One of the best ways to get to know a new country or culture is through food – and in Peru, history lands on a plate. Here you’ll eat a chaotic yet perfect collision of Incan roots, Spanish conquest, African heritage and waves of Chinese and Japanese migration.
The result is a fusion cuisine that has turned the country into South America’s undisputed culinary center. The capital, Lima, has been scooping up awards for its fine dining scene, but look to any street corner and you’ll find memorable plates anywhere there’s smoke rising from an anticucho grill. And if you thought the Irish loved the humble potato? The vegetable is native to Peru, where there are more than 4,000 types.
Let’s dive into the top 27 dishes from Peru, starting with the most famous and then exploring categories from starters to sweets.
What are some must-try Peruvian dishes? The most famous plates
First, let’s introduce what you might call the global ambassadors of Peruvian cuisine. These traditional dishes are famous across the world and you must try them when in Peru.
1. Ceviche: The national dish
Unlike sashimi, the raw fish here is “cooked” in the potent acid of freshly squeezed key lime juice, creating a spicy marinade known as leche de tigre (tiger’s milk). It’s tossed with red onions and fiery ají limo peppers, then plated immediately to keep the fish fresh and firm. To cool the heat, it’s always served with a chunk of boiled sweet potato and giant kernels of corn (choclo). Locals eat this for lunch when the catch is freshest.
2. Lomo Saltado: Top example of Chifa (Chinese-Peruvian) cuisine
Chinese wok techniques meet Peruvian ingredients – strips of beef tenderloin are flash-fried at high heat with onions, tomatoes and soy sauce, creating a smoky flavor locals call sabor a humo. It’s served with both french fries and white rice to soak up the sauce.
3. Pollo a la Brasa: Peruvian rotisserie chicken
Every culture seems to do some form of rotisserie chicken, and Peru’s is distinct for its marinade – a secret blend of dark beer, soy sauce, garlic and spices – and it gets roasted over charcoal for crispy, salty skin and smoky meat. You’ll find pollerías (chicken shops) across the country. Eat the chicken with thick-cut fries and the accompanying ají sauces.
4. Ají de Gallina: Creamy chicken stew
This comforting stew gets its sunny hue and fruity heat from the ají amarillo pepper, the backbone of Peruvian flavor. Shredded chicken is bathed in a thick, velvety sauce made from milk, cheese, ground walnuts or pecans and bread soaked in broth. It’s typically served over rice with hard-boiled eggs and black olives.
Peru’s best starters and street snacks
5. Papa a la Huancaína: boiled potatoes with sauce
Boiled yellow potatoes covered in a spicy, creamy cheese sauce made with ají amarillo. It’s usually served cold with hard-boiled eggs and olives.
6. Causa Limeña: A cold, layered potato casserole
Like a savory, colorful potato cake. Cold, lime-spiked mashed potato is layered with avocado and chicken or tuna. It’s refreshing and zesty.
7. Anticuchos de Corazón: Beef heart skewers
Skewers of grilled beef heart marinated in vinegar and spices (cumin, ají panca). A beloved street food staple dating back to the colonial era – and far more delicious than they sound to the uninitiated.
8. Rocoto Relleno: Stuffed peppers
Originally from Arequipa, this stuffed pepper dish uses rocoto – a spicy red bell pepper – that brings real heat. It’s stuffed with ground beef, onions, peanuts and hard-boiled eggs, then gets baked under a layer of melted cheese.
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9. Papa Rellena: Potato croquettes
A deep-fried delight! Mashed potato croquettes, stuffed with a seasoned ground meat filling (similar to an empanada filling), and fried until golden.
10. Tamales Peruanos: Stuffed corn dough
A steamed corn dough parcel often eaten for breakfast. Unlike Mexican tamales, these are wrapped in banana leaves for a unique tropical aroma, filled with chicken or pork and served with salsa criolla.
Best Peruvian fish & seafood dishes
The Peruvian coastline is more than 1,900 miles (3,000 km) long, so top-tier seafood is a given!
11. Tiradito: The cousin of ceviche
Thin slices of raw fish are doused in a cold, spicy sauce (often creamy ají amarillo or rocoto). Influenced by sashimi, this dish is the best expression of Peru’s Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) cuisine.
