Peru awaits you with a table full of unique flavors. Every dish tells the story of a country where ancestral ingredients are transformed into culinary experiences that awaken all your senses. Here you’ll discover what makes Peruvian cuisine so special and which 30 dishes you definitely must try.
Why is Peruvian cuisine considered one of the best in the world?
Peruvian cuisine has conquered international palates because it combines age-old techniques with constant innovation. Peruvian chefs have brought local ingredients such as quinoa, ají amarillo (yellow chili pepper), and purple potatoes to some of the most exclusive restaurants on the planet.
The country’s biodiversity offers more than 3,000 varieties of potatoes, 35 types of corn, and a coastline that provides fresh fish and seafood year-round. This natural wealth makes it possible to create dishes with intense flavors and unique textures you won’t find anywhere else.
International recognition backs this reputation: Peruvian restaurants hold standout positions on lists of the world’s best, and Lima has become the gastronomic capital of South America.
The historical and cultural value of Peruvian cuisine
Fusion of cultures
Peruvian gastronomy was born from the encounter of different cultures over the centuries. The Incas contributed ingredients such as potatoes, quinoa, and chili peppers. The Spanish introduced wheat, rice, and meats. Enslaved Africans brought cooking techniques and seasonings. Chinese immigrants created the chifa fusion, while the Japanese developed nikkei.
This cultural blend was no accident. Each community adapted its culinary traditions to local ingredients, creating completely new preparations. The result is a mestizo cuisine that reflects the country’s multicultural identity.
Native ingredients
Peru is a center of origin for ingredients that feed the world today. Potatoes, cultivated here for over 8,000 years, range from creamy yellow potatoes to resilient purple potatoes rich in antioxidants.
Chili peppers, present in almost every Peruvian dish, provide not only heat but complex flavors. Ají amarillo is sweet and fruity, rocoto is intense and meaty, and ají panca is smoky and earthy. Each variety completely transforms a dish’s character.
Quinoa, considered a superfood, was the sacred grain of the Incas. Its high protein content and versatility have made it a star ingredient in modern cuisine.
Cuisine as cultural heritage
The Peruvian government declared national cuisine as Cultural Heritage of the Nation, recognizing that it goes beyond simple nourishment. Each dish preserves ancestral knowledge about agriculture, preservation techniques, and social rituals.
Recipes are passed down from generation to generation, adapting while maintaining their essence. A grandmother in Lima prepares causa just as her great-grandmother did, but incorporates ingredients that weren’t in the pantry back then.
The 30 best traditional dishes of Peru
Coastal dishes
Cebiche
Cebiche is Peru’s culinary ambassador. Fresh fish cut into cubes is “cooked” in the citric acid of lime juice and mixed with red onion, chili, salt, and cilantro. Freshness is essential: the fish must be of the day, firm, and odorless.
Timing is crucial. The fish should marinate just long enough to “cook” without turning rubbery. It’s served with sweet potato, corn, cancha (toasted corn), and lettuce. The “leche de tigre” — the resulting juice — is often drunk as an aphrodisiac.
Arroz con mariscos
This dish concentrates the flavors of the Peruvian sea: rice cooked with a sauté of ají amarillo, onion, and garlic, mixed with shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels, and crab. Fresh cilantro gives it its distinctive green hue.
The technique lies in getting the rice just right: loose yet creamy, infused with the seafood’s flavor without overcooking it.
Jalea mixta
A selection of fish and seafood battered and fried until crispy including fish, squid, prawns, mussels, and crab. Served with fried yucca, salsa criolla, and chili.
The key is the oil temperature and a light batter that lets each ingredient keep its natural flavor while gaining that irresistible golden crunch.
Choros a la chalaca
Mussels served in their shell with a fresh topping of onion, tomato, corn, ají amarillo, and lime. The perfect appetizer to share — refreshing and full of ocean flavor.
Use fresh, thoroughly cleaned mussels. The topping should be prepared at the last minute to keep the vegetables crisp.
Tiradito
Similar to cebiche but with Japanese influence. Thin slices of fish are briefly marinated in leche de tigre. It can be prepared with different chilies: ají amarillo, rocoto, or ají limo.
Knife work is essential: slices must be uniform and just the right thickness to absorb the marinade without breaking apart.
Sudado de pescado
Fish steamed with vegetables, chicha de jora, ají amarillo, and cilantro. A healthy dish that highlights the fish’s natural flavor while keeping it juicy and tender.
Causa limeña
Layers of yellow potato mixed with lime, ají amarillo, and oil, filled with chicken, tuna, avocado, or seafood. Shaped and garnished with hard-boiled eggs, olives, and avocado.
The potato should be creamy yet firm enough to hold its shape when sliced. It’s a versatile dish that lends itself to many variations.
Papa a la huancaína
Boiled potatoes covered with a creamy sauce of ají amarillo, fresh cheese, milk, soda crackers, and oil. Garnished with hard-boiled egg and black olives.
The sauce must have the perfect consistency — not too thin, not too thick — balancing the chili’s heat with the cheese’s smoothness.
Pollo a la brasa
Chicken marinated with spices and cooked in a rotisserie oven. The skin turns golden and crispy while the meat stays juicy. Served with fries and salad.
The secret is in the marinade: a spice blend that often includes cumin, ají panca, soy sauce, and chicha de jora, giving it that distinctive flavor.
Andean dishes
Ají de gallina
Shredded chicken in a creamy sauce of ají amarillo, walnuts, bread, milk, and cheese. Served over boiled potatoes with white rice, and garnished with hard-boiled egg and olives.
Texture is key: the sauce should be thick and creamy with a deep golden color. Walnuts add body while the chili provides its signature flavor.
