Peruvian food & drinks you have to try

Peru is the gastronomic South American capital for several consecutive years. Here are the Peruvian food and drinks you have to try! 

Included in the top 10 gastronomical places in the world: Central (A restaurant of experimental cuisine that combines native ingredients with techniques of international cuisines), Maido (a restaurant of food fusion between Japanese and Peruvian cuisine, the Nikkei), and Astrid & Gastón (Traditional Peruvian restaurant with the best of creole cuisine). Other worth mentioning are La Mar, Punto Azul (Seafood restaurants), and Madam Tusan Chifa restaurant (Chinese-Peruvian cuisine).

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Peru is the gastronomic South American capital for several consecutive years. Here are some of the Peruvian food and drinks you have to try! #peru #travel #reizen #fy #fyp #food

♬ Yummy – Justin Bieber

Alpaca meat

I tried the Alpaca steak and to my surprise, it tastes good! It tastes like chicken with a hint of lamb. Another time we ate alpaca it tasted bad so pick a good restaurant to have it well prepared! 

Ceviche

Peruvian ceviche is listed as the best in the world and is made from raw fish marinated and served with fresh onion slices, sweet potato, corn, and the famous Tiger Milk (Spicy sauce made with fine pieces of fish, diced chili, lemon juice, and a little fresh milk). Due to Lima’s location on the coast, and Ceviche being made of raw fish, it’s the best place to try out this dish! You’ll find numerous restaurants offering ceviche on the menu, but the Cevicherias are the best places to enjoy it and in cities on the coast like Lima. I don’t eat anything from the sea so this was not my kind of dish 😉 

Lomo Saltado (Stir-Fried Beef)

This chifa dish represents a fusion of Chinese stir-frying and classic Peruvian ingredients. Juicy strips of soy-marinated beef (or alpaca), onions, tomatoes, aji chiles, and other spices. You eat it with rice and french fries.

Cuy (Guinea Pig)

One of the Andean region’s most popular dishes is guinea pig. Our guide warned us: if the tail is short it’s a guinea pig, if the tail is long it’s a rat. So I didn’t dare to try it!

Causa (Potato Casserole)

A Quechan dish: mashed yellow Peruvian potatoes blended with lime, oil and spicy aji amarillo sauce. Shredded tuna, salmon, or chicken are mixed with mayo, followed by layers of avocado, hardboiled eggs, and olives. That surface is topped again with more potato mix, and so on, making as many lasagna-like layers as one dares. It’s a cold salad or a side dish.

Rocoto Relleno (Stuffed Spicy Peppers)

Surprising is that you don’t eat the Pepper but only the food inside! 

Anticuchos de Corazón (Grilled Heart)

We have seen this a lot on the menu: the beef or alpaca heart. 

Chicha Morada

A drink made from purple corn, pineapple, cinnamon, and cloves. Tastes like Glühwein to me.

Coca tea

A hot tea made from native coca leaves. It’s good for altitude sickness and nausea! Coca leaves are bitter, and the coca candies are ok, but coca tea can be sweetened to your liking. In Patahuasi we drank pink Coca tea and it was delicious. 

Soup

Peruvians like their soup with quinoa in it! 

Pisco Sour

The Pisco Sour is Peru’s national cocktail you could say. The distillation of green grapes results in Pisco. You can consume it alone or combined with lemon juice, ice, egg white, Jelly syrup, and a few drops of Angostura bitters (the world-famous Pisco Sour). There are lots of variations using local fruits like mango, strawberry, and passion fruit. We liked the one with maracuja.

Fun Fact: The Peruvians have been consuming it since pre-Inca times, and named one of their cities in honor of this drink; Pisco. 

Inka Cola

The most-loved soda in Peru. It’s bright yellow and tastes like bubble gum! Too sweet for me.

Peruvian Chocolate

Best chocolate dessert I have eaten in my life. Chocolate sphere at Chicha restaurant in Arequipa ❤️

Sanky cactus fruit

Try the cactus fruit! Looks like a Kiwi but tastes like a very, very, very sour Kiwi!

Pan Chuta

Sweet Anise (with chocolate) bread from the Andes.

Tell me which Peruvian food and drink you liked the most!

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