Peru is a treasure trove of amazing food. It is one of those countries that has good food options for 3-5 dollars or upwards of 100 dollars - Good food for any budget. Traditional to Modern, Fusion and International. And an abundance of cultural dishes from every region. Truly, in regard to flavour and diversity, the Indian food of South America. 

It does help of course, as always, to know where to go in a city or what to try, so in regard to hitting main and major cities and places in Peru, here is a list of great places and their general price ranges. 

CUSCO

1. The Republic of Pisco - Near the main Plaza - excellent drinks especially chiclanos and Pisco sours, live music at night, amazing ceviche, causa, and lomo saltado - around 20-25 dollars for a solid meal and drink 
2. Cucharitas - On Plaza San Francisco - ice cream - melted ice-cream with fresh fruit mashed into it - amazing flavours - 2-5 dollars 
3. Heladarte - Near the main Plaza - ice cream - some of the best I’ve encountered world wide - 2-5 dollars 
4. Pantastico - Near Plaza San Blas - bakery - great loaves, muffins, and brownies - good coffee - A great view of Cusco from above - 2-5 dollars 
5. PanAm - Near main Plaza - bakery - amazing plain croissants, danish bread, and sandwiches - also their Cappuccino are among the best in Peru - good ambiance - nice wall mural - 3-8 dollars
6. La Bondiet - Near main Plaza - cafe - good sandwiches, coffee, pastries, cakes, juices - decent atmosphere - best cheese cake in Cusco - 3-8 dollars 
7. Valariana - Near main Plaza and also another across from the Quoricancha down the Avenida del Sol - cafe - good coffee, baked goods, sandwiches, empanadas - great ambiance and good internet connection - 3-8 dollars 
8. On a budget - any local place with a set menu of local cuisine is usually pretty good - 2-5 dollars - if you want to be safe - at these places get the Lomo Saltado or Montado 
9. Chinese food - generally cheap and pretty good - 5-15 dollars - the few upper end ones are quite pricy - meat heavy dishes 
10. Sangucheria - Plaza San Francisco - great sandwiches and juices - 4-10 dollars - their Sandwich - el Cubano - has a nice tang to it with the mustard and pickles. 
11. Jack’s Cafe - Cafe - breakfast, lunch, dinner - American portions - Off the main Plaza near the foot of the hill leading up to Plaza San Blas - American fare - amazing pancakes, French toast, sandwiches, breakfasts, burgers - a Cusco staple - 8-20 dollars 
12. Granja Heidi - Best lunch place ever - Kitty corner to Jack’s Cafe - another local but more hidden Cusco staple - 30 sole lunch including a starter, drink, main, and dessert and really amazing home cooked food - also amazing crepes - this is where I come to gorge in a good way - good ambiance - owner is great!! - 10-20 dollars 

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, food in Peru is very complex, delicious, and diverse region to region. I am going to compile a list of the best foods that I’ve had in the coastal, high Andean, northern, and desert regions of the country. 

Coastal - Lima, north and south of Lima - coast 

1. Ceviche - lime acid cooked raw fish served with onion, sweet potato, and boiled and roast corn 
2. Leche de Tigre - left over concentrated runoff of marinade from ceviche - eaten like a soup or taken like a shot (like tequila) 
3. Arroz con Pollo - moist beer and coriander flavoured rice with flavourful chicken 
4. Aji de Gallina - a creamy chicken stew with a yellow based egg, hot pepper, and peanut sauce - someone kindly made this for me without the peanuts 
5. Tacu Tacu - a mix of beans and rice, or tarwi (Peruvian legume) and rice served with fried meat and an onion, tomato, and coriander salsa 
6. Cau Cau - cow parts stew with turmeric, onion, potato, and muna (Peruvian mint) 
7. Causa - a beautifully layered dish of mashed potatoes seasoned with lime and Peruvian yellow hot pepper, tuna or chicken, avocado, and mayo 
8. Chupe de Camarones - a luscious soup of shrimp, cream, and egg traditionally served with boiled corn and Andean white cheese 
9. Pollo a la Brasa - a juicy Peruvian marinated rotisserie chicken usually served with fries 
10. Chicharrones - fried pork in pork fat, one can also have chicken or seafood chicharrones - for those who do not eat pork 
11. Comida Chifa - Peruvian Chinese food - the Tipa Kay, Tallarin Saltado, and Pollo Enrolled are great!! (For descriptions of these foods see blog on Peruvian Chinese food)
12. Sushi - Peruvian style - using Peruvian ingredients 
13. Fresh juices at the market - cactus fruit (tuna) with pineapple is incredible 
14. Suspiro a la Limena - dessert with a lemon cream at the bottom topped with a merengue - often wine flavoured - very sweet but delicious 
15. Picarones - a squash and sweet potato doughnut swimming in a sweet molasses syrup - delicious, though very rich  

