2. La comida de Perú
Peruvian cuisine is among the most varied and best in the
world. It's a reflection of its three main geographical
zones: the coast, the Andean highlands and the jungle, and
an incorporation of influences from different times and
immigrant cultures. While Peruvian cuisine has only been
internationally recognized in the last few years, food and
its preparation is an important part of Peruvian culture
and a very personal way to express Peruvian identity.
4. • Causa rellena
A layered potato dish often filled with
seafood, avocado, or corn.
These tapas are made with mashed potatoes
and topped with a creamy sauce. Causa can be
layered with any number of fillings — chicken
salad and tuna salad are favorites. It is served
cold.
Causa takes its name from the old Incan
Quechua word kausaq, which means "giver of
life“. Kausaq is another name for the
potato. Rellena is the Spanish word for
"stuffed" or "filled."
• Anticucho de Corazón
Beef skewers traditionally prepared with
cow's heart.
A popular street food, these skewers are
marinated in a garlic, cumin, and olive oil
concoction.
They were developed during the times of
colonization when the Spaniards took the
local llama skewers and added some of
their own flavors and changed the meat
to beef.
5. • Rocoto Relleno
Spicy peppers stuffed with chopped
meat. Some cooks use shrimp or
chicken in the preparation. Either way
its wonderful.
These may look like regular bell
peppers, but they're actually spicier
than jalapeños.
This appetizer represents the fiery
Misti volcano from the region.
Fish Ceviche
This Peruvian national dish reflects
the coastal cuisine and its influences.
Ceviche is the most popular dish in
Peru and the pride of all Peruvians.
While there are hundreds of variations,
the traditional Ceviche actually just
needs 5 simple ingredients: fresh, raw,
white fish filet cut into bite-size pieces,
marinated and "cooked" in lime juice
and seasoned with Peruvian chili
peppers, onions and salt.
6. • Choclo Con Queso (Corn With
Cheese)
Boiled corn on the cob served with
cheese.
Choclo is a large kernel type of corn
which has an unusual nutty flavor and
chewy texture that most people fall in
love with.
This corn is also a popular street food.
• Canchita
Salty, crunchy toasted corn which is
roasted in oil.
This Peruvian version of popcorn is
sold as a snack all over the country,
and often served as a free pre-
appetizer dish at restaurants and bars.
7. Papas a la Huancaina
• Thickly sliced boiled potatoes smothered in spicy cheese sauce.
• The secret is in the sauce, which is packed with everything from aji
amarillo peppers, queso fresco, garlic, and evaporated milk to give it
its thick consistency and addictive flavor.
9. • Cuy
One of Peru's most famous dishes. It’s a
fried or roasted guinea pig, and it's a
Peruvian delicacy.
They're often cooked whole and doused
in salt and garlic to crisp up the skin.
Two popular dishes are cuy chactado, a
dish native to Arequipa which is
squashed under stones then fried; and
cuy al palo, where it's roasted over a
rotisserie.
Lomo Saltado
• Lomo Saltado is one of the most
popular Peruvian dishes and
symbolizes the fusion of Peruvian
ingredients with Asian techniques of
preparing food. Lomo Saltado is made
of sliced beef stir-fried with red
onions, tomatoes, yellow Peruvian
chilies (aji amarillo), soy sauce, vinegar
and cilantro. Mixed with French fries
and served with rice Lomo Saltado can
be found in simple restaurants and up-
scale places alike.
10. • Pollo a la Brasa.
Served as a street food, in hole-in-the-
wall spots, and more upscale eateries,
this savory dish is one of the most
common and loved meals in the country.
Pollo a la Brasa, also known as Peruvian
chicken, is one of the most consumed
dishes in the country. Originally only
seasoned with salt and cooked in
charcoal today the chicken is marinated
in a "secret" mixture mainly consisting of
vinegar, dark beer or soy sauce, salt,
pepper, chili, rosemary or cumin and
paprika and then grilled in especially
fabricated Pollo a la brasa ovens.
• Pastel de Choclo
A spicy and sweet corn and beef
casserole.
This dish traditionally calls for choclo
— giant Peruvian corn that thrives in
high altitudes .
11. • Aji de Gallina.
