peruvian restaurants in Sarasota, FL, for anybody there who hasn’t discovered them yet. I’m particularly fond of “Peruvian Grill” (Beneva and Clark). Absolutely scrumptious, very nice folks, tiny dining room so probably call ahead if you want to confirm a time. Ceviche is incredible, I’ve had Seco de Res and Lomo Saltado (beef) and they are outstanding. And their chicha de morada…so satisfying! Enjoy!

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  22. Absolutely, with hundreds of traditional peruvian dishes we are certainly talking about more than just cebiche, which is nevertheless one of the most remembered dishes by all those who miss the nice peruvian moments.

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  23. Excellent article!
    I am peruvian, living outside, and you managed to put together many things we really love. We love food.
    Just a little correction, not really essential: ‘Miraflores’ and ‘San Juan de Miraflores’ are very different places. Miraflores is a touristic, residential and commercial neighborhood, with many restaurants, and San Juan is a popular neighborhood, far from Miraflores. A little off-circuit for tourism but without doubt there are great restaurants there if you know where to go.
    Actually, we have good restaurants everywhere in Lima. It’s a very fun place for people who like to eat well.

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  24. @Emilo: Glad to hear that we managed to cover a lot of your favorite dishes in here!

    We do know that there is quite a difference between Miraflores (touristy area of Lima) and San Juan de Miraflores. We actually had a photography project with a microfinance project in San Juan de Miraflores so I got to see a large part of the neighborhood and met different people (and had some excellent ceviche there). That the “best ceviche” restaurant in 2009 according to Mistura food festival was in San Juan de Miraflores, a neighborhood often known as being economically disadvantaged (esp. in comparison to Miraflores), shows that good food permeates all areas of Lima. That’s a sign of a great food city!

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  25. Im a Peruvian girl, currently living in The US. I Love lomo saltado, ceviche, seco de cabrito, and almost every peruvian dish 🙂 I have tried some dishes here but never as good as in Peru. Greets and Great article. 😀

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  26. @Beatriz: Glad you enjoyed this article! We’ve had similar experiences in Peruvian restaurants in the States – good, but not what we ate in Peru. What makes Peruvian food so great are the fresh ingredients. And, that some fruits/vegetables are unique to Peru, like the limes.

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  27. Please tell me you got to try the queso helado (it’s all over Arequipa & in some place in Aguas). After 2 months in Peru, the only thing I regret is not asking for the receta!

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  28. @Annie: We didn’t visit Arequipa unfortunately (have heard it’s a fantastic place for food), but we did try queso helado at the Mistura Food Festival in Lima when we were there. Incredibly rich and delicious. I checked online and the recipes seem rather straightforward, but it’s never the same as when you try it on the streets in the home country.

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  29. @kennia: We’re with you. Peruvian food makes for possibly the best cuisine in South America and arguably among the world’s best.

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  30. @Kelty: I’m afraid we tried guinea pig in Ecuador and it didn’t quite live up to the promise of eating grilled rodent. Check it out: our guinea pig dish is the first entry in a post we entitled Nibbles That Give Me the Shivers. Having said that, I hear that Peruvians serve a formidable guinea pig, even more formidable than their Ecuadoran neighbors.

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  31. Peru is one of the South American countries with better food. Personally I love the ceviche, the mixture of flavors you accomplish in your mouth when you eat it. It’s like a party. I love it.

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  32. @Adriana: Peruvian cuisine is no doubt some of the best (many may argue it’s *the* best) on the South American continent. And for sure, ceviche is a favorite of ours, too.

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  33. @esteban: Sure, chifa is a Chinese-influenced concoction. But there’s more to Peruvian food than the East Asian influence. I hope we do a fair job in this piece acknowledging that. Anyhow, most cuisines as we know them today are not “pure”, but a result of exchange and influence, especially from other countries. Peruvian cuisine is no exception.

    Peruvian food is influenced from within. When I say that, I’m thinking of the influence that begins with ingredients in the jungles and along the rivers, is influenced by the dairy in the midlands, the meat in the highlands and topped off with the seafood along the coast.

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  34. Mmmm…the Rocoto Relleno looks so good!!!

    My family and I are traveling to Peru soon and we’re looking forward to trying this!!! Thank you!

    -Molly

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  35. @Molly: Peruvian food is amazing! I believe your family is going to Cusco so you won’t have as much seafood as in Lima, but there are still some great eating options there as well. Enjoy!

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  36. We absolutely loved the food in Peru when we travelled there! We had incredible Ceviche and Sushi in Lima, and yes we tried the Cuy (Guinea Pig) twice! Once in Cusco and once in Puno (we had two very different experiences of it!). You can see some photos of our guinea pig and ceviche.

    As you can see, guinea pig is not for the faint hearted from our experience!

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  37. Hello ♥!! :o)

    I have seen and read everything!
    yep I am a Peruvian living in Germany….
    and I muss say
    that i really really miss the peruvian Food!
    in Arequipa (South of Perú)there where i was born,
    it exists other kind of food, i would say that the soups there are the best i´ve eaten!
    if you go maybe there do not forget what i am writing, The best soups ever!

    NO MAGGI NO KNORR!!!!
    well like the Germans say LECKER !!!!

    i am comming back soon to Perú but here i find the best beers!! hahaha

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  38. @Anny: We’d love to return to Peru. And when we do, Arequipa is at the top of our itinerary, especially for its contribution to Peruvian food (including the rocoto relleno).

    Thank you for the compliment — it means a lot to us, especially coming from a Peruvian. Saludos!

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  39. @Ann: Have a great trip…and eat well! Easy to do in Peru, particularly when you take the deep dive into Peruvian cuisine in Lima. One of my favorite cuisines of the world and certainly our favorite from our 15 months in Latin America.

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  40. I am super proud to be Peruvian, our culture and cuisine is amazing. If you’ve never tasted Peruvian food, you haven’t eaten! Que viva el Peru!

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  41. @Sebana: Great to hear it! We enjoyed our time in Peru and continually talk about Peruvian cuisine. It even came up in conversation just a couple of days ago.

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  42. I have tired many a cuisines in my lifetime but will say without doubt peruvian cuisine holds on its own. The japanese influence in some of the dishes makes it even more appealing. Try Aye Aye Picante for some awesome peruvian food in Chicago. IL.

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  43. Peru is a country that has mountains, sea, jungle and 28 different climates. That is why in Peru grow so many types of vegetables and ingredients that are used is the Peruvian food, its culinary culture is recognized worldwide. I love the Causa with crab!

    Reply
    • True that, Angela. The landscape diversity and position of Peru definitely contributes to the expansive range of Peruvian food.

      Reply

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