In 2021, Peru participated in the World Travel Awards (WTA), achieving the designation of best
cultural and culinary destination in the world.
Similarly, on November 23, 2021, the Peruvian restaurant Central, owned by renowned chefs
Virgilio Martínez and Pía León, was recognized for its gastronomic exploration of Peru's
biodiversity and took first place as the best restaurant in Latin America.
There is no doubt that Peru is in the eyes of the world, we have the great fortune of having 3
different well marked regions such as La Costa, La Sierra and La Selva and each region is very
particular for their microclimates that exist within them, with the consequent production
agricultural variety of products that makes Peruvian gastronomy very diverse.
Next, we leave a list of dishes that you cannot miss when you visit Peru:
It is not very clear where the name of this Peruvian flag dish comes from, perhaps the closest
thing to the name is "SIBECH" which in the Arabic language means "acidic or citric food".
Some investigations direct that this dish was consumed 2000 years ago in Peru, being the Tallan
civilization that developed in what we now know as the Piura area, the first people to consume
it, in the same way these investigations refer to the Mochicas as diners of this delicacy, being
the dish prepared with fresh fish and marinated with the fermented juice of tumbo (a citrus
fruit from northern Peru, family of the passion fruit).
During the Inca times this dish was
also
consumed, but with the difference that in the Peruvian highlands it was marinated with chicha,
the sacred drink of the Incas that comes from the fermentation of corn.
With the conquest of the Spanish, the consumption of this dish in Inca lands begins to be left
in written evidence thanks to its chronicles, where it is mentioned that this delicacy contains
salt and chili in its preparation.
With the presence of the Spaniards, the dish was
improved,
for this reason they are the ones who add the onion and sour oranges for its preparation, which
was similar to the already mentioned Mediterranean food Sibech.
In the middle of the 20th century in the city of Lima, Peruvians added more ingredients to make
this delicacy our representative dish, adding sweet potato, corn, lettuce, parsley and yuyo or
seaweed, in the same way the sour orange was changed by the Peruvian lemon so that the cooking
of the fish is faster.
Picture: Ceviche, peruvian typical dish
The history of this well-known dish takes us to Spain, where during the 14th century it was very
common in society to consume manjar blanco, a sandwich containing boiled chicken breast,
seasoned with sugar, walnuts and almonds, thickened with flour and rice, which is currently
consumed in Spanish gastronomy, over time this dessert underwent some changes to become a much
colder dessert, leaving aside the chicken and adding nuts and sugar, remaining slightly sweet
for the palate of diners.
In colonial times this dish entered Peruvian lands and was well
received by diners, the strange thing was that it was no longer a dessert that was served after
the main course, but instead became the main dish due to its unique flavor, without a doubt. It
was the most requested dish by Peruvians and Spaniards.
As time passed, the Peruvians began
to improve this delicacy even more, the yellow pepper was incorporated into the preparation,
which gives it a yellowish color and an indisputable flavor, in this way the dessert ceased to
be sweet and became a plate of highly sought-after fund in the country.
According to Rodolfo Tafur, gastronomic researcher, in 1839, this dish became so popular that
there was no Peruvian restaurant that did not offer it, additionally, in those times the dish
was prepared with pieces of boiled chicken meat, onion previously fried in the pan, crushed
garlic, small pieces of bread, and obviously the yellow pepper to give it color, all accompanied
by white rice.
Picture: Aji de gallina, Perú
There is no doubt that Peru is the land of the potato, according to statistical data in this
country more than 3500 varieties of potato are grown, being the main food in Peruvian cuisine,
this tuber was planted for the first time in the southern part of the Peru Approximately 5000
BC, today there are still high Andean communities that preserve the ancient techniques of
planting and harvesting said tuber, a clear example of such is the potato park in the department
of Cusco, province of Urubamba, district of Pisaq , The Potato Park is a Biocultural Territory
dedicated to the conservation of biological and cultural diversity in the Andes mountains. It is
managed by the five indigenous communities of Amaru, Chawaytire, Pampallacta, Paru Paru and
Sacaca, with the support of the Association for Nature and Sustainable Development, ANDES.
