Heard about Peruvian food? It’s got some really unique stuff you won’t find anywhere else. It’s a mix of hot and cold tangy and starchy strong and light tastes. Think big flavors spices and especially chiles. It’s more than just old ruins and mountains like Machu Picchu Peru’s food is awesome too.
People know Peru has tons of potatoes like over 3800 kinds crazy right But there’s way more. Lots of corn grains and native chiles called ‘aji’ often mashed into sauces.
Where Peruvian Food Comes From
Peruvian food got super popular worldwide recently but locals always loved it. They stick to the old ways mixing local stuff with flavors from far away.
A lot of it started way back when the Spanish came in the 1500s. They brought stews sauces and baking. Later folks from China came bringing woks and stir-fry. Now you got ‘chifa’ which is like Chinese food but with Peruvian stuff mixed in or maybe Peruvian food with Chinese ways of cooking. It’s super popular.
Today new chefs in places like Lima (Altitude: around 505 feet / 154 meters) are mixing things up finding cool jungle ingredients and making food that’s both old and new.
But let’s talk about the classic dishes the stuff you really need to try when you visit. Consider this your checklist.
Must-Eat Peruvian Dishes
Ceviche
This is like Peru’s national dish everyone loves it. It’s super simple just really fresh fish (like sea bass) ‘cooked’ fast in lime juice with onion salt and hot chiles (aji). It tastes bright and tangy. You usually get boiled corn (choclo) and sweet potato (camote) on the side which balances it out. Sometimes crunchy toasted corn (cancha) too. So good you gotta try it.
The leftover juice is called ‘leche de tigre’ (tiger’s milk) people drink it like a shot maybe even the next morning if they partied too hard. There’s also ‘tiradito’ kinda like ceviche but the fish is sliced thin like sushi maybe with soy sauce.
Lomo Saltado (Stir-Fried Beef)
Almost as famous as ceviche. This is a ‘chifa’ dish Chinese stir-fry meets Peru. Strips of beef (sometimes alpaca meat) marinated in soy sauce stir-fried quick with onions tomatoes aji chiles and spices. It makes its own beefy gravy. You get it with rice AND french fries mixed right in sometimes. You’ll find this everywhere it’s real comfort food. Locals might say it’s “buenazo!” (really good).
Aji de Gallina (Creamy Chicken)
Think shredded chicken swimming in a thick yellow sauce. The sauce is made with cream walnuts cheese and aji amarillo (a yellow chile). It’s creamy nutty a little spicy but not too hot just warm. Served over rice with potatoes and olives. Looks bright yellow and tastes rich a real staple in homes and restaurants.
Papas a la Huancaina (Potatoes in Spicy Cheese Sauce)
Another one with potatoes in a creamy sauce. Sliced yellow potatoes covered in a sauce made from fresh cheese (queso fresco) aji amarillo garlic milk lime juice and weirdly saltine crackers. Looks kinda plain just yellow on yellow maybe with boiled eggs on top. But the sauce has a nice kick that builds slow. Comes from Huancayo (Altitude: about 10,692 feet / 3,259 meters) up in the mountains but you find it everywhere. Good starter or side dish.
Cuy (Guinea Pig)
Okay hear me out guinea pig. Yeah people eat it here especially in the Andes mountains (Altitude: High! Cusco for example is around 11,152 feet / 3,399 meters). Tourists sometimes find it weird cause they think pets but locals see it like chicken. It’s dark meat kinda tender and smoky maybe like duck. The skin gets super crispy golden brown. Traditionally they stuff it with herbs roast it over a fire and serve with potatoes. Best eaten with your hands dipped in aji sauce. Fancier places might fry or braise it now. You’ll see it from Cusco down to Lima. Don’t knock it till you try it maybe?
Causa (Potato Casserole)
This dish uses Peru’s yellow potatoes mashed with lime oil and spicy aji amarillo sauce. Then they layer it like a lasagna or make it into a roll or individual servings. Fillings are often tuna salmon or chicken mixed with mayo plus layers of avocado hard boiled eggs olives. Served cold like a salad or side. Looks cool with all the layers bright and just a little spicy.