• This spicy chicken stew, is a popular
Peruvian dish especially on Lima's
"cold" winter days. It consists of thin
chicken strips served in a savory
creamy yellow sauce made of milk,
bread, parmesan cheese, yellow
Peruvian chilies (aji amarillo), garlic,
pecans or walnuts.
• It’s served with rice, potatoes, and
boiled eggs
• Jalea
• Fried seafood served with fried
yucca and sliced onions.
• The tart creole sauce made with aji
amarillo, lime juice, and cilantro
helps to balance out the salty crunch
of the fried seafood.
13. • Suspiro Limeño
Translation: “A Lady from Lima Sighs”.
It is sweetened condensed milk and
evaporated milk simmered down and
reduced to create a thick and rich dulce
de leche sauce. It’s then topped with a
Port wine-spiked meringue and a
sprinkle of ground cinnamon, both of
which keep the dessert from being
overly sweet.
• Picarones
Picarones or Peruvian doughnuts are a
typical Peruvian treat and are as
good as American Doughnuts but are
easier to make. This recipe uses
butternut squash but you can also use
pumpkin (which is part of the squash
family) and sweet potato. In fact, a mix
of all three is a good way to change the
flavors.
14. • Alfajores
Dulce de leche-filled shortbread cookies.
Prepared using hearty portions of butter, corn starch, and caramel-sweet
filling, these cookies basically melt in your mouth. Alfajores have their origin
in the traditional Arabic confection "alajú" found in some Spanish regions
and they found their way to South America in colonial times. In Peru,
alfajores consist of two layers of fine and crumbly cookies filled with dulce
de leche.
17. La lucuma is native to the Andean
valleys. When eaten raw, the fruit has a
dry texture. In Peru, it is more
commonly used as a flavor in juice, milk
shakes, and ice cream. Its unique flavor
in such preparations has been described
variously as being similar to sweet
potato, maple syrup, or butterscotch.
The outer shell of “La granadilla”
is hard and slippery, and has soft
padding on the interior to protect
the seeds. The seeds, which are
hard and black, are surrounded by
a gelatinous sphere of transparent
pulp. The pulp is the edible part of
the fruit and has a soft sweet and
sour taste.
The ripened flesh of “la cherimoya” is
creamy white. When ripe, the skin is
green and gives slightly to pressure. Some
characterize the fruit flavor as a blend of
banana, pineapple, papaya, peach, and
strawberry. The fruit can be chilled and
eaten with a spoon. In Peru, it is
commonly used in ice creams and yogurt
18. Las papas de Perú
Perú has 3,800 different types of potatoes.
While everybody agrees that the birth place of the potato is in South America, the exact
place of origin is unknown and there is an open dispute between Chile and Peru about
the origin. In any case there is scientific evidence that potatoes were domesticated as
early as 10,000 years ago in the High Andes of southeastern Peru and northwestern
Bolivia. The oldest archeological findings were made in the areas of Lake Titicaca,
around Ayacucho and in the Valley of Chulca. The word "papa" is originally Quechua
and simply means tuber.
As wild potatoes taste bitter and contain small amounts of toxins, early cultures must
have spend quite a bit of an effort to select the right tubers for cultivation that are
more tasty and less toxic. In the course of the centuries, potatoes developed to be an
staple food and a main energy source for early Peruvian cultures, the Incas and the
Spanish conquerors.
20. Inca Kola
A sweet, bubblegum-flavored soda.
Recognizable by its neon yellow-green
color, this soda is popular in the
country, and you'll find it stocked
everywhere from mountain top shacks
to tourist-packed restaurants.
• Cremolada
Peruvian Frozen Fruit “Drink”.
It is something between an ice cream
and a flavorful fruit drink; comparable
to slush, but made with lots of fresh
fruit pulp, water and sugar. Often
served in a plastic beaker and eaten
with a spoon and sipped.
Cremoladas is a short form of crema
helada (frozen crème)
21. Chicha morada
Chicha morada is a purplish-black non-
alcoholic beverage that looks
remarkably like blood. Made from
boiled purple corn and infused with
pineapple rinds, cinnamon, and cloves
and sometimes beets, strawberries,
and limes. The drink is served fresh in
street markets, upscale restaurants,
and home kitchens throughout Peru.
Its use and consumption dates back to
the pre-colonial era of Peru, even prior
to the creation of the Inca empire.
Editor's Notes
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