The name of the stuffed cause comes from the quecha word "Kausay" which in Spanish means "life"
in Inca times basically it was boiled potatoes with slices of chili and was usually eaten when
working in the cultivation places. Already in colonial times, the Spanish added more ingredients
such as olives, avocado, eggs, fish, etc.
Another theory comes from the Pacific War, where Chile was fighting against Peru and Bolivia, it
is said that when the Peruvian army invaded Chile, there was no longer enough food for the
soldiers, it is for this reason that the women who accompanied them gathered what little they
they had leftovers that were basically potato, lemon, chili, salt and pepper, they mixed
everything and this dish came out, at the time of feeding the soldiers they constantly repeated
this phrase “for the cause”.
Picture: Causa limeña
This dish, unlike others, has no origin in the Inca era, so it is not native to Peru. The origin
of this dish comes from the colonial era exactly in 1538, when the first beef arrived in Peru,
it is then that the Spanish brought fried meat as an appetizer, it was one of the most expensive
dishes at that time since the meat came from Spain to Peru, as time passed the price of meat was
falling and it was already more accessible to the population, then in 1849 with the arrival of
the Chinese in Peru this dish was improving, the Asians began to fuse its condiments and
culinary arts with the ingredients that were available at the time and as a result you have the
famous lomo saltado, which is if it is the fusion of 3 cultures in a single dish, since you have
beef, onion and tomato brought from Spain, the way of sauteing vegetables with soy sauce that is
the hallmark of Chinese cuisine, in the same way we have rice brought by the Chinese and as a
final complement the potatoes that are native to Peru.
Nowadays there are many options to enjoy this dish, in some restaurants chicken meat is used
instead of beef, in the highlands of Peru it can be found with alpaca or lamb meat, and in the
same way for some people who they are vegetarian you can find them with soy meat, but yes, the
type of meat could vary but the way of preparing it will always be the same, you cannot lose the
essence of the food.
Picture: Lomo saltado
In the world there are only 3 places where you can eat this delicious dish, these countries are
Bolivia, Ecuador and obviously in Peru, according to history this dish was consumed since
pre-Inca times, which means that people consumed it between 250 300 years before Christ, at the
time of the Incas this dish was a delicacy that was consumed by people of nobility and normally
on important dates, in the same way it is known from history that the Incas sacrificed these
rodents to be able to make offerings to their gods, an example of this is in Machu Picchu, where
in the temple of the condor in the excavations that were made, bones of guinea pigs, alpacas and
llamas were found. There is no doubt that this was an important animal within the Andean
religion.
It is very uncertain how these rodents arrived in Europe, Asia or North America, and why they
are not consumed as meat in these continents, since they are usually pets for families. The
story goes that when Christopher Columbus discovered America, on his return trip to Europe he
brought different types of gifts from American lands, such as examples of earth, stones, plants,
etc. In the same way, he brought the guinea pigs that were given as gifts for the families that
financially supported their expedition, and it is there that at that time only some wealthy
families in Europe had such an exotic animal that it was impossible to find, hence part of the
reason why they began to be raised as pets since if they were they ate it, so they couldn't show
off such a rare animal for the time and place. Other legends say that this animal was brought to
Europe by the Spanish after the conquest of the Incas in 1535, to be given as gifts to the King
of Spain and all the nobility.
It is known that guinea pig meat has a high nutritional value, as it is a source of animal
protein and, at the same time, a food low in fat and cholesterol. As seen in the table, its
protein value is 20.3%, surpassing chicken and beef, which only have 18.3% and 17.5%
respectively, and also pork, which only reaches 14.5% protein. . Similarly, while guinea pig has
only 7.8% fat, beef reaches 21.8% and pork 37.3%, which confirms its advantages over other
meats.
There are different ways to consume it, it can be fried, baked, in soup, grilled
etc.
Picture: Cuy al horno
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