The Magic of Peruvian Cuisine

A wide variety of food resources

Peru enjoys the perfect conditions for growing fruits and vegetables year-round. The various altitudes of the Andes Mountains combined with its near-equatorial latitude create a whole range of microclimates, from zones of eternal snow to tropical jungles, and a vast array of species. The cold Humboldt current that flows through the Pacific Ocean along the Peruvian coast supports a great diversity of fish and shellfish.

The North Coast

The regions:

• Tumbes (capital: Tumbes)
• Piura (Piura)
• Lambayeque (Chiclayo)
• La Libertad (Trujillo)

The gastronomy of the North Coast is heavily influenced by local agricultural and fishing production.

Key ingredients include dried beef, yuca, sweet potatoes, beans, peanuts, and carob (from the legume pod). Bananas are used in dishes like seco de chavelo (a dried meat dish) or as chips. For marinades, the essential ingredient is chicha de jora (a fermented corn drink). You'll find different culinary preferences depending on social and economic classes.

Ceviches: marinades of black clams, shellfish, or fish.

Chinguirito: a type of ceviche made with dried meat, salad, and shredded guitarfish seasoned with lime, pepper, onions, and ground chili.

Sudado: steamed fish.

Meats: seco de cabrito (dried kid goat meat) served with beans or green tamales (corn dough parcels), seco de chavelo, and duck with rice.

Other dishes: fried yuca, scallops with parmesan, fruit and vegetable chips and jellies, and causa (potato terrine) in a pot.

Lima

The capital has its own unique specialties. Here are a few:

Fish and seafood: tiradito (raw fish in sauce), parihuela (fish soup), rice with shellfish, chorrillana-style fish (fried fish with tomato sauce), and chalaca-style oysters (oysters marinated in lime juice with onions, tomatoes, and corn).

Creole cuisine: Lima-style causa, tamal, chicken with chili sauce, stuffed potatoes, rotisserie chicken, escabeche (an oil and vinegar-based marinade), carapulcra (dried meat and potatoes), and various stews.

Other dishes: suspiro de limeña (a creamy dessert), purple corn pudding, rice pudding, turron de Doña Pepa (a traditional cake), and picarones (donuts).

Drinks: chicha morada (purple corn juice), beer, and pisco sour (a cocktail made with pisco and lime juice).