What to eat in Peru

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• What else should the list cover? Desserts and pastriesNon-alcoholic drinksLocal alcohol

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1. Try classic ceviche

   Peru's culinary crown jewel features ultra-fresh raw white fish cured briefly in freshly squeezed lime juice with red onions and fiery ají limo chili. It is always balanced with sweet potato and giant choclo corn kernels.

   Best enjoyed exclusively at lunchtime in neighborhood cevicherías along the coast; evening ceviche is considered a red flag by locals.

2. Try lomo saltado

   A quintessential Chifa-Criollo fusion dish of tender beef strips flash-fried in a roaring wok with red onions, tomatoes, ají amarillo, soy sauce, and vinegar. Uniquely served with two carbs: steamed white rice and crispy french fries.

   Look for a distinct smoky wok aroma and slightly crunchy vegetables; soggy tomatoes mean the wok was not hot enough.

3. Try causa limeña

   A cold, layered terrine made from whipped yellow potato puree seasoned with ají amarillo chili paste, lime juice, and oil. The layers are traditionally filled with shredded chicken or tuna mixed with mayonnaise, alongside sliced avocado.

   A refreshing starter found everywhere from market stalls to upscale bistros, typically topped with hard-boiled egg and black botija olives.

4. Try ají de gallina

   Comfort food at its finest: shredded chicken simmered in a rich, creamy, mild-spiced sauce made of ají amarillo chilies, evaporated milk, walnuts, and crustless bread. Accompanied by white rice, boiled potatoes, and black olives.

   Despite the chili base, it is rich and savory rather than burning hot; the ají imparts a sunny yellow hue and fruity depth.

5. Try beef heart anticuchos

   Peru’s legendary night snack consists of skewered beef heart marinated in ají panca paste, garlic, cumin, and red wine vinegar, grilled over glowing charcoal. The meat is remarkably lean, firm, and tender, resembling premium tenderloin rather than offal.

   Seek out street carts (anticucheras) billowing fragrant smoke on street corners after sunset; served hot with boiled potatoes and rocoto salsa.

6. Try pollo a la brasa

   Peruvian rotisserie chicken marinated in dark beer, soy sauce, garlic, and Andean herbs, roasted over charcoal until the skin turns deep golden and shatteringly crisp. Eaten with fingers alongside hand-cut fries and an array of squeeze-bottle salsas.

   Head to dedicated neighborhood pollerías; order a 'cuarto' (quarter) or 'medio' (half) bird, and don't skip the green aji dipping sauce.

7. Try cuy chactado

   The iconic specialty of the Andean highlands: a whole guinea pig pressed flat beneath a volcanic stone and deep-fried until the skin is blistered and ultra-crisp. The meat is lean, rich, and juicy, often compared to a cross between rabbit and poultry.

   Best experienced in traditional countryside picanterías around Cusco; locals eat it entirely by hand right down to the tiny bones.

8. Try tiradito

   A masterpiece of Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei cuisine, featuring sashimi-thin ribbons of raw ocean fish drizzled moments before serving with a zesty, emulsified sauce of ají amarillo, lime, and ginger. Unlike ceviche, it contains no sliced raw onion.

   Sample this at coastal Nikkei bars in Lima; its hallmark is the clean, unmasked freshness of the fish paired with a velvety emulsion.

9. Try papa a la huancaína

   A ubiquitous Peruvian starter of tender boiled yellow potatoes blanketed in a smooth, vibrant yellow sauce blended from fresh queso fresco, sautéed ají amarillo chilies, and evaporated milk. Garnish includes hard-boiled eggs and purple botija olives.

   A vegetarian staple that appears as an appetizer on virtually every budget-friendly lunch menu across the country.

10. Try chupe de camarones

    A decadent, hearty chowder hailing from Arequipa, packed with freshwater river crayfish, chunks of potato, choclo corn, rice, peas, and salty queso fresco. The broth is enriched with ají panca, milk, and fragrant huacatay (black mint), finished with a poached egg.

    Substantial enough to serve as an entire meal; eat carefully as shrimp are cooked shell-on to maximize the broth’s savory depth.

11. Try rocoto relleno

    Fiery round rocoto chilies hollowed out, parboiled in vinegar-water to temper the heat, and stuffed with chopped sirloin, raisins, olives, and warm spices. Topped with melted cheese and baked alongside pastel de papa (layered potato cake).