Lomo saltado
Beef strips stir-fried over high heat with onion, tomato, ají amarillo, and fries. Flambéed with pisco and seasoned with soy sauce. The perfect fusion of Asian stir-fry technique and Peruvian ingredients.
The wok must be very hot so ingredients sear quickly, keeping their texture and concentrating the flavors.
Anticuchos
Beef heart skewers marinated in ají panca, chicha de jora, cumin, and garlic, then grilled. Served with boiled potatoes and chili sauce.
The marinade should penetrate the meat for several hours. Grill over high heat to sear the outside while keeping the inside tender.
Pachamanca
Meats and tubers cooked underground with hot stones — including lamb, goat, pork, chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and fava beans. Banana leaves perfume the cooking.
An ancestral method that requires ritual preparation. The stones must be heated for hours and the earth sealed perfectly.
Cuy chactado
Pressed, fried guinea pig served crispy with golden potatoes and chili sauce. A traditional highland dish, especially from Arequipa.
The chactado technique consists of pressing the guinea pig while frying so it becomes evenly golden and crunchy.
Olluquito con charqui
Stew of olluco (an Andean tuber) with salted dried meat, onion, garlic, and ají amarillo. A nutritious, comforting highland dish.
Cook the olluco until tender but not falling apart, while the charqui lends an intense salty flavor.
Rocoto relleno
Rocoto peppers stuffed with ground meat, raisins, peanuts, and spices, topped with cheese and baked au gratin. Served with golden potatoes.
Seed and devein the rocotos thoroughly to control the heat, and keep the filling juicy and well-seasoned.
Carapulcra con sopa seca
Dried potato stew with pork and peanuts, served alongside noodles with beans and basil. A hearty combo of two traditional preparations.
Rehydrate the dried potatoes properly and cook until tender. Toss the noodles with the basil pesto while still hot.
Papa rellena
Mashed potato dough stuffed with a savory meat filling, hard-boiled egg, and olives, then breaded and fried. The golden crust contrasts with the juicy, flavorful filling.
The potato dough should have the right consistency to shape without cracking, and the filling must be well-seasoned without excess liquid.
Cau cau
Tripe stew with yellow potatoes in a sauce of ají amarillo and cilantro. A popular dish that requires patience to cook the tripe until tender.
Chupe de camarones
A hearty shrimp soup with potatoes, corn, fava beans, rice, and fresh cheese. Thickened with milk and beaten eggs. It’s Arequipa’s flagship dish.
Cook the shrimp just to the right point, and achieve the creamy consistency by slowly incorporating the beaten eggs.
Amazon dishes
Juane
Rice with chicken, hard-boiled egg, and olives wrapped in bijao leaves and boiled. The traditional dish of San Juan in Peru’s Amazon.
Bijao leaves lend a unique aroma to the rice, while the steam cooking keeps all the flavors concentrated.
Tacacho con cecina
Mashed green plantain mixed with pork cracklings, served with cecina (smoked dried pork) and sausage. The Amazon’s traditional breakfast.
The plantain must be at just the right stage of ripeness, and the cracklings add the fat needed for a creamy texture.
Patarashca
Fish wrapped in banana leaves with spices and cooked over embers. The leaves perfume the fish while keeping it moist.
Ensalada de chonta
Fresh palm heart with onion, tomato, avocado, and lime. A refreshing preparation that showcases this unique Amazon ingredient.
Inchicapi
Hearty peanut soup with chicken, cassava, cilantro, and corn. A nutritious, comforting Amazonian dish.
Fusion dishes
Arroz chaufa
Fried rice using Chinese technique adapted with Peruvian ingredients. Includes egg omelet, scallions, soy sauce, and your choice of chicken, pork, or seafood.
The rice should be nicely separated, and the wok very hot to achieve the chaufa’s signature smoky flavor.
Tallarín saltado
Stir-fried noodles with meat, onion, tomato, and ají amarillo. Peru’s take on Chinese-style noodles — more heavily seasoned and with local vegetables.
Tacu tacu
Day-old beans and rice fried together, traditionally served with steak, fried plantain, and salsa criolla.
Aguadito
Cilantro-forward, creamy rice stew with chicken or seafood, vegetables, and ají amarillo. A comforting dish perfect for cool days.
Chanfainita
Stew of beef lung and heart with beans, onion, and ají amarillo. A popular, budget-friendly dish of Creole cuisine.
Peruvian desserts you can’t miss
Mazamorra morada
Purple corn pudding cooked with dried fruits, spices, and sugar. Its deep purple color and creamy texture make it irresistible.
Arroz con leche
Rice slowly cooked in milk with cinnamon, cloves, and sugar. Served chilled and dusted with cinnamon.
Suspiro a la limeña
Manjar blanco (dulce de leche–style custard) topped with a port wine meringue. An elegant dessert with a silky texture and delicate flavor.
Picarones
Fritters made with squash and sweet potato, shaped like rings and drizzled with chancaca syrup. The most popular street dessert.
Turrón de Doña Pepa
Layered anise dough with chancaca honey, decorated with colorful sprinkles. Traditionally prepared in October.
Peruvian drinks to pair with your dishes
Pisco sour
Cocktail made with pisco, lime, simple syrup, egg white, and a few drops of Angostura bitters. Peru’s national drink.
Chicha morada
A refreshing drink made from purple corn simmered with spices and fruit. Antioxidant-rich and perfect alongside spicy dishes.
Chicha de jora
Fermented jora corn beverage with millennia-old tradition. Enjoyed at celebrations and rich with ritual significance.
Inca Kola
Golden soda with a unique flavor that has become a national icon. Its color and taste make it unmistakable.
Peruvian gastronomy invites you on a unique sensory journey. Each dish represents centuries of history, tradition, and innovation. They’re not just recipes — they’re experiences that connect you with the essence of a diverse and welcoming country.