Rocoto Relleno (Stuffed Spicy Peppers)
These are red peppers (rocoto) stuffed with ground beef onions garlic olives raisins herbs and spices. Topped with cheese (queso fresco) and baked in a milky egg sauce. Be warned these rocoto peppers look pretty but they are HOT much hotter than a jalapeño. Comes from Arequipa (Altitude: roughly 7,661 feet / 2,335 meters). That first bite wakes you up but the savory sweet filling and the creamy cheese sauce balance the heat. Hard to find outside Peru so definitely try it if you see it. Ask “cuánto cuesta?” (how much?) before you order maybe.
Anticuchos de Corazón (Grilled Heart)
Don’t let ‘heart’ scare you off. It’s a muscle lean tastes beefier than steak. They cut beef or alpaca heart into cubes marinate it in vinegar cumin aji and garlic then grill it over charcoal till it’s medium-rare and a bit charred. Served on skewers maybe with onion or potato drizzled with lime. Super popular street food you’ll smell them grilling all over. Great appetizer. They make anticuchos with regular beef or chicken now too but the heart one is the classic.
Arroz con Pato (Rice With Duck)
Looks simple but it’s a big deal dish. Rice cooked with cilantro paste herbs and dark beer which makes it taste earthy and green. You get a piece of roasted duck usually leg and thigh maybe crispy duck confit on top of the green rice. Super popular dish families make it fancy restaurants serve it. Lots of ways to make it but always yummy.
Pollo a la Brasa (Roasted Chicken)
You might know this one lots of Peruvian chicken joints popping up outside Peru. It’s a whole chicken marinated in garlic herbs and spices then roasted on a spit. The skin gets brown crispy and tastes amazing earthy kind of addictive. The best part for many is the green sauce served with it called huacatay sauce (made from Peruvian black mint). Every place has its own secret recipe often creamy with mint cilantro garlic chile maybe mayo. People go crazy for it. If you can’t get to Peru find a recipe for this one.
Chicharron
If you eat meat you’ll probably like chicharron. It’s basically fried pork belly or sometimes crispy pork rind. Salty crunchy little chunks of pork. Often served as a side dish with corn yuca (like yam) and red onions. You find it everywhere simple fried goodness.
Arroz Chaufa
This means “Chinese fried rice” and that’s pretty much what it is. Rice stir-fried in a wok with ginger garlic green onions veggies and soy sauce. Pretty standard Chinese style brought by immigrants. For a more Peruvian twist try the seafood version “arroz chaufa con mariscos”.
Pachamanca
This one’s more about how it’s cooked. It’s an old way of cooking meat and veggies underground using hot stones. They put meat (like chicken or lamb) on the hot stones cover it with herbs (like local munya) and veggies then put a tarp over it and cover it all with dirt. Watching them make it is cool. The food comes out perfectly cooked like chicken with crispy skin juicy inside. Better than an oven some say. You might find this experience in the countryside.
Cancha (Toasted Corn)
Corn is huge in Peru so many types. In the Andes they have a big kernel corn called Chulpe. They toast it usually just with salt. It doesn’t pop like popcorn cause it’s different texture. Crunchy salty snack. Often put on the table to share before a meal or served alongside ceviche. Simple but good.
Trout
Since there are lots of rivers and lakes especially up high near the Andes and Lake Titicaca (Altitude: very high! Around 12,507 feet / 3,812 meters) you’ll find trout on menus everywhere in those areas. Grilled fried in sauce even as a burger. If you’re not a huge trout fan maybe try it fried with garlic sauce.
Quinoa Soup
Up on the islands in Lake Titicaca like Amantani or Taquile it’s remote and high altitude. Hard to grow lots of stuff or bring food in. So quinoa soup is super common there. It’s simple quinoa onions potatoes maybe carrots. All stuff they can get easily and it’s good for dealing with the altitude. Warm filling not too heavy. Your stomach might thank you up there.
