History and traditions
Stretching from Ecuador to the center of Chile, the Inca Empire during more than three centuries of existence had at its disposal an immense diversity of products with tubers, roots and cereals as basic foods. Among these plants, the potato comes to mind, which would have been domesticated in the vicinity of Lake Tititica nearly 8,000 years ago. In the 16th century, the Spaniards brought this root vegetable back to Europe, where the plant was long shunned because of its flesh, which tends to turn blue as it oxidizes. The potato is available here in several hundred different varieties. If in the West we are used to smooth and calibrated potatoes, Peruvians are spoilt for choice: long, round, cylindrical, bumpy, yellow, red, brown, pink, black, purple, with a flesh just as colourful.
Corn, originally from Mexico, was introduced later, following trade. It is highly cultivated and is still used in a large number of Peruvian dishes. Quinoa on the other hand comes from the Andes. Its easy cultivation and its richness in fiber and protein have greatly increased the international demand and therefore the price of this cereal. To the point where it has sometimes become too expensive for certain Andean populations who used to eat it.
But there are a multitude of plants in the region that are still little known in the West. One thinks for example of the tarwi or chocho - a variety of lupin - prized for its protein-rich seeds. Or theahipa , appreciated both for its nourishing seeds and for its tubers similar to a very crunchy turnip. Theoca looks like a small, bumpy, pinkish potato. It can be bitter or sweeter depending on the variety. It is very similar to the tuberous nasturtium or mascho. Not forgetting theulluco, quite similar, whose round leaves are also edible.
Among the other plants, let us quote the maka, close to a radish or the yacón or earth pear, of the sunflower family. Thearracacha or potato celery is a member of the carrot family. Theachira is prized for its sweet roots, cooked and reduced to flour. Finally, paiko is used as a leafy vegetable, as a tea or as a spice, for its powerful and resinous taste. Several species of seaweed were also consumed.
The meat of llamas and alpacas was also popular - as was their wool. Sharqui, strips of freeze-dried meat, could be kept for a long time. The cuy or guinea pig, domesticated in 2000 B.C., is very appreciated for its meat, often grilled or in soup. Without forgetting various mammals, birds and even insects.
Products and eating habits
In the markets, the stalls are overflowing with products that are sometimes rare and unexpected, but also more common. In addition to potatoes, quinoa and corn, dried beans, tomatoes, squash and avocados are also grown here. In the Amazon, manioc, pineapple, sugar cane and cocoa are grown. On the other hand, the mild and sunny climate of the first slopes of the Andes makes Peru one of the world's largest producers of grapes, blueberries, artichokes, asparagus and even olives.
Cumin, aniseed, cinnamon, cloves, chilli, coriander and basil are common herbs. Theají amarillo is a small, conical yellow pepper, moderately hot, emblematic of the country, while theají panca, a very sweet, dark red pepper, is often prepared in the form of a paste. While corn or quinoa were the most popular cereals, the introduction of wheat allowed the development of many bread recipes, such as pan chapla or pan huasco, flatbreads widely consumed in the Andean regions. Rice is a very common accompaniment.
The waters along the Peruvian coast are among the richest in fish in the world thanks to the Humboldt Current, which came from Antarctica. With 3,000 km of coastline, Peru is a great fishing country and this activity dates back to the first settlement of the continent. The fish, dried and salted, was transported to the Andes at the time of the Inca Empire. Anchovies, sardines, tuna, bonito, mackerel, swordfish and herring are all caught, not to mention various crustaceans and molluscs such as the loco (a shellfish similar to the abalone). In the Amazon, freshwater fish are also highly prized, such as piranha and catfish. Peruvians also eat a lot of meat: chicken, beef, pork, goat, but also in the Andes, llama or guinea pig meat.
The basics of Peruvian cuisine
It is common in Peru to start a meal with a soup, which can even be a meal in itself, especially in the evening. There are all kinds of soups, with pieces of beef or chicken offal and various vegetables. For small appetites, the sopa de casa (broth with pasta, vegetables and meat) will do the trick, while the more hearty chaque arequipeño is made up of a broth with meat, cabbage, potato, wheat and tomato. In the Andes, don't miss the sopa de quinua, a vegetable and quinoa soup.Aguadito de pollo is a chicken soup (including giblets) with vegetables and lots of coriander.
There are also many starters and salads, which are generally rich and copious, with the potato as a recurring ingredient. For example, has a causa a la limeña, with layers of mashed potatoes, tuna, avocado, hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise. Or try theocopa arequipeña, slices of steamed potato topped with a green sauce made from fresh cream, garlic, chilli and huacatay (an aromatic herb). This dish is often accompanied by shrimp. Very similar, the papa a la huancaína is covered with a generous layer of creamy sauce made from fresh cheese andají amarillo, then topped with olive. The papa rellena is a fried croquette of mashed potatoes filled with meat, onion, pepper and hot sauce.
The rocoto relleno is a chilli topped with meat, baked and topped with melted cheese. Beware, if it looks like a pepper, the rocoto is very hot. For a little freshness, the palta rellena is an avocado filled with shrimp or crab and drizzled with lemon juice, while theensalada de chonta - typical of the Amazon - is a salad of finely sliced hearts of palm. The tamales consist of a corn puree wrapped in its own leaf and steamed. Sweet or savoury (with meat), it is served for breakfast, lunch or as a snack.
There are also many meat-based main courses such as seco, a stew of chicken(gallina), beef(res) or goat(chivo), with tomato, pepper, chilli and a nice dose of coriander, all served with white rice and lentils, chickpeas or dried beans. Another dish in sauce - from the Andes - the carapulcra is a stew of pork, papa seca (dehydrated potato), peanuts and various spices, which was originally prepared with llama meat. Theadobo de cerdo is a pork stew with garlic, vinegar, sweet pepper and cumin. The more curious can try the cau cau, tripe in a spicy tomato sauce, or the tacacho - from the Amazon - made with bacon, chorizo and mashed plantains.
