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Lima foodie guide: Ten best dishes to try

It’s recommended to get out of the tourist areas to try the best food in Lima. You can’t miss any of the dishes on this list.

Mixing through the last centuries, influenced by Chinese, Japanese, and Mediterranean cuisine mainly, but also Spanish, Italian, French, and African, the gastronomy of Lima, Peru is mostly the result of this fusion.

Almost any restaurant or hotel in Lima, Peru offers the most typical dishes. However, many of them can be found as street food, making the gastronomy a unique experience, almost like a local. It’s recommended to get out of the tourist areas to try the best food in Lima. You can't miss any of the dishes on this list.

1. Huancaina
This dish consists mainly of baked potatoes with a local cheese sauce. It was first created in the Andes, near the town of Huancayo. It can be served with a hard-boiled egg and aji sauce. This spicy sauce is very common in different dishes consisting mainly of peppers, garlic, onion, and sometimes egg and cheese.

It’s said that huancaina was created by a lady in the Andes who brought food to the railroad workers. Whether this story is true, it’s certainly a dish that gives energy and covers from the mountain cold.

2. Chaufa Rice
The fusion of Peruvian and Chinese food is known as chifa. Chaufa rice is one of the emblematic dishes of this fusion. It consists of fried rice and scallions, soy, ginger, and pork or chicken. 

3. Cuy
The guinea pig, or cuy in Spanish, is a rodent that is considered a delicacy in Peru. More than a dish, it’s an ingredient that can be found in most Peruvian restaurants in different presentations. The most common is served roasted with herbs and accompanied by baked potatoes. Other restaurants serve it deep fried, stuffed, or even cooked as Peking duck. The taste can be related to both chicken and rabbit. 

4. Ceviche
Ceviche is a dish known all over the world. Prepared with local fish, cilantro, citrus, and sometimes seafood, this dish was created in Peru. Many restaurants in Lima make ceviche with fish of the day, thanks to its privileged location on the coast. In some places, they prepare other mixtures or experiment with different sauces and fish. It’s very common to add onion, aji, and even some shrimp or fish broth.

5. Stuffed potatoes
Peruvian cuisine is also distinguished by having mainly hot dishes. Although Peru’s climate is not generally cold, there are many mountainous places where low temperatures and pressure are experienced, especially due to the altitude. Therefore, many dishes are accompanied with soup or broth and the potato is a very important ingredient since when heated it keeps a lot of heat and gives energy. 

The stuffed potato is a dish that can be found in almost any restaurant. It’s similar to a baked potato, but it’s stuffed with meat (mainly beef, but it can be any meat), olives, herbs, and other spices. It can also be served with aji to give it a spicy touch.

6. Lomo Saltado
One of the easiest Peruvian dishes to replicate at home is lomo saltado. Typical of the chifa cuisine as well as the chaufa rice, it consists mainly of some shredded meat—typically sirloin, but it could be any meat—cooked with aji, tomato, and other vegetables. It’s typically served with rice and potato wedges. It’s typically cooked with a wok and marinated in soy sauce. Some restaurants offer chicken or portobello options instead of the sirloin.

7. Anticucho
Skewers exist all over the world, and Peru is no exception. Meat and vegetables inserted in a stick is nothing special, however, this food that can also be found as street food, has a special touch. Marinated with spices, aji, and other ingredients, the main ingredient of the anticucho is cow’s heart. This dish has pre-Hispanic origins, where it was made with llama heart. Although it may sound like an unusual ingredient, the tenderness of the meat is unparalleled, and it’s a must when trying typical Lima food.

8. Caldo de gallina
Of all the typical Peruvian soups—and there are said to be hundreds of them—the caldo de gallina is an excellent choice when in Lima. Chicken broth served with shredded chicken and sometimes with different vegetables like carrots, yucca, and lettuce.

9. Causa
The causa looks like a gourmet dish due to its presentation, but it can be found all over Lima. A mixture of potato and aji is mashed and arranged in layers with a circular mold. The result is a tower of different ingredients in a cylinder shape. The ingredients can vary, but the special mixture of potato and aji is the star of this dish.  

10. Picarones
For those who still have room for dessert, the picarones are the best choice. They are usually offered on the street and have been compared to small healthy donuts. The dough is made from macre (a type of squash), boiled sweet potatoes, flour, and yeast. They are deep fried and topped with sugar and syrup. A real treat from the streets of Lima.

News Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Posts

Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.

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