The food in Peru deserves some serious recognition. Despite the fact that Peru was our first stop and we had no idea how glorious our dinners were at the time (or before we got to Bolivia…) Peruvian cuisine tops the charts in South America and is finally starting to receive the world-renowned attention it deserves. With a deeply rooted indigenous Inca culture, immigrant influence, fertile soil, and potatoes for days, Peruvians have managed to create delectable dishes with lots of flavor, unlike a few of their Latin American neighbors.

However, how does a traveler know what to order when staring at a Spanish menu and playing eney-meeny-miny-moe? Here are the top 25 food and drink in Peru as well as a little about eating-in and typical costs.

• Lomo Saltado – Stir-fry with marinated strips of steak or chicken (carne or pollo), onions, tomatoes, and french fries (papas fritas) served with rice. Due to Chinese influence, this dish has an Asian flare and savory soy-sauce flavor. Absolutely delicious and Mikey’s favorite.
• Aji de Gallina – Chunks of tender chicken, onions, and potatoes smothered in creamy (almost curry-like) yellow chili sauce. Topped with a hard-boiled egg and olive. Not very spicy compared to California standards. My favorite go-to meal.

• Bistec Montado (Bistec a lo Pobre) – Grilled steak with a fried egg and french fries. Sometimes accompanied by fried plantains. Whenever you see “a lo pobre” it means “poor style” or with a fried egg because an egg is a cheap source of protein.
• Alpaca – A steak from alpaca meat that tastes like a lean cut of beef. Alpacas, related to llamas and raised for their wool, are domesticated animals native to the Andes. It sounds more adventurous than it tastes; try it!
• Rocoto Relleno – Stuffed rocoto chilis (a type of large, spicy chili in Peru that looks like a bell pepper) filled with spiced beef or pork, onions, olives, egg white and then cooked in the oven with potatoes covered in milk and cheese.
• Papa Rellena – Potatoes stuffed with ground meat, eggs, and olives and then deep-fried.
• Trucha – Fried trout, best when super fresh, and unsurprisingly served with rice or french fries. Or in this case beans and rice.

• Pollo a la Braza – Roasted chicken marinated with Peruvian herbs served with french fries, side salad, and creams such as Peruvian mayonnaise, ketchup, olive sauce, and aji sauce. Moist chicken is always a solid meal and the half-chicken meal was perfect for two.
• Pollo a la Plancha – Grilled chicken with a tomato and cucumber side salad, rice, and french fries.
• Arroz Chaufa (Chifa) – Fried rice made with Chinese onions, eggs, and either chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp. Quickly cooked on high flame in a wok with soy sauce, this dish exemplifies the blend of Peruvian and Chinese cuisine.
• Antichuchos – Grilled skewers, or kebabs, made from beef heart (now chicken is an option as well) topped with a potato or a chunk of corn, served on the street.

• Ceviche – Marinated raw fish or seafood with raw onions, lime, and chilis. Typically served with sweet potatoes and white corn. Ceviche has become the star of Peruvian cuisine.
• Sopa de Quinoa – Super healthy quinoa soup with vegetables is a staple in the Peruvian diet. Quinoa, all the rage in the US right now, was originally cultivated in the Andean region among the Inca people. An extremely tedious grain to harvest, most of the world’s quinoa currently comes from Peru.
• Caldo de Pollo – Chicken and vegetable soup. Simple as that.
• Cremas – Soups with a cream base. Cream of carrot. Cream of corn. Cream of onion. Cream of potato. The list goes on and on and we couldn’t get enough of these soups. So good!
• Pizza – Peruvians are surprisingly really good at pizza! Maybe the Argentineans should take notes…

• Tamales – Boiled corn mash stuffed with meat or cheese wrapped in a corn husk. Served by street vendors as a common breakfast food.
• Adobo – Tender pork marinated in spices and vegetables and served with bread for dipping in the sauce. Typically only served on Sundays! Specifically in the city of Arequipa.

• Cuy – Guinea pig. Bony meat usually baked or barbecued on a spit and served whole with the head on. This Peruvian delicacy, eaten on special occasions or when tourists come around, used to be a ceremonial meal for indigenous people in the Andean highlands.
• Pisco Sours – A delicious Peruvian cocktail and also their national drink! Includes Peruvian pisco, lemon juice, syrup, egg white, and bitters. A must-try!

• Chica Morada – A dark purple, sometimes-alcoholic beverage derived from purple corn and seasoned with spices and pineapple. Sort of a black licorice taste.
• Inca Kola – Bright yellow, bubble gum flavored soda (gaseosa). We thought it was awful but didn’t want to advertise this much as Peruvians are extremely proud of this sugary drink.
• Cervezas – Beer! The three main brands in Peru are Cusqueña, Cristal and Arequipeña. All are decent cheap local beers.
• Queso Helado – Hand-spun vanilla ice cream with cinnamon common in the Arequipa region.
• Coca Leaves – Typically used to help with altitude sickness (this was clutch on the Inca Trail). Chewing coca leaves (or drinking coca tea) is very common in Peru. Another must-try!

When we had access to a hostel kitchen, we bought groceries and made meals at “home”. All ingredients were purchased at the local market and meals may cost as low as TWO US dollars each! Interestingly, these homemade meals are sometimes the same price as eating out in Peru. Eating out is cheap! We frequented our favorite restaurant in Cuzco, Sumaq II, and had four-course meals with drinks for about $5 US dollars each. Just ask for the set menu of the day (menú del día!).

And don’t forget the doggies and kitties! They have to eat too! Here’s the full selection of dog and cat food for sale at the central market in Arequipa. Furry friends can even try it out before purchasing.