Peruvian Food Culture
Kate Zele
Native Foods & Dishes
Native foods sources:
- The guinea pig is a common dish in Peru, it is not unusual that they are raised in rural homes.
- Corn is also a native food source.
Native dishes
- Ceviche: Raw fish marinated in citrus juice. The acid in the fruit “cooks” the fish. It is spiced with red onion and aji pepper, and served at lunch with sweet potato or choclo, a white Andean corn. You can drink the leftover citrus marinade, which is known as leche de tigre, tiger’s milk.
- Lucuma: Tree fruit that looks like a mango, but it has a custardy taste. It’s commonly used as a flavoring in desserts, and is popular as a flavor of ice cream.
- Papa Rellena: A traditional croquette filled with a spicy ground beef mixture. Ground beef is stir-fried with onions, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, garlic and paprika. Hard boiled eggs and black olives are added. Mashed potatoes are molded around a center of the meat mixture and formed like a potatoes.
- A Cremolada: Mix between ice cream and a flavored fruit drink; like a slushy, but made with lots of fresh fruit pulp, water and sugar. Often served in a plastic beaker it's eaten with a spoon and sipped.
- Alfajores: In Peru Alfajores consist of two layers of fine and crumbly cookies filled with Manjar Blanco.
Papa Rellena
Stuffed potatoes
Cremolada
Peruvian take of the slushy
Alfajores
Cookies
Exotic Peruvian Food
Pichuberry
The Pichuberry, also known as Physalis peruviana, is a plana small, smooth berry. Known as aguaymanto or Inca berry. Looks like a little yellow tomato and is related to the tomato, eggplant, and potato.
Peruvian corn
Exotic types of corn in various sizes, shapes, colors, textures, and tastes.
Guinea Pig
Flattened and roasted guinea pig is a traditional and still very common dish among the Peruvian residents. It usually served with a starch side and roasted peppers.
Herbs and Spices
Muña
Muña is an herb that has a bright green color and a scent that is close to mint, which is a a distant relative.
Paico
Paico leaves are also consumed with vegetables in soups, the seeds are used as seasoning in beans dishes. It also has several medicinal properties: it helps with digestive problems, gastritis, colds and asthma.
Cilantro
Cilantro is not originally from Latin America but is the most used herb in Peruvian cuisine. The fresh leaves are used in numerous typical Peruvian dishes like Arroz con Pollo, Lomo Saltado, local stews, soups and ajis.