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12. Arroz con Mariscos: Peruvian-style seafood rice
Peru’s answer to paella! The rice is cooked with a rich, colorful broth infused with ají panca and cilantro, then studded generously with clams, scallops and shrimp.
13. Jalea Mixta: Mixed fried seafood
A massive platter of lightly breaded and deep-fried mixed seafood – think calamari, fish, shrimp, octopus – topped with salsa criolla (onion and lime relish) to cut through the fatty richness.
14. Chupe de Camarones: Shrimp chowder
A rich, hearty shrimp chowder from the Arequipa region, made with milk, eggs, potatoes, corn, cheese (sometimes), and often topped with a poached egg to make it a meal.
15. Leche de Tigre: Citrus marinade shot
Literally “tiger’s milk” – this dish is the leftover citrus marinade from ceviche. Find it served as a shot – it’s intensely potent, sour and spicy, often containing raw fish scraps and crunchy toasted corn (cancha). A potent local “hangover cure”.
Peru’s top meat dishes to try
16. Cuy Chactado: Fried guinea pig
This has been a staple protein in the high Andes since Inca times. The whole guinea pig is flattened and fried under a stone until the skin is intensely crispy, resulting in meat that tastes similar to dark chicken.
17. Seco de Cordero/Cabrito: A slow-cooked cilantro stew
A deeply savory, slow-braised stew, often featuring lamb (cordero) or goat (cabrito). The meat is cooked down in a fragrant cilantro sauce, brightened by chicha de jora (corn beer) or dark beer, and served traditionally with beans and rice.
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18. Pachamanca: Earth oven cooking
Less a dish and more a method of cooking, pachamanca is an ancient ceremonial technique that involves cooking marinated meats (pork, chicken) and vegetables (potatoes, corn) using hot stones buried in an earthen oven. The smoky, earthy flavor is unmistakable.
19. Tacu Tacu: Pan-fried rice and beans
Day-old rice and beans are mashed and pan-fried into a crispy, golden cake. It’s often topped with a fried egg or a generous cut of steak (apando) swimming in a rich sauce. A great use of leftovers!
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20. Juane: The Amazonian dish
The signature dish of the Peruvian Amazon is juane. Seasoned rice, chicken, olives and egg are bundled inside a bijao leaf (similar to a banana leaf) and boiled. The leaf imparts a uniquely forest-fresh aroma to the rice.
21. Carapulcra: Dried potato stew
This stew is one of Peru’s oldest dishes and gets its distinct texture from papa seca (sun-dried potatoes). The rehydrated potatoes are stewed with pork, chicken, peanuts and the smoky ají panca.
Common Peruvian sides & accompaniments
22. Solterito de Queso: Colorful salad
A refreshing cold salad from Arequipa. It’s a beautifully colored mix of fava beans, giant choclo corn kernels, fresh cheese, tomatoes, onions and often a touch of rocoto pepper – tied together with a simple vinegar dressing.
23. Sopa Criolla: Noodle soup
A comforting Peruvian noodle soup with Italian roots, ideal for cold days. Angel hair pasta and beef is cooked in a slightly milk-enriched broth for a creamy texture. It’s topped with a fried or poached egg and a crispy piece of toast.
Most popular sweets from Peru
24. Picarones: Sweet potato doughnuts
Peruvian fritters made from a light dough of squash and sweet potato. Deep-fried into rings and drenched in chancaca (molasses) syrup. They originated in the colonial era as a cheaper version of Spanish buñuelos.
25. Suspiro a la Limeña: “Sigh of a Lima Lady”
Poet José Gálvez named this dessert, saying it was “soft and sweet like a woman’s sigh.” The sweet starts with a base of super-rich, velvety manjar blanco (dulce de leche) and is topped with a cloud of meringue infused with port wine.
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26. Alfajores: Peruvian cookie sandwiches
Peru’s shortbread sandwich uses cornstarch in the dough, giving the shortbread a uniquely pale and incredibly crumbly texture that melts instantly in your mouth. Alfajores are filled with thick manjar blanco and finished with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.
27. Mazamorra Morada: Purple corn pudding
A thick, jelly-like dessert that is seen at Lima street food stalls and festivals. Its deep purple hue comes entirely from boiled maíz morado (purple corn), which is then simmered with dried and fresh fruit, cinnamon and cloves.
That’s our list of 27 Peruvian dishes you should know about before a trip to Peru. Any more to add to our extensive list? Leave a comment….