    Born in Arequipa but celebrated throughout Cusco; the natural chili fire is balanced by the sweet raisins inside the savory filling.

12. Try arroz chaufa

    Peruvian-Chinese fried rice tossed vigorously over high wok heat with scallions, ginger, scrambled egg ribbons, soy sauce, and smoked pork or chicken. A cornerstone of the Chifa tradition, served in massive, comforting portions.

    Best ordered in neighborhood chifas; portions are routinely massive and traditionally washed down with cold Inca Kola.

13. Try picarones Desserts and pastries

    Golden, ring-shaped fritters made from a yeast dough enriched with sweet potato and Andean pumpkin. Fried on the spot by street vendors who drop rings into sizzling oil, then drenched in a warm, spiced sugarcane syrup known as chancaca.

    Eat them immediately while scalding hot; letting them cool causes the delicate crispy exterior to absorb too much syrup.

14. Try suspiro a la limeña Desserts and pastries

    Lima’s most poetic heritage dessert combines a bottom layer of manjar blanco (caramelized milk dulce de leche enriched with egg yolks) topped with soft port-wine-infused Italian meringue and a dusting of cinnamon.

    Intensely sweet and rich; a single small cup is best shared or paired with an unsweetened espresso to cut through the sugar.

15. Try alfajores with manjar blanco Desserts and pastries

    Delicate, crumbly shortbread sandwich cookies made with cornstarch for a melt-in-your-mouth texture, held together by a generous dollop of manjar blanco dulce de leche and dusted with powdered sugar.

    Sold at nearly every neighborhood bakery (pastelería); the sign of high quality is a cookie so crumbly it practically dissolves.

16. Try mazamorra morada and arroz con leche Desserts and pastries

    Known on the streets as 'El Clásico,' this two-toned comfort pudding pairs dark purple corn pudding (mazamorra morada, simmered with dried fruits) side-by-side with creamy, cinnamon-spiced rice pudding (arroz con leche).

    A nighttime favorite ladled from steaming street pots; simply ask the street vendor for a warm 'combinado.'

17. Try chicha morada Non-alcoholic drinks

    A refreshing, non-alcoholic drink brewed by boiling deep-purple Andean ears of corn with pineapple rinds, green apple, cloves, and cinnamon sticks, finished cold with fresh lime juice and sugar.

    Always ask if it is homemade (chicha casera); commercial powder mixes pale in comparison to freshly brewed purple corn.

18. Try emoliente Non-alcoholic drinks

    A viscous, restorative street herbal drink poured piping hot from brass-fitted carts, concocted from toasted barley, boiled flaxseeds, plantain leaf, and horsetail, customized with fresh lime juice and bitter herbal drops.

    The ultimate morning warmer in damp coastal fog or freezing Andean air; boiled flaxseeds give it a distinctive, comforting gel-like body.

19. Try mate de coca or muña Non-alcoholic drinks

    The traditional herbal infusions of the Andes. Mate de coca is brewed simply by steeping whole dried coca leaves in boiling water, while muña is an indigenous wild Andean mint packed with intense, invigorating essential oils.

    Served automatically upon arrival at hotels and cafés throughout Cusco and the Sacred Valley to help travelers acclimate to the thin air.

20. Try a classic Pisco Sour Local alcohol

    Peru’s flagship cocktail combines grape-distilled pisco, freshly pressed tart Key lime juice, simple syrup, and raw egg white. Shaken furiously with ice, it pours with a velvety white head topped with drops of aromatic bitters.

    Crafted using the classic 3:1:1 ratio (pisco, lime, syrup); a quality pour is crisp, frothy, and balanced rather than cloyingly sweet.

21. Try a Chilcano Local alcohol

    The lighter, thirst-quenching alternative to the Pisco Sour: pure pisco poured over ice in a highball glass, topped with ginger ale, a dash of lime juice, and a splash of aromatic bitters.

    Cocktail bars often make them with 'macerados'—house-infused piscos steeped with passion fruit, ginger, or coca leaves.

22. Try chicha de jora Local alcohol

    The sacred fermented corn beer of the Incas, produced since pre-Columbian times by malting yellow jora corn and fermenting it in earthenware vats. It pours cloudy, tasting earthy, tart, and mildly alcoholic (around 2–4% ABV).

    Sample it in rural chicherías across the Sacred Valley; spots serving a fresh batch hang a red plastic bag or red flag on a pole outside.