On the grill side, Peruvians love anticuchos, skewers of beef heart, marinated in vinegar and cooked over a wood fire, or lomo saltado, thin strips of beef cooked with peppers and onions and always accompanied by white rice and chips. A very old recipe, the pachamanca is a traditional dish cooked with hot stones in a primitive oven called huatia. It is usually made of lamb, mutton, llama, pork, beef, chicken and potatoes marinated with various spices. The pollo a la brasa is a simple but delicious recipe of chicken cooked on a wood fire and served everywhere in Peru, in the pollerías. Another popular dish isají de gallina, chicken simmered with a sweet chili and cheese cream. The juane is a preparation of minced meat (usually chicken or pork) mixed with rice, manioc or another starch, then wrapped in a pear-shaped banana leaf and steamed for a long time.Arroz con pato a la chiclayana is a kind of paella made with duck, sweet and hot peppers, herbs and fluffy rice. Tacu-tacu is an Afro-Peruvian speciality made with rice, black beans, plantain and chilli. A Chinese-inspired recipe - or chifas -arroz chaufa is a type of Cantonese rice, very popular throughout the country.
Peruvians are particularly fond of fish and seafood, which come in a multitude of recipes, especially raw, which are partly inspired by the large Japanese community that gradually settled in the country from the late 19th century. One thinks of ceviche, cubes of fish fillets marinated in lime juice, spiced with hot pepper and served with chopped onion and coriander and accompanied by sweet potato and boiled corn. Fish is sometimes replaced by raw seafood such as concha negra, a type of clam, scallops or octopus. Chinguirito is a variation of ceviche with dried fish. Tiradito is also a raw fish dish, but unlike ceviche, it is cut into thin slices instead of cubes, and the fish is not marinated in lemon juice, but served completely raw, directly with a spicy sauce (chilli, lemon juice, ginger).
There are other recipes based on seafood such as pulpo al olivo, cooked octopus served cold with a creamy sauce based on mayonnaise and black olives, or choros a la chalaca, mussels garnished with a tomato, chilli, onion and corn mixture. But there are also hot dishes such as chupe de camarones, a shrimp soup cooked with milk, chilli and oregano, or parihuela, a hearty soup of fish and seafood (crab, shrimp, mussels, cockles). You can also try jalea (a mixture of fried seafood), chicharrón de pulpo (fried pieces of octopus) orarroz con mariscos peruano, a kind of seafood paella.
Desserts and drinks
Peruvian sweets are varied, with manjar blanco, a milk jam similar to dulce de leche, but less caramelized and paler, being the main ingredient. It is used in many desserts and cakes, such as alfajores, biscuits filled with manjar and sprinkled with sugar or covered with chocolate. Thealfajor de Penco is a cake version, made up of layers of biscuits always filled with manjar and covered with grated coconut. The guargüeros are cannoli-like tubes of fried dough filled with manjar. Churros con manjar blanco are very popular. Suspiro a la limeña is a popular dessert made with egg, port and manjar blanco cream, topped with meringue.
Other desserts includeantecoco, a coconut cream dessert,arroz con leche, a rice pudding, which is very popular in Latin America, andarroz zambito, a typically Peruvian version of rice pudding with brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel. Crema volteada is a silky egg and caramel flan, while leche asada is a lightly gratinated flan. Dulce de mamey is a stewed sapote (mamey), a very sweet fruit with orange pulp. Originally from the Amazon, chapanas are steamed cassava dough wrapped in banana leaves. Very similar, humitas dulces are sweet corn puree wrappers topped with raisins. The amazing mazamorra morada is a kind of purple corn jelly.
Picarones are ring-shaped doughnuts made of sweet potato or squash puree. Chocotejas are chocolates from the Ica region filled with manjar and nuts, while cocadas are a kind of rock-coconut. Ice creams and sorbets are very popular in Peru. Try the queso helado (sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, vanilla) from Arequipa.
Peru is one of the biggest coffee producers in the world. Often considered excellent by coffee aficionados, it was cultivated by Spanish settlers as early as the 1700s, well before most other Latin American colonies. In the country it is often consumed quite dark, rather strong, sometimes with a little sugar and a dash of condensed milk.
As for fresh drinks, there are countless excellent fresh fruit juices, although as with many Latin Americans sodas are everywhere. The national drink is the Inca Kola, a bubble-gum flavoured soda, scented with fragrant verbena, created in 1935. It is the most consumed soft drink in the country, well before Coca-Cola.
In the land of pisco
The emblematic alcoholic drink of Peru is pisco, which is made from the fermentation of grape must. It is a fine brandy with a high alcohol content similar to cognac. It is used as a base for the famous pisco sour cocktail, made with egg white, lime juice, sugar, crushed ice and bitter. Peru is a large producer of grapes, even if conversely the production of wine - concentrated between the regions of Pisco and Ica -, remains modest. Among the local productions, the best known are Tacama, Albillo, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Ocucaje, Grenache, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc or Vista Alegre.
It is however the beer which is the star drink of the country. Packaged in 66 cl or one litre bottles, brown or blonde, it is found everywhere. Cusqueña is the most popular commercial brand. In recent years, there has been a boom in craft beer. You can find it in Lima, Arequipa, Huaraz, Cusco under names such as Sierra Andina, Nuevo Mundo, La Candelaria or Barbarian.
Chicha, which is drunk in the sierra, is a drink made from fermented corn, with a low alcohol content, flavoured with cinnamon, cloves and lemon, and is drunk iced. It is a very popular refreshing drink. The region of Lambayeque is known for its rum production.
