What to eat in Peru
The essential dishes and drinks of Peru, from coastal ceviche and lomo saltado to Andean roast cuy and herbal emoliente.

[ ] 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.
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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).
[ ] 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.
[ ] Try picarones
    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.
[ ] Try suspiro a la limeña
    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.
[ ] Try alfajores with manjar blanco
    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.
[ ] Try mazamorra morada and arroz con leche
    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).
[ ] Try chicha morada
    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.
[ ] Try emoliente
    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.
[ ] Try mate de coca or muña
    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.
[ ] Try a classic Pisco Sour
    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.
[ ] Try a Chilcano
    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.
[ ] Try chicha de jora
    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).

Checklist from Unload: https://unloads.me/c/food-peru