The gastronomy of the Peruvian Amazon is a culinary treasure that combines millennial traditions with unique ingredients from the Amazon rainforest. From the emblematic juane of San Juan to the exotic grilled suri, each dish tells a story of survival, celebration, and deep connection with nature. If you’re planning to visit Iquitos, Pucallpa, or Tarapoto, prepare for a gastronomic adventure that will challenge your senses and expand your palate with flavors you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
The 8 Main Dishes of the Peruvian Amazon You Must Try in 2025
Peruvian Amazonian cuisine has evolved for centuries, mixing ancestral indigenous techniques with influences from Chinese and Japanese immigrants. Each main dish reflects the extraordinary biodiversity of the region, using river fish like paiche and doncella, wild meats like majaz, and unique vegetables like chonta and Amazonian cilantro. These are the essential dishes every traveler must experience.
Juane: The King of San Juan Festivals (June 24th)
The traditional juane was born as an Amazonian adaptation of Spanish rice with chicken, but evolved to become the most emblematic dish of the jungle. Its name honors Saint John the Baptist, and every June 24th, thousands of families gather to prepare this delicacy wrapped in bijao leaves (Calathea lutea).
Authentic ingredients: Yellow rice dyed with Amazonian turmeric, free-range hen, hard-boiled duck eggs when possible, Tacna olives, yellow chili, cumin, and the secret: Amazonian cilantro that provides a more intense flavor than common cilantro.
Traditional process: Iquitos grandmothers wrap the juane in bijao leaves previously roasted over fire to soften them, creating an airtight package that cooks for 45 minutes in boiling water. The internal steam perfectly cooks the rice and concentrates all the flavors.
Where to try it: Belén market in Iquitos is famous for its authentic juanes. We also recommend “Al Frío y Al Fuego” and “La Patarashca” on Iquitos Boulevard.
Tacacho with Cecina: The Amazonian Warriors’ Breakfast
This dish has its roots in the Shipibo-Konibo native communities, who created tacacho as energy food for long hunting and fishing journeys. The word “tacacho” comes from Quechua “taka chu,” meaning “what is beaten.”
Authentic cecina requires a 5-7 day process: beef or pork is heavily salted and hung in the open air, exposing it to smoke from aromatic woods like capirona. This ancestral method preserves meat without refrigeration and gives it an unmatched smoky flavor.
Tacacho preparation: Green plantains are roasted directly over coals until the skin blackens and the pulp softens. Then they’re peeled and mashed in a wooden mortar with lard, salt, and crumbled pork rinds.
Local secret: In Tarapoto they add regional chorizo made with creole pork and local spices. The result is a combination that provides enough energy for the entire morning.
Patarashca: The Art of Cooking in Bijao Leaves
The patarashca represents the oldest culinary technique in the Amazon. Indigenous peoples discovered that wrapping fish in bijao leaves not only cooked it perfectly but also infused it with unique jungle flavors.
Ideal fish: Doncella, sábalo, gamitana, paco, or the king of Amazonian rivers: paiche. Each species provides different textures and flavors. Doncella is firmer, while paco is more fatty and flavorful.
Traditional marinade: The fish is seasoned with salt, cumin, blended yellow chili, finely chopped Amazonian cilantro, and red onion cut into julienne. Some cooks add sachaculantro (Eryngium foetidum) for a more intense aroma.
Perfect cooking: It’s hermetically wrapped in bijao leaves and cooked over charcoal embers for 20-30 minutes. The internal steam cooks the fish evenly, keeping it juicy and aromatic.
Gastronomic experience: When opening the bijao leaf, the aroma released is indescribable: a mixture of fresh fish, Amazonian herbs, and the natural perfume of the leaves.
Chicken Inchicapi: The Sacred Soup of Healers
This ceremonial soup is part of Amazonian healing traditions. Shamans prepared it to strengthen body and spirit before ayahuasca rituals. Inchicapi means “peanut soup” in Shipibo language.
Medicinal ingredients: Free-range creole hen (more nutritious than industrial), toasted and ground Amazonian peanuts, wild cilantro, sweet yellow yuca, fresh yellow chili, and the secret: sacha cilantro leaves that provide digestive properties.
Ritual preparation: Traditionally prepared in clay pots that distribute heat evenly. The hen is first boiled with aromatic herbs, then ground peanuts are added to naturally thicken the broth, creating a velvety texture.
Nutritional properties: Rich in complete proteins, healthy fats from peanuts, and B vitamins. It’s considered an Amazonian “superfood” that restores energy after illnesses or intense physical efforts.
Amazonian Chaufa Rice: When Chinese Immigration Reached the Jungle
In the late 19th century, Chinese immigrants arrived in Iquitos during the rubber boom, bringing their culinary techniques that brilliantly fused with Amazonian ingredients. Thus was born the jungle chaufa, a unique version you won’t find in Lima.
Fusion ingredients: Long-grain rice, diced Amazonian cecina, bellaco plantain (sweeter than common), duck eggs, Chinese onion, fresh ginger, soy sauce, achiote oil for color, and the special touch: Amazonian cilantro.
Amazonian wok technique: Cooked in iron pans over very high heat, a technique learned from Cantonese immigrants. The secret is keeping each ingredient at its exact point: crispy cecina, loose rice, and caramelized plantain.
Regional variation: In Pucallpa they add chopped palm heart, while in Tarapoto they incorporate regional chorizo. Each city has its family version passed down through generations.
Majaz Stew: The Most Prized Wild Meat of the Amazon
The majaz (Cuniculus paca) is considered the finest “bush meat” of the Amazon. This large rodent, which can weigh up to 10 kilos, lives near rivers and its meat is extraordinarily tender and flavorful, compared to rabbit but with a more intense taste and less fatty than pork.
Sustainable hunting: Majaz is hunted in a regulated manner during specific seasons, respecting its reproductive cycle. Experienced hunters know how to identify tracks and burrows near rivers, especially during new moon nights.
Stew preparation: The meat is marinated with corn beer, garlic, cumin, and panca chili for several hours. Then it’s browned in an iron pot with onion, tomato, yellow chili, and slowly cooked with yuca, squash, and aromatic Amazonian herbs.
Unique flavor: The texture is similar to tender lamb, but with a milder and sweeter taste. It doesn’t have the strong smell of other wild meats, making it accessible even to palates not accustomed to game.
Cultural value: Sharing a majaz stew is a symbol of Amazonian hospitality. It’s prepared on special occasions and its preparation requires experience to perfectly balance the flavors.
Fish Casserole: The Ribereño Family Cauldron
This dish represents the daily life of riverside families who depend on daily fishing. Each casserole tells the story of a successful fishing day and is prepared with ingredients available from the family plot.
Typical fish: Boquichico, lisa, sábalo, or river corvina. The choice depends on the season and the fisherman’s luck. During the dry season (July-October), fish are fatter and more flavorful.
Plot vegetables: Sweet yuca, green plantain, sachapapa (wild potato), jungle cilantro, charapita chili (the world’s spiciest), and bijao leaves to flavor the broth.
Traditional cooking: Prepared in clay pots over wood stoves. The fish is cooked whole to preserve all its juices, and vegetables are added according to their cooking time, maintaining perfect textures.
Amazonian Side Dishes and Appetizers: The Vegetable Treasures of the Jungle
The plant wealth of the Peruvian Amazon offers unique side dishes in the world. From tender palm heart extracted from centennial palm trees to wild beans that grow naturally in forests, each ingredient provides flavors, textures, and nutrients that have sustained Amazonian populations for millennia.
Chonta Salad: The White Gold of Palm Trees
The chonta or palm heart is extracted from the heart of the pijuayo palm (Bactris gasipaes), a process that requires sacrificing 3-4 year old trees. This sustainable practice is performed rotationally in plantations managed by native communities.
Artisanal extraction: Expert palm cultivators cut the trunk and carefully extract the tender heart, ivory white in color and texture similar to celery but softer. The flavor is delicate, slightly sweet with notes reminiscent of almonds.
Fresh preparation: Cut into thin slices and combined with regional tomato, purple onion, Amazonian avocado (smaller and creamier than coastal), acid lime, sea salt, and olive oil. Some add finely chopped cilantro.
Nutritional value: Rich in fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and antioxidants. It’s considered a “cleansing” food that aids digestion and detoxifies the body.
Purtumute: The Nutritious Mosaic of Amazonian Grains
This ancestral mixture combines different varieties of wild beans and corn that grow naturally in Amazonian forests. The name comes from Achuar language and means “mixture of sacred seeds.”
Bean varieties: Bush bean (small black), panamito bean (spotted), black-eyed bean, and occasionally wild tarwi. Each provides complete proteins and unique flavors.
Amazonian corn: Creole varieties with small but very nutritious grains: Amazonian purple corn, hard yellow corn, and sweet white corn.
Traditional preparation: Grains are soaked overnight in rainwater, then slowly cooked with aromatic herbs. The result is a colorful, nutritious, and energetically complete dish.
Amazonian Humitas: Sweet Corn in Perfumed Leaves
Amazonian humitas differ significantly from coastal ones. They use sweeter corn varieties and are wrapped in plantain or bijao leaves, which provide unique aromas during cooking.
Amazonian sweet corn: Local varieties with tender and sweeter grains than common corn. It’s ground fresh, preserving all its natural creaminess.
Special ingredients: Fresh coconut milk, fresh buffalo cheese, free-range eggs, and a pinch of star anise that grows wild in the region.
Aromatic wrapping: Plantain leaves are passed over fire to soften them and release their natural oils, which perfume the humitas during steam cooking.
Fried Palometa: The Golden Fish of Crystal Waters
The palometa (Mylossoma duriventre) is a silvery fish from clean waters, related to piranha but herbivorous, feeding on fallen fruits and seeds. Its white and firm meat is considered one of the finest in the Amazon.
Selective fishing: Caught with hooks using pijuayo fruits or ungurahi seeds as bait. Experienced fishermen know the exact places where they congregate during fruiting season.
Crispy preparation: Cleaned keeping the scales that form a crispy crust when fried. Simply seasoned with coarse salt and fried in coconut oil until evenly golden.
Ideal accompaniment: Boiled yuca, cocona salad (Amazonian acid fruit), and charapita chili paste for the brave.
Exotic Amazonian Gastronomy: Culinary Adventures for Intrepid Palates
The Peruvian Amazon holds culinary secrets that challenge the limits of the conventional. These dishes, considered delicacies by native populations, represent thousands of years of ancestral knowledge about proteins and nutrients the jungle offers. For adventurous travelers, trying these unique foods means connecting deeply with the most authentic Amazon traditions.
Suri Skewers: The Sacred Protein of Palm Trees
The suri (Rhynchophorus palmarum) is the larva of the palm weevil, considered sacred by many Amazonian ethnic groups. This 5-7 cm long worm, thick as a thumb, lives in the heart of dead or fallen palm trees.
Traditional collection: Specialists identify naturally fallen palms and wait 2-3 months for larvae to fully develop. With machetes and ancestral knowledge, they carefully extract each suri from the decomposed trunk.
Exceptional nutritional value: Contains 36% high-quality protein, omega-3 fats, vitamin E, iron, and zinc. It’s considered a “superfood” that strengthens the immune system and provides sustained energy.
Ceremonial preparation: They’re skewered alive on chonta sticks, grilled over charcoal embers for 3-4 minutes. When cooked, they develop a crispy texture outside and creamy inside, with flavor reminiscent of toasted nuts with butter.
Sensory experience: The first bite can be intimidating, but the flavor is surprisingly pleasant: soft, creamy, with notes of coconut and almonds. Many tourists are pleasantly surprised.
