Peruvian Food and Drink
January 14th, 2009 by randellpooleyPeruvian Cuisine
Peru is world-renown for its cuisine. Meals are usually served late in the Authentic Fendi Handbags and rice accompanies lunch and dinner. Lunch is typically eaten around 2-4pm and dinner from 9pm onwards. Breakfast is usually bread with jam and white coffee. Lunch is the biggest meal and Peruvians don’t think that sandwiches or hamburgers are meals. Many restaurants have “menus” which consist of soup or salad, a main dish with rice, and a refreshment. Most vegetables are cooked and salads are consist usually of a few of the following: avocados, tomatoes, beets, grated carrots or lettuce and may use mayonnaise as a dressing. Chinese food, or Chifa is also very popular here.
However, if you’re looking to try real Peruvian food, you’ll have plenty to choose from. Most dishes are served with a plentiful amount of white rice. And if you’re at a restarante, they usually have menus which consist of a starter, main dish, drink, and dessert.
Famous Dishes
Ceviche is a famous raw seafood dish, topped off with lemons and onions, you’ll often get roasted corn pieces on the side. Lomo saltado is great for meat lovers. It has strips of beef with garlic, peppers, oinions, and tomatos. Aji de gallina is a creamy chicken with pepper mixture.
Pachamanca is a highland cuisine which is made by putting meants and vegetables in tinfoil and then burying it and the grow and making a fire over it. All the juices from the meat and vegetables stay inside and make for a mouth watering meal. Recoto rellano is also a highland dish, famous in Arequipa. It’s like stuffed peppers, but spicier.
Pisco is Peruvian
For many years Peruvians and Chileans have argued over the creation of Pisco, but as any Peruvian knows, Pisco is Peruvian. So what better place to try a Pisco Sour than Peru? Made with pisco, eggs, and lima it has a real kick to it. Algarrobina is a drink made in the north. Algarrobina is made from pods of trees and is similar to molasses. Take that and mix it with whisky or pisco, milk, egg whites, sugar, and vanilla, and you’re in for a sweet treat.
For those of you who don’t like mixed drinks, there are plenty of Peruvian beers, such as Cristal and Pilsen. And if you’re into fruit drinks, there’s no shortage here, from the exotic to everyday ones. Strawberries with milk, chirimoya, guayaba, and mixed fruit drinks are available at most resturantes. Inca Cola is the yellow soft drink that beats Coca Cola and Pepsi in Peru. It’s similar to cream soda.
Desserts
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’re in luck. Suspiro Limena is made with caramel and milk. Although it’s served in a small dish, you might not even be able to finish it because it’s so rich. Picarones are made with sweet potatoes and spun into a ring and then served with syrup. Tejas are chocolate filled candies. Alfajores are small cookies with carmel in the middle and powered sugar on the outside. Turrones are popular Christmas time sweets and are made with honey and almonds.
Famous foods
Peruvians are very proud of their cuisine and even have certain foods that they claim are the best in the world. Lemons, which are small and green, are cure-alls from everything from a cold, making nails strong, and helping you lose weight. Potatoes come in many varieties and grocery stores usually carry at least ten different kinds.
Vegetarians
Meat is usually served with lunch and dinner and milk is often drunk in the morning. However, vegetarians will be happy as there is a large variety of beans, fresh fruits and vegetables which are widely available. When dining out, simply ask them not to add the ingredients you can’t eat.
If you live with a family or friends, tell them specifically what you can and cannot eat. For some Peruvians, being vegetarian simply means no pork or beef, they don’t consider chicken or fish something that you can’t eat. They don’t understand that there are different types of vegetarians, and some of them won’t drink milk or eat honey. If you explain things clearly, you should be fine.
International Food
If you’re looking for a taste of home, in big cities you will find tons of Starbucks, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and Papa Johns, however, the prices are pretty much the same here as at home.
Sharon de Hinojosa (naturegirl321) has lived and worked (mainly teaching English) in the US, Scotland, Spain, the Czech Republic, China, Korea, and Peru. And taught short-term in Venezuela and Taiwan. Her work has been featured in Transitions Abroad, Viva Travel Guides, TEFL News, and ELT World.
She has created The LA Job List http://www.thelajoblist.blogspot.com which lists schools, institutes and universities in 19 Latin American countries which offer English teaching positions.
Since living in Peru since August 2006, she wrote The Ultimate Peru List http://www.theultimateperulist.blogspot.com . With 50 pages and updated monthly it’s a comprehensive guide for those living in or moving to Peru.