The 20 most famous dishes of Peru
Peruvian cuisine is among the world's most diverse and acclaimed, combining the Inca legacy with Spanish, African, Chinese and Japanese influences — famous for ceviche and hundreds of potato varieties.
1Ceviche Peruano
Very fresh raw white fish "cooked" in lime juice with red onion, chili and coriander, served with sweet…
2Lomo Saltado
Beef strips stir-fried over fierce heat in a wok with onion, tomato and soy sauce, served with fries and rice…
3Ají de Gallina
Shredded chicken in a creamy yellow sauce of ají amarillo, bread, milk and walnuts, served with rice,…
4Causa Limeña
Layers of yellow potato mashed with lime and ají amarillo, filled with tuna or chicken salad and avocado.
5Anticuchos
Skewers of beef heart marinated in vinegar, chili and cumin, grilled on street corners — a legacy of…
6Rocoto Relleno
Hot rocoto peppers stuffed with minced beef, olives, raisins and egg, topped with cheese and baked — from…
7Papa a la Huancaína
Boiled yellow potatoes covered in a creamy sauce of fresh cheese, ají amarillo, milk and crackers.
8Arroz con Pollo
Green rice coloured with puréed coriander and cooked in dark beer (or stock), with chicken, peas, carrots and…
9Pollo a la Brasa
Chicken marinated in cumin, soy and garlic and spit-roasted over charcoal — Peru's most-ordered meal, with…
10Tacu Tacu
Leftover rice and beans pan-fried into a crisp pillow, served with steak, fried egg and fried plantain.
11Seco de Cordero
Lamb stew in a thick green coriander sauce, served with beans and rice — from northern Peru.
12Chupe de Camarones
A rich creamy soup from Arequipa with river shrimp, potatoes, corn, egg, cheese and milk.
13Arroz Chaufa
Peruvian-Chinese (chifa) fried rice with chicken, egg, spring onion and soy sauce.
14Picarones
Fried rings of squash and sweet-potato dough drizzled with spiced chancaca (raw sugar) syrup.
15Suspiro a la Limeña
"Sigh of a Lima lady": thick dulce de leche custard crowned with cinnamon meringue — Lima's classic dessert.
16Mazamorra Morada
A purple pudding of purple corn, dried fruit and cinnamon, served cold — a popular Lima dessert.
17Chicha Morada
A refreshing cold drink of purple corn boiled with pineapple, cinnamon, cloves and lime — alcohol-free.
18Tiradito
Thin slices of raw fish, sashimi-style, bathed in lime and ají amarillo sauce — born of Japanese (Nikkei)…
19Carapulcra
A stew of dried potato (papa seca) with meat, peanuts and ají panca — one of Peru's oldest dishes.
20Juane
Turmeric rice with chicken, egg and olives wrapped in bijao leaves and boiled — the Peruvian Amazon's dish…