Unlike other South and Central American cuisine, Perúvian foodis a combination of influences from the indigenous in the Andes and the Amazon,the Spanish, and African slaves. It presents some of the most uncommon andtasty cuisine in the world. You will never find a dish of rice and beansor even tortillas. You will encounter many dishes seasoned with limes orhot peppers. You won’t see a hamburger, but you may eat roast guineapig.
Customs around eating
The main meal each day is lunch. Traditionally, Perúvians observea siesta when families sit together at home for lunch. Life in big cities,such as Lima, means that many cannot observe the siesta, but most peoplewish they still could.
Lunch begins with an appetizer, as well as soup. Soup is a highlandtradition, because of the colder temperatures, which has carried over tothe coastal region. Soups range from vegetable, wheat, pumpkin or seafood.Another appetizer that you may see would be avocado stuffed with chickenor seafood.
The main dish, plato fuerte, which translates literally as “strongplate,” usually consists of potatoes and/or rice. Potatoes originatedin the Andes and were taken to Europe by the Spanish. Perú is hometo over 400 varieties of potato. You will likely see aji, themain hot pepperusedin Perúvian food, which adds extra orange and yellow color to differentdishes.
You won’t see much meat during meals. Chicken is the most common. Whilebeef is rare, pork is more rare. However, in the highlands guinea pig isa staple food. People in the Andes also eat alpaca, a small cousin of thellama, as well as mutton.
Similar to meals in North America, Perúvians use silverware,plates and bowls. However, food is served on individual plates; there isno family style dining where you serve yourself. Second helpings are uncommon,but it is important to still leave a little food on your plate to show thatyou have been well fed. Likely, your host families will try to feed you alot early in your stay.
Breakfast, like supper, is a small meal. The main staple of aPerúvian breakfast is café con leche, coffee with milk. Bread, cheeseand marmalade also are served at breakfast. In Perú, the verb that goes withbreakfast is tomar, which means “to take” or “to drink.” Youdon’t “eat” breakfast in Perúvian Spanish.
Supper usually consists of tea and bread. Sometimes food leftovers from lunch will be eaten. Both breakfast and supper are eaten on your own.
Common dishes
Lomo Saltado - This dish consists of rice with French fries, acombination that will make newcomers look twice. It also hasspicy, marinated beef strips, along with onions and hot peppers. It is verycommon in thehighlands and along the coast.
Aji de Gallina - Also common in the Andes and on the coast, this dishof spicy chicken sauce over rice will have anyone’s mouth watering.
Paiche con Yuca - Served only in the Amazon, paiche con yucca is bigboneless fish steak with fried yucca. Yucca is a root that can be found insome restaurants in the southwestern United States.
Anticuchos - This shish kabob is alpaca or beef heart, which is grilledover an open fire. This kabob is easy to purchase on street corners in tinymountain towns to Lima. It often comes with a baked potato or fried yucca.