In Peru there can be found on every street corner and in many restaurants, Comida Chifa or Peruvian Chinese Food. Like back home as is typical this food is greasy, fattening, and of course, incredibly tasty.

Chinese peoples came to Peru starting around 1890 where they settled on the coast of Peru namely in and around Lima. Of course, they brought their culinary traditions and ideas with them, along with specialty ingredients and seeds. Soon many restaurants had opened and were flourishing. And... more continued to do so as the Peruvian peoples loved the unique and delicious dishes. 

Just like the Chinese foods we are used to in North America, one will find Chinese fried rice, egg drop soup, sweet and sour sauce, and fried wantons. 

Some of the typical dishes found in Peruvian Chinese food are Arroz Chaufa - Peruvian style fried rice, Tipa Kay - Chicken with rice, pineapple, and sweet and sour sauce, Sopa Wantan - wonton soup, Pollo Enrolled - chicken rolled with vegetables, and sometimes also bacon, and a breaded fried outside served with either a sweet and sour or a salty sauce, Tallarin Saltado - Peruvian style Chow Mein, and Aeropuerto - a mix of tallarin saltado and arroz chaufa. 

If you do happen to be in Peru, or Bolivia, or Columbia, Peruvian Chinese food is definitely worth a try - as a plus its quite cheap and a good meal with a soup and a main will run about 3-5 dollars American. ​

Some of my most memorable and favoured dishes in Peru are Arroz con Pollo and Lomo Saltado. They are both very different and very flavourful dishes. Both come from the traditions of Crillola foods - which come from the coast of Peru and both are very filling dishes. 

Arroz con Pollo, like the name suggests is rice with chicken. What I love about this dish however is how moist and flavourful both the rice and chicken are. The rice and chicken are cooked in beer, with a lot of spices, minced carrots, and a ton of coriander. The dish is served hot with a load of cut cold purple onions on the side. This dish for me, reminds me of our Persian dish called Akhni - which is also a rice and often chicken dish that is also moist and made with a lot of spices, but instead of beer adding the moisture it is yogurt, and instead of so much coriander we use a lot more tomato. True comfort food at its best. And like comfort foods, the best I've had has been cooked by a mum at home in Peru. 

Lomo Saltado is arguably one of the most popular dishes in Peru. It can be mediocre or absolutely divine depending on the care and quality of ingredients that go into the dish. It is basically onions and tomatoes cooked together with a fair amount of salt and spice (especially cumin). Then meat is added - a fine cut, cut into strips which soaks up the tomato. Finally all of this is tossed with homemade fresh hot french fries and served with a mound of rice. Super tasty!! The best I've had in Cusco is definitely at the Pariwana hostel cafe and also at The Republic of Pisco - A must try!! 

Ceviche is a fabulous acid cooked fish dish that comes from the coast of Peru. Its become a hot ticket plate recently world-wide, and when people tell me they've tried it and either love it or hate it, all I can say is where did you eat it? And if, 99% of the time, the answer is not Peru, I am sorry, but I just discount that answer. I've had it at a number of locales outside of Peru, and honestly its just not as good.
However, it's just fabulous in Peru, from the markets in Lima, to the the street cart vendors in Mollendo, to the more upscale restaurants or peoples houses in Cusco and Lima. I am sure that in the jungles in Peru they must also have different varieties of Ceviche, that is probably also just amazing. 

