Peruvian Food

When you think of Peruvian food, what springs to mind?  We were delighted to experience a wide range of cuisine on our trip to Peru, and it was by far our favourite food in South America so far.  This is an unashamedly ‘short of text’ post which will hopefully give you a ‘flavour’ of what Peruvian food is like!  Now, enough with the terrible puns – let us know what you think in the comments!

Our Peruvian Food Experience

First up, have you ever heard of ‘Cuy’.  Sounds cute doesn’t it?  Well thats because it is!  If you had a pet as a child, chances are you won’t want to look at our first photo!  Anyone for guinea pig?

Notice the potato pillows and tin foil gloves, classy.  The only way is to get stuck in!

You have to draw the line somewhere though…

I must admit this wasn’t the best experience we had with guinea pig, there were alternative methods of cooking which didn’t involve a) running over a guinea pig with a car, b) deep frying it and c) putting on tin foil gloves and shoes. We also got a taste of a more appetising approach to cuy which represented more about what Peruvian food is all about.  Much better…

Another famous dish of Peru is ‘Trucha’ or trout, which we were lucky to taste different types of it.  Grilled…

 And fried…

You can probably tell by now that we’re willing to try most foods, so why not follow up some guinea pig and trout with a beef heart?  Yep, fancy a bit of beef heart skewer?

Its was pretty tasty to be honest, slightly acidic and a bit chewy but we would highly recommend it!  What should we follow that up with?  Well, I’m a big fan of meat and potatoes.  Standard dish.  But in Peru, they do something a little bit special with the meat and potatoes…

Believe your eyes!  The meat stew is inside the potato, this got me very excited and its an absolute cracker.  Our overall favourite meal deal in Peru is ‘El menu del dia’ and the easiest to order.  For a cheap price, you get whatever is on the specials board that day, and usually comes as three courses, with a couple of options for each.  This is by far the best way to eat in Peru, and means you’re getting great food for a great price!  It will typically consist of soup for starter, and then either a chiken dish with rice and vegetables, or a meat dish with beans and rice.  Either way a chance to fill up for next to nothing, just don’t forget to wash it down with an Inca Cola!

If you fancy something a bit more ‘exotic’ then again you’re in the right place!  Peru is famous for its asian influences, and its Sashimi (raw tuna in oil and soy sauce) and Sushi options are incredible!  We managed to fit in these options into our busy schedule of meat, potatoes and rice…

And for those that aren’t meat lovers, Laura had some cracking salads in Peru so don’t worry if meat isn’t your thing!

Now, how to wash this all down?  Beer always works well, but we also fell in love with the ‘Pisco Sour’ cocktail and could never quite decide which to get.  As always, theres a solution if you look hard enough.

Failing that, how about a pint of Chicha?  A maize based drink which can be pretty potent.  Theres also a fruit based one if you’re not too fussed about maize.

And to finish it all off?  Well for all you dessert obsessives, coca leaf tea, churros and chocolate!

So there you have it, a quick tour of our culinary experience in Peru!  What are you favourite dishes from Peru?  Have you tried any of the above or would you want to? Let us know below!

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