Lima offers a trip through the different cuisines of Peru – 11/01/2023 – Tourism

A five-hour flight from São Paulo, the Peruvian capital Lima has gained fame for its starred restaurants, such as Central, the best in the world according to 50 Best Restaurants.

But the city also offers a wide range of cuisines in more accessible addresses, which reflect both the country’s different territories (such as coastal and forest regions) and the encounter between different cultures (such as criolla food, which was influenced by the Spanish , native and African peoples). Find out below what these cuisines are and find out where to try them.

Creole cuisine

From the meeting between Spaniards, native peoples and Africans, criollo food emerged, marked by hearty dishes such as ají de gallina, made with chicken in a sauce with pepper paste. But the mixing didn’t stop there. Lomo saltado (filet mignon with peppers and ají, the name given to peppers) borrowed the flambar technique from the Chinese. This type of food is sampled in taverns, restaurants with a festive atmosphere where you can eat and drink in a more informal way.

At Isolina, chef José Del Castillo rescues traditional Lima recipes from the beginning of the 19th century that ended up being left aside with the modernization of the city. It’s worth seeing if the ronda criolla is being served. There are small portions of up to seven stews of the customer’s choice (200 soles, or R$263, for four people). The lomo saltado for two people costs 74 nuevos soles (or R$97). The portions are large.
Isolina: Av. San Martín 101, Barranco. Av. El Polo 605, Surco. @isolinataberna. isolina.pe

Contemporary kitchen

The Mérito restaurant is one of the examples of contemporary cuisine in Lima served at more friendly prices. The house, ranked 11th in the 50 Best Latin American ranking, works with tropical and Andean inputs without being tied to borders. It is run by Venezuelan chef Juan Luis Martínez, who worked at Central, and serves dishes in a relaxed atmosphere. The menu is lean and features fish and seafood in dishes cooked in a charcoal oven. Order the tostadas acevichadas (39 soles or R$51), made with fresh fish, black garlic and Andean cereals, and the panceta glaseada y arepas (91 soles or R$120), with sauce made with yacon, a tuber, and sachatomate , a wild tomato. Served with guasacaca, a cilantro-based vinaigrette, parsley and avocado. There is also a tasting menu option (350 soles or R$461)
Av. 28 de Julio 206, Barranco, Lima. @meritorest. meritorestaurante.com

Coastal cuisine

Not just Lima, which is on the seafront, but other cities in Peru have a long tradition of preparing fish and seafood from the Pacific Ocean. A good place to try them is La Picantería, opened ten years ago in Surquillo, a decadent neighborhood that is becoming a gastronomic hub. The chef, Héctor Solís, has a network of fishermen who supply the house daily with products from all over the coast. Therefore, the types of fish and prices vary. Customers pay for the whole, fresh product, and the kitchen takes care of the preparation (at no additional cost), using all parts of the animal in various dishes. From the fish head and bones, for example, a stew can come out. Ceviche is prepared with fillet and empanadas, with steaks. A fish weighing around 1.3 kg makes four dishes and serves up to three people. The most popular preparations are jaladito (pieces of fish cured in salt with ají amarillo sauce), ceviche, sudado (a type of stew) and grilled fillet. It is possible to increase preparations with seafood such as lobster and sea urchins.
La Picantería: Calle Francisco Moreno, 388, Surquillo. @lapicanteriasurquillo spicyriasdelperu.com

Mountain kitchen

From the Andes mountain range, foods such as quinoa, hundreds of varieties of tubers, herbs such as huacatay and meat from lamb and cuy, the guinea pig, come. Among the recipes, there is a strong presence of soups, which help to warm up those who live in the region. Another traditional preparation is pachamanca (a name that comes from Quechua and means earthen pot), made with an ancestral technique in which various types of meat, potatoes and broad beans are roasted in an oven built on the ground with heated stones. A rarity in Lima, it can be found at the Huancahuasi restaurant (83.50 soles or R$110) on weekends and holidays. During the week it is also possible to order the dish, but it is made on a conventional stove. Also try the patasca (32.90 soles or R$43), a soup with tripe, meat and corn, and the tamal serrano (24 soles or R$32), a dish reminiscent of Brazilian pamonha, but seasoned with ají (pepper ) and peanuts and stuffed with pork or chicken.
Av. Javier Prado Este 1,405, Urb. Santa Catalina, La Victoria. @huancahuasiperu. Other addresses at huancahuasi.com

Jungle cuisine

Bananas and cecina (dried and smoked pork) are key ingredients in Peruvian Amazonian food. The first element is present at the El Aguajal restaurant in the form, for example, of patacones (15 soles or R$20), a type of disc made with fried and mashed bananas. Additionally, it is an ingredient in tacacho con cecina (36 soles or R$47), green banana balls with lard and pieces of cecina. Another order is juane (38 soles or R$50), rice wrapped in leaves and cooked with herbs, ground chicken and pieces. Fruits appear in juices, such as camu camu (24 soles or R$31, a liter) and desserts, such as aguaje popsicle (a type of buriti).
El Aguajal: Av. San Borja Norte 886, San Borja. Other addresses at elaguajal.com