Ceviche is basically fresh raw white fish soaked in a great deal of fresh lime juice and chiles. The acid from the lime juice cooks the fish, there are a lot of raw onions cut up into the dish, and then when it is plated, traditionally it comes with white Peruvian corn (choclo) both boiled on the side, and baked with salt and tossed on top. Furthermore it comes with two to three beautifully cooked pieces of sweet potato, and a bit of seaweed on the side. And basically it is the greatest thing ever - fresh, spicy, crunchy, sweet, acidic, amazing for hangovers, chalk full of protein and other nutrients, and basically fat free and filling. 

Though traditionally from Lima, you can find this dish all over Peru, though it really best on the coast! 
My first time having it was actually, at that time, 13 years ago, on an empty beach in Mollendo - now a beach party town - and it was served to me in front of the rolling waves with a big beer. The sun must have been 40 degrees that day, and this was just incredibly fresh and refreshing, and delicious. Whenever I go back to Peru, I must eat ceviche! 

I could go on and on about ceviche, it really is amazing. But instead I'll post a picture :) 

Peruvian food is incredibly complex, tasty, and diverse. It is so much so, much like the cuisine of India. 
Many spices are used, as well as many cooking methods, and unique ingredients. And of course a huge variety going from area to area in Peru. 

Many of the methods of cooking reach far back into the ancient traditional methods of cooking, as do agricultural practices. Interestingly Peruvian farmers or rather Incan agricultural workers cultivated potatoes and tomatoes from being poisonous tubers and berries, into edible ones full of nutrients that are used world wide. And so of course both of these ingredients are also heavily used in their cuisines. Some other foods grown greatly all over Peru and heavily utilized in the diet include:
Vegetables and Grains - quinoa, beans, lentils, nuts, spinach, corn, pumpkin, yuca, sweet potato
Fruits - papaya, pakay, passion fruit (granadilla, maracuya, and more), custard apple, bananas, pineapples, coconut, cacao, lucma 
Spices - mint, muna, cumin, pepper, hot peppers, coriander, curcuma, garlic, ginger, cinnamon 

Ingredients that have a ton of varieties include:
Corn - over 20 different varieties 
Potatoes - over 40 different varieties 
Passion Fruits - over 10 different varieties 
Bananas - over 10 different varieties 

Choclo is the word in Peru for corn - there are many different colours from light yellow to deep black purple, however unlike the sweet yellow small kernelled corn that we get in North America, this corn has got large starchy kernels used in making snacks like popcorn, to breads, and more often than not boiled and eaten with a heavy Andean cheese - Choclo con Queso or made into yellow corn beer called Chicha. The deep purple corn is generally dried out and then boiled with pineapple husks and cinnamon to create a refreshing juice like drink. 

Papas is the word for potatoes. The papas are in many varieties also from the sweet, to the large, the small, the yellow, the purple, the pink, the freeze dried, etc. There are over 42 distinct varieties and they are delicious. Some when boiled become smooth on the inside, others when boiled become almost fluffy and powdery inside. Though often eaten boiled, they are also fire cooked, cut up and fried, mashed, or turned into a fried batter for another vegetable. 

Over the last month - June, there has been a myriad of different festivities in Cusco namely called the Cusco Festivals and winter solstice called Inti Raymi. Beginning the festivals was the highly religious Incan pilgrimage of Qoyllur Rit’i followed directly by the festival of Corpus Christi. Qoyllur Rit’i is an religious Incan pilgrimage and festival in which many locals trek to the glacier and mountain god - Ausungate and camp overnight there before making offerings to the glacier and making prayers for things they are thankful for and things they still want - like good grades, or a good lover. There, there are dances, and music, but it is very cold, and soon after everyone will trek back to Cusco for Corpus Christi. 

​During Corpus Christi, the 15 saints from the 15 different districts of Cusco are brought down to the main plaza and paraded around. For many this is a highly important religious tradition and so the mostly Catholic population fills into the main plaza to watch as it is also a day of from work, school, and university. And not only are the saints paraded around, but behind or in front of each follows or leads musicians and dancers of that district dressed in their dresses and playing their music from their various districts - It is rather a mesh of Catholicism with Incan and Cusquenan cultures and traditions. 

