What are the typical Peruvian dishes?
Some dishes
- Adobo. Pork stew marinated in chicha.
- Ají de Gallina. Shredded chicken breast in a sauce made with bread, milk, chili, garlic and onions.
- Arroz Chaufa. A type of Cantonese rice, served in chifas.
- Arroz con Pollo. Chicken with rice, but rice cooked with different herbs. Very popular. On the coast, arroz con pato (duck) is preferred.
- Carapulcra. Dried potatoes, peanuts, pork or chicken.
- Ceviche. The country's signature dish, a must-try! Raw fish or seafood cut into small pieces and marinated in lime juice (leche de tigre), with chili peppers. The conchas negras (large black clams) is particularly delicious. It is served with raw onions - sweet to the taste - corn and sweet potatoes. As the freshness of the fish is paramount, the best cevicherías open only at lunchtime and close when the day's fish are exhausted.
- Chicharrón. Pork marinated and boiled, then fried in its own fat, served with onions and camote (sweet potato).
- Chupe. Soup with a lot of fish or seafood, or meat prepared with milk, corn, beans, peas, potatoes, wheat, squash and others, depending on the region. Can also be made creamy by adding cream cheese or an egg.
- Cuy or Cuye. Pronounced "couille"! Guinea pig (Guinea pig on English menus), a luxury and festive dish, very popular on Sundays, prepared differently depending on the region: picante or pepian (a kind of stew in sauce with potatoes and rice), al horno (stuffed and baked, a specialty of Cusco), grilled or chaqtado (as in Arequipa or Cajamarca). It's pretty fatty and there's not much to eat...
- Juane. An Amazonian specialty. Large rice ball filled (traditionally with hard-boiled egg and chicken), then cooked in boiling water, wrapped in a bijao leaf.
Desserts
- Arroz con leche. Rice pudding. Frequently featured on the lunch menus of small restaurants, along with the ominously colored jellies...
- Mazamorra. Cream dessert made with purple corn and pineapple.
- Suspiro Limeño. Cream dessert made with stiffly beaten egg whites, condensed milk and a touch of alcohol.
- Tejas. Iced fruit coated with caramel and chocolate, with walnut, lemon, fig, etc. Available in Ica, Nazca or Pisco.
- Postre de Tres Leches. A cake made with whole milk, sweetened condensed milk and unsweetened condensed milk.
- In the markets, you'll find all kinds of exotic fruits, more or less well known: papaya, passion fruit, chirimoya (anone), watermelon, pepino (red and yellow on the outside), pineapple, banana, maracuyá and more. There are often fresh fruit juice stands right next door.
Drinks
Don't drink tap water. Buy bottled water instead - it's available everywhere, but make sure the cap hasn't been unscrewed. Some high-end hotels offer water (mineral or treated) in their rooms.
Peru has many charms, not only in terms of scenery, but also in terms of gastronomy. The variety of its recipes is incredible. And there's no better way to accompany its delicious dishes than with exquisite, typically Peruvian drinks. Here's a look at some of the most popular drinks:
- Chicha Morada. This is a refreshing drink made from purple corn cooking water, boiled with pineapple peel and cinnamon. It can be served hot or cold, with the addition of sugar.
- Pisco. This grape-based brandy, for which Chile and Peru are disputing paternity, is close to 40°. Pisco is similar in taste to Italian grappa. It can be drunk neat, but is mainly used to prepare the national cocktail: pisco sour.
Of the dozen or so local beers, the most widespread (dark or pale) are Cusqueña, Cristal and Pilsen, all made by Backus, a veritable empire in a country where the most widely consumed alcohol is beer. There's also the very local Trujillo and Tres Cruces. Finally, there are now many small craft breweries. Beer is most often served in bottles, more rarely on draught.
- The most popular drink in the mountains is La Chicha de Jora, a low-alcohol corn beer.
- In the selva, our adventurous readers will ask the Indians for Masato, a drink made from chewed cassava to which a little water and sugar are added, then left to ferment for 2 days before being served chilled.
- Peru also produces a number of wines. The cellar bottoms of Ocucaje, Tacama and Tabernero are the best labels.
- When it's cold, ask for an Emoliente, a hot drink made from herbs and lemon juice.
At the Huaraz market, you can taste invigorating drinks made from Maca, a slightly sweet tuber with exceptional properties, notably against osteoporosis. It's also a sexual tonic sold in pill form, for a fortune on the Internet.
- And let's not forget the famous Mate De Coca: a few Coca leaves in a cup of boiling water, a little sugar and you've got an infusion that will help ease the pangs of Soroche (altitude sickness).
- Last but not least, Inca Kola, Peru's bright yellow national soda, tastes like camomile chewing gum, and is consumed more in Peru than Coca-Cola - a record of which the Peruvians are very proud! Indispensable for downing pollo a la brasa and French fries.