Timbuche: The Revitalizing Broth of Fishermen
This energetic soup was born among fishermen who spent days on rivers and needed a nutritious broth to restore their strength. Timbuche is traditionally prepared on riverbanks, using freshly caught fish.
Base fish: Preferably boquichico, lisa, or sábalo – fatty fish that provide more flavor to the broth. The whole fish is used, including head and bones, to extract all nutrients and collagen.
Wild vegetables: Sachapapa (jungle potato), processed bitter yuca to eliminate toxins, tender yuca leaves, jungle cilantro, and charapita chili for those who can handle extreme heat.
Camp preparation: River water is boiled (previously filtered) in aluminum pots, chopped fish is added with coarse salt, then vegetables according to their cooking time. The secret is cooking it over high heat so the broth becomes white and creamy.
Restorative properties: Rich in proteins, natural collagen, electrolytes, and B-complex vitamins. Fishermen assure that a good cup of timbuche at dawn provides energy for a full day of fishing.
Mamacos (Big-bottomed Ants): The Amazonian Caviar
Leafcutter ants or mamacos (Atta laevigata) emerge from their underground colonies only during the first rains between October and November, in a phenomenon called “nuptial flight.” This natural synchronization makes them a highly valued seasonal delicacy.
Nocturnal collection: Specialist women, called “mamaqueras,” go out with headlamps during rainy nights to capture flying ants. It requires experience because only large reproductive females are edible.
Traditional processing: They’re cleaned by removing wings and legs, washed carefully, and toasted in iron pans without oil. During cooking they release their own fat, becoming crispy like miniature pork rinds.
Extraordinary flavor: Intensely smoky and salty, with notes reminiscent of crispy bacon but more intense. Their texture is crunchy outside and slightly creamy inside.
Commercial value: In local markets they’re sold by kilos at prices equivalent to premium meats. A kilo can cost between 80-120 soles, making them a gastronomic luxury.
Gourmet preparation: Modern chefs incorporate them in salads, as meat toppings, or ground as seasoning. Their intense umami flavor enhances any dish.
Steamed Doncella: The Queen of Black Waters
The doncella (Pseudoplatystoma punctifer) is the second largest fish in the Amazon after paiche. This freshwater giant can reach 2 meters in length and 80 kilos in weight, being considered the “river tuna” for its firm and flavorful meat.
Sport and gastronomic fishing: Its capture requires experience and specialized equipment. Sport fishermen travel from around the world to fish doncellas in the Ucayali and Marañón rivers, especially during dry season.
Premium cuts: It’s completely utilized: loins for steamed dishes and ceviches, head for broths, and fins for frying. Each part has its specific preparation that maximizes its unique flavor.
Traditional steaming: Fillets are steamed with onion, tomato, yellow chili, cilantro, corn beer, and bijao leaves. Slow cooking preserves the firm texture and concentrates Amazonian flavors.
Incomparable flavor: White meat, firm but juicy, with intense flavor of clean river. Its texture is similar to grouper but more flavorful, without small bones that bother when eating.
Motelo with Ginger: Millennial Tradition with Oriental Touch
Important warning: The motelo (Chelonoidis denticulata) is a terrestrial turtle protected by environmental laws. Its consumption is regulated and only permitted in native communities with special permits. Many restaurants now use farm-raised turtle meat specifically bred for consumption.
Cultural history: For indigenous peoples, motelo represents longevity and wisdom. Its meat is consumed in special ceremonies and is believed to transfer these qualities to whoever consumes it.
Chinese influence: Cantonese immigrants introduced ginger in traditional preparation, creating a unique fusion that enhances the medicinal properties of both ingredients.
Medicinal preparation: It’s slowly cooked with fresh ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, Chinese onion, and Amazonian herbs. The result is a gelatinous, nutritious stew with supposedly aphrodisiac properties.
