A Sampling of Food Cities in Peru

Lima

Lima is the Gastronomical capital of Peru, the gateway to the country and the frontline of the new food movement. There is amazing cuisine to be found all over the city, which has quickly become one of the foodie capitals of the world, and one of the top destinations for international travelers heading to South America. The city is brimming with popular food tours, cooking classes, and high-end restaurants, many of which are located in downtown Lima offering different concepts on cooking and all budgets ranges. Some of the classic Peruvian dishes found in the bustling city of Lima include ceviche, papa a la huancaina, causa rellana, Lomo saltado, and picarones. The dishes of Peru include a wide variety of flavors and tastes served by Peru’s well-known top chefs. Lima’s cuisine will tantalize your taste buds with decadent street food, distinctive ingredients, and traditional dishes.

Must Savor Specialties: Ceviche, Chicharron; a classic dish made from fried pork belly or pork rinds, Leche de Tigre, Lomo Saltado, Aji de Gallina (Peruvian chicken stew), Arros Con Pato (Rice with Duck) best found at Fiesta Restaurant Gourmet in, Causa Rellana, Antichuchos (shish kebab made from the marinated cow hearts), Pollo a la Brasa (rotisserie chicken marinated in soy sauce with red peppers and garlic), Conchas Negras (black clams), Jalea (fried seafood platter). A Pisco Sour is the perfect popular Peruvian cocktail made with fresh lime juice, sugar, egg white, and Angostura bitters. A refreshing and tart, dry sipper. Some of the best are found in Lima.

Cusco

The colorful city of Cusco has a strong Andean culture and delicious authentic food from the surrounding region. The city is considered to be the second gastronomy destination in the country after Lima, indulging in some of Cusco’s local food specialties is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The local cuisine in Cusco is based on potatoes, corn, and rice with indigenous animals from the region. Restaurants and Street food vendors in the city still reflect culinary traditions from hundreds of years ago in their cooking as well as embracing international influences. The Mercado San Pedro farmers market is a delight for your senses and stomach where some of the best food specialties in the city can be tried. The country is seen by many foodies and tourists alike as the best culinary destination in the world. Peruvian eateries are always in the top 10 of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants award yearly. There are many daily cooking classes offered in Cusco at Cusco culinary who use organic locally grown products to make delicious, healthy meals. Some of the best eateries in Cusco are Cicciolina, Morena, and Pachapapa.

Must Savor Specialties: Alpaca Meat skewers, Caldo de Gallina (chicken soup with potatoes, and carrots served with noodles and a boiled egg), Cuy Chactado (fried guinea pig, a Peruvian delicacy), Chicharrón (fried pork with white corn, potatoes, onion, mint, and lemon), Chiriuchu (cold fish), Choclo Con Queso, Tamales, Huatia, Lomo Saltado (stir-fried beef with rice and french fries), Ceviche (raw fish marinated in lime and chili), Empanadas (meat turnovers), chupe de Camarones (crayfish, potato, milk, and aji soup), Pappa Rellena (deep-fried potato stuffed with ground meat, eggs, and olives).

Arequipa

Arequipa is also known as the “White City,” the second-largest city in Peru with hundreds of thousands of visitors flocking here each year. The stunning city is surrounded by the soaring volcano and filled with beautiful colonial architecture and a gateway to the spectacular Colca Canyon. One of the best ways to discover the strong, rich, local culture of the city is through tasting the delicious local cuisine in picanterias, special traditional restaurants that merge rural life with food and dining, the food cooked in wood fires. Arequipa’s food and restaurants are known for their diversity and serving some of the most outstanding dishes in the entire country. The mountainous town offers some succulents soups, the emblematic dish from Arequipa is the rocoto pepper stuffed with pieces of meat, cheese, eggs, and olives covered with melted cheese. The variety of desserts in Arequipa include Bunuelos pastries made from flour, eggs, and milk and served in molasses. Chocolates and toffees in the city are also famous, and corn cicha or chicha de jora or Najar anise are traditional beverages and digestive consumed after eating pork.

Must Savor Specialties: Papas a la Huancaina (potatoes in a spicy cheese sauce), Rocoto Relleno (stuffed spicy peppers filled with meat, butter, cream and pecans topped with cheese), white soup, Pastel de Papa, Chupe de Camarones (a hearty soup made with shrimp, garlic, milk, corn, and vegetables), Adobo Arequipeno (marinated pork loin), Cuy Chactado, Soltero cheese salad, pork crackling, guisado stew, corn chicha, rocoto chili, Escribano (Arequipa’s potato salad), Soltero de Queso (vegetable plate with boiled potatoes mixed with cheese, herbs, and fresh veggies), Locro de Pecho (thick stew with beef with cumin, mint, herbs and spices, crumbled potatoes, served with rice).

Iquitos

The Amazon region is full of exotic delicacies including Chonta (hearts of palm) Salads, delicious tender meats, grilled banana plantains (tacacho), and stuffed bananas or banana dough. The region is also famed for its exotic fruits with vibrant fruit stands lining the streets around Plaza de Armas, refreshing fruit juices, and tasty ice creams made with aguaje, maracuya, and cocona. There are many chifas (Peruvian-Chinese restaurants) found around Iquitos, and eating some delicious Chinese food on the edge of teh Amazon is quite the experience. There are some laid back restaurants found in Iquitos where visitors can dine on delicious dishes straight from the Amazon including paiche and dorado (Amazon river fish). The Belen market is known for selling some surprising exotic foods such as lizard meat, and monkey meat. Often times you will see protected species such as turtle meat soup or alligator on menus in the Amazon.

Must Savor Specialties: Nina Juanes (rice tamales with minced chicken, pork, or fish with black olives, and egg wrapped in a bijao leaf); pottage (chicken, rice, eggs, olives, herbs and spices wrapped in bijao leaves); Tacacho (sliced plantain, fried and mashed with chicharones accompanied with chorizo); Inchi capi (exquisite soup prepared with peanut, chicken, herbs, and spices, Sarapatera (stew with charapa “turtle” meat, spices, onions, garlic, green banana, and spices), Paiche and Dorado are two popular fish in the Amazon; salads including chonta “heart of palms” or palmettos; Yucca donuts, fresh fruits, juices, liquors and beverages prepared with the maceration of herbs, wood, and other regional elements known to have an aphrodisiac character.