Flavors of Peru
Written by Viator, November 2010
RECOMMENDATION Keywords:
Cultural Experience,
Good Place to Drink,
Good Place to Eat,
Popular with Locals
Based on the staples of corn, potatoes and beans, Peruvian food is generally highly spiced, though with chili served as a condiment you can usually control the heat. Other common ingredients include rice, wheat, maize, tomatoes, quinoa, kiwicha and peppers.
Street and market food is a highlight, and Western meals like pizza and pasta are served alongside grilled chicken and meat.
The first of those culinary surprises is cuy, or guinea pig. The cute furry creatures we keep as pets at home are served skinned and grilled in Peru, and of course taste a little like chicken.
Other more challenging dishes include a plateful of cow brains or grilled alpaca meat. Seafood ceviche is popular, marinated in lemon juice and considered something of an aphrodisiac.
Ceviche dishes are very popular in coastal regions of Peru. In Lima, you’ll also find cheese or meat empanadas, chicken with rice, ham rolls called butifarras and, as you’d expect, Lima bean salads. Northern areas might serve goat stew or pork soup, while the cuisine of the mountainous Andes regions remains based on maize and potatoes, just as it has for centuries.
Guinea pigs tend to be fried rather than grilled in the Andes, and the stuffed peppers (roccoto relleno) served here can be very hot, so beware. Festive dishes like pork are cooked on an underground bed of heated stones. In jungle areas, avoid eating bush meat and endangered critters like dolphins, tortoise eggs and monkey.
Sweets are Spanish-inspired, like alfajores pastries, nougat, fruity ice cream called lucuma, rice pudding, pumpkin fritters and milk puddings.
The national drink is the famous pisco sour, made from egg white, sugar, lemon or lime juice and brandy. In the tropical heat though, there’s nothing better than a locally brewed cooling beer.
Latest Replies
Reply by Viator, May 2013
Doing what: Lima Market Tour and Pisco Sour Lesson
I was the only one on this tour and it was great.
Reply by Viator, May 2013
Doing what: Lima Market Tour and Pisco Sour Lesson
Only the two of us but the guide did a good job. Markets were closing so we did not get to see all the food stands. Suggest another day not a Sunday to do this tour.
Reply by Viator, April 2013
Doing what: Lima Market Tour and Pisco Sour Lesson
Great experience. I was the only passenger and the guide Kike was amazing. He gave also great tips of other things to do after the tour like the unforgettable sunset in the Larcomar Shopping. I was amazed to see the enormous fruits in the local market and loved prepare and drink my own Pisco Sour!
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