Peru has a lot of typical things to see. You can visit the ruins of Machu Picchu, learn about the Inca old legends and see a big part of the Andes Mountain Range. Besides, you can get to know the Lhamas or the Alpacas, both peruvian animals that walk around the city with their owners, pretty similar to a horse. But, the real deal is: what to eat? This country has a big amount of native plates and some of them are easy to find while exploring around. You can not travel to those latin lands and don’t try it!
1. Chicha Morada
Mostly found as juice, this drink is made with a special corn named maiz morado. The corn is different because of its color: purple. That’s what gives the tonality of the drinks, but it also has health properties, increasing the production of collagen and acting like anti-inflammatory. As a juice, “Chicha Morada” is always served cold, since it needs to be refreshing. Every restaurant will have this option for pickup, but if you want to go even further, try to order a plate that has the drink transformed into sauce. *A special tip: the sauce works very well with salmon.
Image Source: Personal Archive – Carolina Rodrigues
2. Olluquito con Charqui
This plate is one of the most famous in all Peru. It’s made with Alpaca’s dried meat, and potatoes. This meat is known for been really soft, because the animal is typical from the Andes area. If you don’t want this exact combination, you can also try the “Lomo Saltado“, that has the same meat but with vegetables and rice. These two plates are found in most of the restaurants, but some tents and public markets may have a different way of cooking, creating new combinations. If you are really into experimenting different thing, it’s worth to check it out.
Image Source: Personal Archive – Carolina Rodrigues
3. Ceviche
Maybe you have already tried it and you don’t know the peruvian origins. Ceviche is a big combination of raw seafood, that can include fish, octopus, squid, shrimp and many others. But there, the combination is made with lemon sauce and onion. A lot of japanese and pizza restaurants sell ceviche mixed up with their food, so if you haven’t tried yet, you probably have seen it. *Just a warning: if you are not used to eating raw food you may be a little scared at first, because the texture is different. But just think about it, you are in a different country, take a risk and at least try, who knows, you might like it.
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4. Polla la Brasa
If you want to stay in the safe zone, this is one of the best plates for you. It’s basically roast chicken, and what goes along is normally potatoes or vegetables. The best thing about this food is that in can be served in restaurants or in markets, but is always the cheapest option. So there is no way to get it wrong.
Image Source: Personal Archive – Carolina Rodrigues
5. Té de Coca
Peru has a good amount of options for drinks, and certainly one of them will please you. Let’s begin with the soft one: “Coca tea“. This tea is really famous around the world because it’s made from the same plant that produces the cocaine drug. Since the tea is no drug, it has almost the opposite effect of the cocaine, it’s made with leafs of the plant dissolved in hot water, and it acts to make you breath better. Peru is a country full of mountains, therefore, it can get hard to breath in such high height. So the tea is used to keep people warm and breathing well.
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6. Pisco Sour
Let’s not forget the alcoholic drink. “Pisco Sour” is one of the most consumed drinks in Peru. It’s made with pisco, lemon juice, egg white, sugar syrup and ice. At the end, it tastes really different, because it’s a mix of sweet and sour. This can be found in every part of of the country, and it’s not that expensive, so don’t forget to taste it.Image Source: Pinterest
7. Inca Kola
And now the last but not least: soda. This drink really tastes like a lemon juice but with gas. It’s really sweet and can be found everywhere, like supermarkets, tents and restaurants. But you need to know how to combine the taste with your meal. Since it’s something light you can drink while eating something heavy, like an hamburger or meat.
Image Source: Personal Archive – Carolina Rodrigues