6 recipes
A vibrant cuisine that blends Andean potatoes and corn with Pacific seafood and Spanish, African, Chinese and Japanese influences, brightened by lime and chilli.
Read its storyPeru's most famous dish: very fresh raw fish "cooked" in a few minutes with lime juice, red onion, chili and cilantro.
A Peruvian-Chinese classic of beef, onion and tomato stir-fried over high heat with soy sauce and vinegar, served with fries and rice.
A beloved Peruvian home dish of shredded chicken in a creamy sauce of yellow chili, milk-soaked bread, walnuts and cheese.
A colorful cold Peruvian starter of lime- and chili-seasoned mashed potato layered with tuna or chicken salad and avocado.
One of Peru's favorite starters: boiled potatoes draped in a velvety, gently spicy sauce of yellow chili and fresh cheese.
Peru's hearty one-pot Sunday meal of chicken and rice turned green with plenty of cilantro, studded with peas, carrot and corn.
Peruvian cooking rests on Andean civilisations far older than the Incas. This is the homeland of the potato, and Peru is said to grow hundreds, even thousands, of local varieties. Corn, quinoa, beans and the chillies known as "ají" have been part of the table for thousands of years. Mountain communities also learned long ago to freeze-dry potatoes (chuño) so they would keep for months.
The Spanish, arriving in the 16th century, brought beef, onions, garlic, rice and limes. Africans brought by force during the colonial era left their mark on dishes such as anticuchos, grilled skewers that remain a beloved street food. Chinese immigrants in the 19th century introduced the wok and soy sauce, giving rise to "chifa", Peruvian-Chinese cooking, and classics like lomo saltado. Japanese immigrants, with their respect for raw fish, refined ceviche and tiradito and created what is now called "Nikkei" cuisine.
It helps to think of Peru in three great regions. On the Pacific coast, fresh fish and seafood rule, and ceviche is the emblem. In the Andes (the sierra), potatoes, corn, quinoa and time-honoured dishes such as pachamanca, cooked underground on hot stones, take centre stage. In the Amazonian east (the selva), rice parcels wrapped in leaves (juane), river fish and tropical fruit bring colour to the table.
Chillies are Peru's signature: fruity yellow ají amarillo, smoky red ají panca and the plump, fiery rocoto. Lime, red onion, coriander, potatoes and corn appear almost everywhere. In ceviche the fish is "cooked" not by heat but by the acid of lime juice, and the spicy liquid left in the bowl is called "leche de tigre" (tiger's milk). If ají amarillo is hard to find, a yellow banana pepper with a pinch of chilli flakes is a reasonable stand-in.
A great first dish is papa a la huancaína, boiled potatoes under a creamy, gently spicy cheese and chilli sauce. Next, try