Peru has gained international recognition as “the Land of the Inkas”, the land of Machu Picchu, and of course the land of the best food in America.
We Peruvians love this new fame and sudden attention and are enjoying it so much. Anywhere we go we talk about our dishes, we post pictures of grandma food on social media, we are now picky about what we eat, the pride over food is everywhere, and when is time to go out to eat, guess what? yes, we choose a local food restaurant.
But the truth is that we didn’t get blessed with this wonderful flavors that are amazing the world from one day to another, this is the work of time and fusion, we learned after the Spanish Conquest that a way of survival was melting with the other, mixing, sense of survival people say, they are right… that’s how we turned into MESTIZOS, and that’s how food turned into so great.
In terms of food, I must say we have a really good taste, the list of dishes is big, but today I want to concentrate on the local delicacies that may be considered peculiar or strange before the eyes of the world. Here a give you a list of 5 unusual meals we love and foreigners simply can miss to have:
- Roast guinea pig: known in Peru as CUY is a local delicacy and top in my list! so many good ways to cook it, just follow your instincts and try it.
- Anticuchos: Made of the beef heart, this is a popular dish in Lima. Served on a stick Anticuchopieces are first marinated in a salse of chili paste and herbs and is always served hot, is so tasty. This is the perfect street bite and we prefer it especially for dinner in winter.
- Chicha: is a light beer of corn, prepared artisanally by housewives at the home’s kitchen in the highlands of Peru (try it better in Cusco), there is another Chicha named Morada, is not a beer of corn, is a boiling of purple corn, pineapple, cinnamon, drops of lemon and sugar! great for everyone.
- Ceviche: delicious and internationally famous is still considered a “strange food” by many, the fish is cooked in the juice of a very acidic lemon we call LIMON and is known in some places as Key Lime, it doesn’t need to be cooked with fire additionally. Is served with chopped onions, sweet potatoes, yucca, corn, and others…don’t miss to try it.
- Suri: believe it or not, in the Amazon of Peru people still eat Suri (a finger size larvae) and several kinds of insects including tarantula and ants. Some people say they taste like chicken!
Click on the video to know how are Anticuchos, and follow on youtube to get more curious videos about Peru.
As part of my heritage and my job as a tour guide, eating the authentic Peruvian food is part of my routine, something I wouldn’t change for nothing in the world. I am now sure that there is no way to get to know deeply a culture without eating the local food, and that is for sure true.
Tell me, what are the weirdest foods in your country?
Learn more about our tours in Lima and Peru starting by clicking below
*
*
Send us a private message for questions or suggestions for our next post here: