Food and Dining in Peru

The hot and spicy nature of Peruvian food, created by aji and ajo (hot pepper and garlic), has become celebrated at home and abroad. Peruvians enjoy a wide variety of vegetables; there are over 2000 kinds of indigenous and cultivated potatoes alone. Tropical fruits are abundant, as are avocados. Ceviche is a local specialty (uncooked fish marinated in lemon or lime juice and hot chili pepper, served with fried corn, sweet potatoes, onions and flavored with coriander).

Escabeche is a cooked fish appetizer eaten cold, served with peppers and onions. Corvina is sea bass, which can be prepared in a variety of ways, and is always an excellent choice. Typical dishes made with scallops (conchitas), mussels (choros), octopus (pulpo) and shrimps (camarones) are plentiful and delicious. Chupe de camarones is a chowder-type soup made with shrimps, milk, eggs, potatoes and peppers.

Other staple dishes include papa a la huancaina (yellow potato with cheese and chili sauce), arroz con choclo (rice with corn), cau cau (tripe cooked with potato, peppers and parsley), causa rellena (potato cakes with chicken in the center, but also cooked with avocado or crabmeat) and tamales (boiled corn dumplings filled with meat and wrapped in a banana leaf).

Specialties include sopa criolla (spicy soup with beef and noodles), aji de gallina (shredded chicken in a piquant cream sauce), anticuchos (strips of beef or fish marinated in vinegar and spices, then barbecued on skewers) and lomo saltado (pieces of beef sauteed with onions and peppers, served with fried potatoes and rice).

Rice and potatoes accompany virtually every dish. Traditional desserts are arroz con leche (rice pudding), alfajores (wafer-thin spirals of shortbread dusted with icing sugar) and served with manjar blanco (a caramel sauce), picarones (doughnuts served with syrup) and mazamorra morada (purple maize and sweet potato starch jelly cooked with lemons, dried fruits, cinnamon and cloves). Table service is the norm in hotels and restaurants and many of them also offer buffet-type lunches.

The most famous drink is pisco sour, made from a potent grape brandy. Other pisco-based drinks are algarrobina (pisco and carob syrup), chilcano (pisco and ginger ale) and capitan (pisco and vermouth). Chicha de jora (fermented red or yellow corn juice) and chicha morada (non-alcoholic purple corn juice) are popular drinks dating from Inca times. Peruvian beers and national wines are good.

Nightlife
There are many good bars, pubs, discos and casinos in the major towns and tourist resorts. Penas always serve snacks and some serve full meals. Here one can enjoy criolla or folk music, especially at weekends. Nightlife in Lima and Cusco has a wide array of choices. Most discos, penas, pubs and karaokes are open until 0300 or 0400 in the morning.