I think the best way to travel a country is through its flavors. While in Peru I got the opportunity to try many unfamiliar dishes whose names I couldn’t pronounce. I am salivating as I am writing this, craving all the local, delicious Andean goodness. Come along as I explore the flavors of Peru.
Chicha Morada
I tried this drink at Morena on the Cusco Square. It’s a drink made by boiling purple corn and then adding sugar and cinnamon to it. It tastes sweet and sour and not like corn at all. While the taste was good, I was smacked by its gorgeous purple appearance and couldn’t stop clicking pictures.
Lomo Saltado
This is the one dish that pops up as a must-have in all the Peru travel lists. It’s a stir fry of tomatoes, onions, and sirloin strips in saltado sauce. It tastes a lot like Chinese stir fry and once you have it you will keep going back for more.
Ahi de gallina
This was my favorite dish to eat in Peru.
It’s chicken cooked in potato sauce with mild spices and served with rice. Let’s just say, if I see it on the menu I’m going to order it. If there was a Peruvian equivalent to the Indian comfort food of khichdi I would say it’s this dish.
Diet soup
Translation – chicken soup. Diet soup was my go-to when I felt my stomach was a little queazy from the altitude and the hiking. It’s a chicken clear soup with a generous amount of Andean veggies mixed in.
KFC
Yes I am talking about the fast food chain KFC. I would never eat from a KFC in the USA since I feel they use a variety of chicken called trash chicken. But the KFC in Peru is different. We would take popcorn chicken from there every time we walked through the main square. It is fresh, juicy, crispy goodness in a box. You can sit right in front of the shop on the steps built by the Incans, and look out at the beautiful church the Spaniards built while munching on your American-capitalism-birthed-shitty-heart attack-giving-fast-food-chain made good by the Cuscovians; popcorn chicken.
Chancha
It sounds very similar to “chakna” and that’s exactly what it is. Lightly salted, toasted chulpe corn that pairs very well with any kind of alcohol. It’s THE snack.
Luckily for me, these are available on Amazon.
Inca kola
If I could have only one soda for all of my life it would be this. Inca cola is a chemically looking soda that is native to the Peru. It tastes like liquid candy and is not too carbonated. I had it with every meal in Peru.
Alpaca everything
Alpacas are everywhere in Peru. These animals are used for their soft wool, their meat, and also their dairy products. I tried the alpaca cheese on top of boiled corn. It’s dense salty goodness that you cant stop eating.
Cuy
Cuy is a guinea pig. This is a famous delicacy in Peru. There is an entire town which is famous for Cuy. There are huge animated Cuy figurines on both sides of the road, inviting you to eat them. I found this amusing and troubling at the same time. None of us could get ourselves to eat Cuy, but I did hear someone mention they taste like fried chicken.
Desserts
Cacao and coffee both are very popular and abundantly cultivated in Peru. We ate desserts everywhere we could. Most of them were delicious and the presentation in cacao pods made them all the more inviting.
Choc man
This a knockoff of the Chocopie, but a better one. With much lighter, softer marshmallows and perfectly sweet chocolate, I have found my new love.
Pisco Sour
This is the must-have drink when you are in Peru. This cocktail is traditional to Peruvian cuisine. Pisco is a whiskey-like liquor that forms the base, to which is added lime juice, simple syrup and egg whites. While i couldn’t get myself to drink raw egg whites the expressions of my friends and the after-effects gave me a very good understanding of this drink.
The variety and freshness of Andean cuisine made the experience of exploring an entirely different cuisine so much more rewarding. All of the pounds that we lost while hiking were easily gained back. Here is a list of the restaurants I tried and enjoyed. If you ever go to Peru do give them a try. If not, go search for a Peruvian restaurant in your city and make friends with their rich culinary culture.
Morena Peruvian Kitchen, Cusco
Tanta, Lima Airport – https://tantaperu.com/en/
More blogs from my Peruvian adventures –