So of course the main plaza becomes packed with both locals and tourists - and I mean packed - for someone who is a bit anxious in massive crowds, I think I did pretty well. Just as a comparison, compared with the Calgary Stampede parade or grounds for example, this is like 10 times that - just being pushed and pulled along - and understanding for the first time - a "true crowd" mentality, and how it is that people can get fully trampled in a crowd.

​So if I get anxious in crowds, why then did I head down into the thicket of the festival? - Well, they serve a dish that day - a special festive dish called Chiriuchu, it is a cold dish filled with Cusco traditions - of which my various colleagues and students had been talking about for weeks at the university, and quite frankly with my love of new foods and cuisines, I just had to try this dish. 

As we made our way through the overwhelming crowd, we slowly passed many street vendors selling sweets, ice creams, churros and the likes and made our way 2 blocks up to the Plaza San Francisco - where lunch - this dish was being served by literally hundreds of Andean women - hacking away at cooked guinea-pigs and tearing away at pieces of salted meat and toreja to put these complex dishes together. 

Chiriuchu is a dish that is served cold and eaten with the hands. My roommate did not look so impressed with the eating with the hands part, but I was so excited - I love eating with my fingers; I feel that it somehow brings me closer to the food I am eating, and have both a greater appreciation of what I am eating, and have a greater bond with those who made it. Also food seems to tase better when eaten with hands.
The dish is meant to be eaten in small bites of the various components rather than finishing one component at a time - I honestly don't know why this is - but am assuming because it tastes better this way. 

​In this dish is found a hill of various foods that come together, like the saints, but instead of from various districts, that come together from various parts of the Andes and Peru - like cuy coming from the Sacred Valley and seaweed coming from Lake Titicaca. So what exactly comprises this dish? - Guinea Pig, Toreja (which is a very greasy and delicious corn bread), 2 types of sausage including blood sausage (this I didn't eat), salted very tough beef jerky (delicious), dried and salted Andean corn, fresh Andean cheese, seaweed and fish roe, roasted rooster, freeze dry potato, camote (sweet potato), and a very spicy rocoto pepper. It was amazing - I honestly wasn't sure if I would like it - but oh, yes I did - very much. My roommate - not so much. Did we finish - yes. And afterwards, my body just wanted to rest and digest this very heavy meal, so we trekked back through the immense crowd. 

Last night after taking various modes of transportation, we arrived fairly late into the town of Monte Verde. Along the journey the scenery became more mountainous and began to remind me of the Peruvian Andes with its rolling yet impressive mountain range. We arrived in a very tranquil town and were taken up to a very quaint hotel, the Historias Lodge, where it was time to drop our bags, and crash. 

This morning we woke up refreshed and headed into the cloud forest for a hike. We entered into a nature reserve, Curi-Cancha, and took a trail leading to a clearing. We spent time watching a large mango tree for signs of the Resplendent Quetzal - the national bird of Guatemala. Apparently it's a big deal to see this green bird with the long tail feathers. We watch, and wait, and wait some more. Not having seen the bird, we follow the trail to another clearing with a gorgeous viewpoint called the humming bird gardens - where we witness many humming birds of different kinds zipping around. I curiously watch the humming birds zip around drinking nectar from both from feeding stations, and from various long necked flowers - I could have stayed to watch for hours. However, we carry along the trail viewing many trees with massive trunks only to end up back in the original clearing we had come to. This time we are very lucky indeed to view the Quetzal bird with its bright yellow, red, and green plumage, and green tail feathers stretching far down. Now I understand the big deal - it's a very beautiful and very unique bird. The shy but vibrant bird hides among the branches, playing hide and seek with us, and then flies away.

We head back into the town of Monte Verde, where my favorite Irish roommate and I head up to the Tree House Cafe, a great cafe built on and in a massive tree, and where we order the casado and a couple of drinks - namely - Sex on the Tree - a great cocktail filled with fresh tropical fruit juices and a spiced rum. The casado at this restaurant is good, but doesn't quite rival the one of The Rain Forest Cafe in Fortuna.

In the afternoon - I had booked a tour on a coffee and chocolate plantation, and so if the making of these exquisite substances is your cup of fancy - read on!!