Peru appears to be a popular travel destination among the locals around us in Costa Rica. When we planned our trip to Peru, they kept telling us that we were going to love Peru. On prompting for the reason, there were the regular responses like Machu Pichhu and llamas. But the most surprising and most frequent response were related to the delectable cuisine and signature beverages. Indranil and I being the foodies that we are, our expectations were raised high about Peruvian gastronomy. That also made us secretly fear the raised bar not being met.
However, I am happy to report that our secret fears were not only redundant, but everything we ate or drank was so good that we could make another trip to Peru just for the food! Here is our recommendation on 7 must-try food and beverage when you are in Peru.
Warning: If you are vegetarian or vegan, or are a strong animal rights activist, this is when you would like to reconsider reading this post. Else, come on in as we dive into the world of some fabulous flavors.
1. Ceviche
Ceviche is a flavorful dish made of raw seafood treated in lime juice and garnished with salt, cilantro, onion and other palates as per customized recipes. The seafood can be fish or shrimps or octopus or a mixture. Several countries in Latin America have their own version of Ceviche, but people say none of them make ceviche the way Peru does. Having tasted the dish ourselves in multiple countries, we agree with that popular belief. If you have hesitations about a raw seafood dish yet want to try it, make sure you do it the Peruvian style.
2. Pisco sour
Both Chile and Peru claim to be the origin source of Pisco, an amber colored alcoholic drink produced in the vast expanses of their Pisco vineyeards. However, when it comes to Pisco Sour, Peru is the undisputed originating country. Pisco sour, the signature cocktail of Peru, is created by mixing pisco with citrus juices and sweeteners. As the name suggests, the taste has a hint of tangy and is welcome variation from your regular cocktails.
3. Alpaca
True story – Alpacas and llamas are super cute animals. They belong to the camelid family, and are domesticated.
Also a true story – For centuries, the meat of these animals are consumed by people as part of their regular food practice. And alpaca meat is still a very prominent menu item in local Peruvian food culture.
People eat the meat of alpaca? We had to try! [Both of us are hard-core mutton/ lamb fans]
The meat is tender and the flavor of the dish varies according to the main recipe. Lamb and mutton would probably be meat belonging to the same category, but alpaca meat is supposedly a healthier option.
4. Chicha morada
How many different varieties of corn exist in the world? What is the best form of corn you have consumed? Visit Latin America and you will be amazed to discover the sheer number of corn varieties grown here and the different manners of consuming them. Peru by itself grows 50+ varieties of corns, including purple corn.
Chicha morada is a non-alcoholic beverage made out of this purple corn. One sip of this at the end of a tiring day of walking through the Inca ruins, and you will instantly feel refreshed. Deriving from the health benefits of purple corn, this drink acts a good antioxidant as well.
5. Cuy
Another cute animal that you have probably loved since you were a kid and have probably often sympathized with for being “test objects” of several experiments. Yes, I am referring to – please don’t kill me! – guinea pig!
Like alpacas, guinea pigs often traverse the journey of ‘pets’ to ‘on plates’ in Peru. Cuy, as it is called in Peru, has been a staple food in the country for thousands of years and is considered a delicacy.
You may have a debate with your conscience whether to gulp down one whole cute animal or not. Yet, we decided to give it a try since it is such a big part of Peruvian food culture. We ordered a plate of cuy but sans the head, for a less graphic plate on the table. The most common cuy dishes usually have the full animal with distinctly identifiable head and legs. [You can do an Image Search on Google.]
Note: We personally did not find the meat to be delicious enough to beat our other favorite meats. Hence, I can safely say that this was the last time we tried eating a guinea pig.
6. Causa de langosta
This one is a personal favorite of mine. Add potatoes to any dish and it’s already my favorite! Here we are talking about an appetizer with potato being the main ingredient. Of course it’s a must try for me!
Causa is a cold appetizer made of mashed potatoes and filled with different stuffings in one or two different layers of ring in the cylindrical dish. We tried a Causa de Langosta where causa (the mashed potato cylinder) was stuffed with a layer of langosta (lobster) in the middle and topped with avocados. Dig your fork through deepest layer of this cylinder and relish all the flavors of avocado, potato and lobster blend perfectly in our mouth to create a unique savor.
7. Ají de gallina
After all the experiments with different kinds of food ranging from raw fish to pet animals, you may want to apply the brakes on one or some day(s) during your stay in Peru. But the good news is you can continue to try out Peruvian cuisine even when you don’t want to go overboard with your food experiments. Choose the ‘comfort food’ of the locals, instead of yours. Ají de gallina fits the bill perfectly.
Ají de gallina is a chicken stew cooked in yellow chili peppers, garlic, nuts and other spices. The Peruvian ají amarillo or yellow chili pepper lends a bright yellow color and a mildly spicy flavor to the dish. It is usually served with a sliced boiled egg, black olives and a potion of white rice.
Peruvian gastronomy with a dash of soul
It is worth mentioning that the World’s 50 Best Restaurants of 2018 included 3 restaurants from Lima, with 2 of them featuring in the top ten. Given that the list is usually crowded with European countries, it is quite an achievement for a developing country like Peru to stand out on the world food map.
But we had not sampled any food from any of the above 3 restaurants during our stay in Peru. Yet, the gastronomy was a big component of our Peru travel experience. Everything we ate or drank seemed to have been curated with a dash of soul in it. How else can everything taste so good? Whatever you eat, wherever you eat. Peruvian gastronomy is like all Pinterest food quotes coming alive for your dinner!
I love the recommendations. Peru is on my bucketlist and now I know what food to try..and not try lol
Haha, thanks Kelly! 🙂
When I was a child my family lived in Panama, we visited Peru a few times and my Mom learned to make ceviche which I loved. Of course, it wasn’t until into my adulthood that I gained an appreciation of a Pisco Sour but I do love them! I just need to go back and try some of those other dishes! They look amazing, little guinea pig and all!
Andi, your Mom cooked ceviche at home – that’s great! 🙂
Many of these sound like great dishes to try. I really want an authentic pisco sour – I always hear about these drinks!
Jenn, Visit Peru for the most authentic Pisco Sour, hehe 🙂
This stuff looks good, but I’m not sure I’d be a person that tries it.
WOW! I can truthfully say, I’ve never considered any of those foods! However, I give you kudos for being much braver than I to try Guinea pig, etc. They are truly works of art dishes though!