Sustainable alternative: Many responsible restaurants now offer “vegetable motelo” using jackfruit and mushrooms that mimic the texture, maintaining traditional flavors without environmental impact.
Traditional Amazonian Beverages: The Nectars of the Jungle
Amazonian beverages go beyond simple refreshment: they are nutritious, ceremonial, and medicinal potions that have sustained jungle populations for millennia. From the intoxicating masato to exotic fruit juices like camu camu and cocona, each drink provides unique flavors and health benefits that modern medicine is just beginning to discover.
Masato: The Sacred Yuca Chicha
Masato is an ancestral fermented beverage made with sweet yuca that can reach 3-8% alcohol depending on fermentation time. Its preparation is a feminine ritual transmitted from mothers to daughters for generations.
Traditional process: Women chew boiled yuca and spit it into clay containers, where salivary enzymes initiate fermentation. Although it sounds strange, it’s a completely safe and natural process that produces a nutritious and slightly alcoholic beverage.
Controlled fermentation: It ferments for 3-7 days in warm and humid environment. The result is a thick, slightly acidic beverage with fermented yuca flavor and a natural sweet touch.
Chapo: The Jungle Chocolate
This hot beverage is prepared with native Amazonian cacao, ripe plantain, and local spices. It’s the traditional energetic breakfast of jungle workers.
Creole cacao: Fine flavor cacao is used, native varieties with pure genetics that produce world-class chocolate. Beans are roasted in iron pans over wood fire.
Nutritious preparation: Toasted cacao, very ripe bellaco plantain, fresh milk, native cinnamon quills, and granulated panela are blended. The result is a creamy, energetic, and naturally sweet beverage.
Where to Experience Authentic Amazonian Gastronomy in 2025
To live the most authentic Amazonian gastronomic experience, we recommend these destinations and establishments that keep ancestral culinary traditions alive:
Iquitos: The Gastronomic Capital of the Amazon
Belén Market: The gastronomic heart of Iquitos where you’ll find authentic juanes, traditionally smoked cecina, and fresh Amazonian fruits. The stalls of “Tía Carmen” and “Doña Rosa” are legendary among locals.
Malecón Tarapacá Boulevard: Concentrates restaurants specializing in Amazonian cuisine with river views. “Al Frío y Al Fuego” and “Fitzcarraldo” offer high-quality gastronomic experiences with authentic ingredients.
Native communities: Gastronomic tours to Bora, Yagua, or Shipibo communities where you can participate in traditional preparation of ancestral dishes.
Tarapoto: Modern Amazonian Fusion
La Patarashca Restaurant: Specialized in bijao leaf cooking techniques, offers patarashcas of different Amazonian fish with local organic ingredients.
Central Market: The most authentic tacacho with cecina breakfasts in the region. “Don Carlos” stall is famous for its home-smoked cecina with traditional techniques.
Pucallpa: Shipibo-Konibo Tradition
San Francisco Community: Gastronomic experiences led by Shipibo women who teach traditional preparation of inchicapi and other ceremonial dishes.
Puerto Callao: Floating restaurant area where they serve the freshest fish from Ucayali: doncellas, sábalos, and freshly caught paiche.
Tips for Tourists: How to Safely Enjoy Amazonian Gastronomy
Gradual adaptation: If you’re not used to exotic foods, start with more familiar dishes like juane or tacacho, then gradually venture towards suri or mamacos.
Constant hydration: The Amazonian climate and spicy foods require continuous hydration. Try natural juices of camu camu, aguaje, or cocona.
Recommended restaurants: Look for places frequented by locals, especially officials and area workers. Avoid exclusively tourist places that may offer less authentic “adapted” versions.
Ideal seasons: Dry season (May-October) is better for fatty fish. Rainy season (November-April) is perfect for tropical fruits and wild mushrooms.
Sanitary precautions: Consume bottled water, avoid ice of dubious origin, and ensure meats and fish are well cooked. Natural yogurt probiotics can help your digestion.
