Lima Cuisine
Typical Food of Lima
Lima is called the Gastronomic Capital of the Americas.
With a mixture of cultures, our identity is enriched by a great diversity of flavors. Peruvian cuisine is the result of experience, fusion and our genuine hospitality, of the satisfaction of witnessing how visitors enjoy good cooking. Lima boasts a grand international table that in many cases is a fusion of different tastes, like the Nikkei, which combines Japanese cooking with Peruvian.Such emblematic dishes as lomo saltado (type of stir fried sirloin strips, a blending of Chinese and Peruvian cooking) are an expression of this marriage, too.The marine riches of our seashore, the harmony of the Andes and the mystery of the jungle become textures, colors and delicious aromas that turn Peru into a feast of flavors.
If you happen to like fish and seafood, while you're in Peru, you're in for a treat. The coast of Peru has some of the best species of fish anywhere.
Try "escabeche", a fish appetizer with onions and peppers. Scallops "conchitas", and mussels "choros" which are prepared in an infinite variety of ways all of which are delicious. The "cebiche" is the Peruvian sea food specialty, fish pieces cooked in lemon juice, served with sweet potato and corn.
Any dish served "a lo macho" come with a shellfish sauce.
"Corvina", sea bass, is always an excellent choice, as is shrimp, "camarones". Good trout can be found in Lima and in the mountain areas, cooked in many different ways.
For a typical chicken entree, order "Aji de Gallina", served in a lightly piquant cream sauce. "Lomo Saltado" is another popular main dish consisting of morsels of beef sautéed with onions and peppers, served with fried potatoes and rice, a real delight.
Next, a brief description of the delicious and variety food served in Lima.
Entrees:
Cebiche: One of the most typical culinary specialties in Peru, with a remote and lost in time story. Elaborated with small fish pieces marinated and cooked in lemon juice, it is served with hot pepper, onion, lettuce leaves, seaweed, corn and boiled potato or yam; cold culinary specialty. It is called "Cebiche mixto" when shellfish is added. It can also take the name of the fish or shellfish, cebiche of corvina, cebiche of sole, cebiche of octopus, etc. If you want to enjoy this delight and you are not used to the hot pepper it is recommended to ask for a cebiche without hot pepper.
Causa: Dish made with boiled and mashed yellow potato, served with lettuce leaves, pieces of country cheese, olives, corn and hard-boiled egg. Served cold.
Anticuchos: Another of the most typical culinary specialties in the Peruvian cuisine. Barbecued beef hearts marinated in a spicy chili pepper sauce, threaded in cane skewers. Grilled and served hot. Served with corn, yam or potato boiled with hot pepper sauce. In the popular neighborhoods its frequent to see to "anticucheras" in walking carts that prepare and sell the anticuchos outdoors also serving the Peruvian dessert " picarones ".
Main dishes:
Carapulcra of Lima: Variety of the one prepared in the town of Chincha. Culinary specialty prepared with dried potato, pork and chicken meat, hot pepper, garlic, clove, olives, toasted peanuts, cumin, basil, onion and sweet wine. It is served with grained rice.
Lomo Saltado: Juicy pieces of beef, sautéed with purple onions and fried with tomatoes and yellow chili peppers. Add cilantro, a shot of vinegar, and soy sauce. Pure Peruvian French fried yellow potatoes accompany it along with white rice. The perfect combination.
Cau Cau: Creole dish prepared with tripes, potato, onion, hot pepper, garlic, mint, parsley and lemon juice. Served with grained rice.
Soft Drinks:
Chicha Morada: Refreshment elaborated with water in which a variety of purple corn is boiled. Sugar, lemon juice, pineapple and small pieces of chopped fruit are added.
Pisco Sour
And of course, no trip to Peru is complete without a "Pisco Sour", a true Peruvian specialty that you must treat with respect unless you want to end up with a huge hangover.
Desserts:
Mazamorra Morada: (purple corn pudding) The most traditional dessert in Lima. Is a kind of pudding prepared with water in which the purple corn is boiled with sugar, clove, cinnamon, quince, pineapple, "guindas" (kind of cherries), "orejones" (dried peaches), potato starch, yam flour and lemon juice. Its fame and tradition in Peru, made that "mazamorrero" is a synonym of the gentile "Limeño".
Suspiro de Limeña: Delicious dessert elaborated with "blancmange" (prepared with sweetened milk) covered with syrup, meringue.
Picarones: Kind of donut prepared with yam or squash flours, with cinnamon, anisette and salt. Are formed rings with the unique art of the " picaroneras " (people who prepare this dessert) fried in hot oil and served with syrup prepared with chancaca (made of sugar cane). The same as the anticuchos, it is frequent to see walking carts of " picaroneras " in the popular neighborhoods and places of great public concentration. Picarones are associated as the dessert for the anticuchos.
Restaurants in Lima
Lima has all type of restaurants, from the very luxurious and expensive ones, to the traditional and popular neighborhood restaurants. There are restaurants for each type of food, Peruvian or international. Also found fast food and home delivery restaurants. In Peruvian food, you will also find restaurants that specialize in typical dishes of a region, and others with a wide variety.
Some restaurants offer artistic or folkloric shows, specially during the evenings. If you want to attend to fine restaurants it is advisable to make a reservation before attending.
Chifa is a term used in Peru to refer to a style of Chinese cooking in which ingredients which are available in Peru have been substituted for those originally used in China. Chinese immigrants came to Peru mainly from the southern province of Guangdong and particularly its capital city Guangzhou in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They settled for the most part in the city of Lima. Due to a lack of Chinese ingredients in Peru, the Chinese were forced to adapt their cuisine to those items available in Peru. The term Chifa is also used to define a restaurant where this type of food is served. Chifa has become one of the most popular types of food in Peru.
Creole and Peruvian Cuisine Restaurants
Restaurant |
Address |
Average Price |
El Rincón que no Conoces |
Bernardo Alcedo N° 363, Lince |
S/. 60 |
Bolognesi N° 472, Miraflores (Mon-Sat 12:00 - 00:00) (Sun 12:00 - 16:00) |
S/. 90 |
|
José Antonio |
Jr. Bernardo Monteagudo N° 200, San Isidro |
S/. 75 |
Peruvian Fusion Cuisine Restaurants
Restaurant |
Address |
Average Price |
Francisco de Paula Camino N° 280, Miraflores (Mon-Sat 19:00 - 00:30) |
S/. 80 |
|
Astrid & Gastón |
Cantuarias N° 175, Miraflores |
S/. 170 |
Malabar |
Camino Real N° 101, San Isidro |
S/. 110 |
Seafood & Cebiches Cuisine Restaurants
Restaurant |
Address |
Average Price |
Punta Sal |
Malecón Cisneros cuadra 3, Miraflores (Daily 11:00 - 17:30) |
S/. 60 |
Señor Limón |
Av. Conquistadores N° 299, San Isidro |
S/. 50 |
Pescados Capitales |
La Mar N° 1337, Miraflores |
S/. 90 |
Chinese Food Restaurants - Chifas
Restaurant |
Address |
Average Price |
Royal |
Av. Prescott N° 231, San Isidro |
S/. 80 |
Wa Lok |
Av. Angamos Oeste N° 700, Miraflores |
S/. 20 |
Mandarín |
Av. Javier Prado Este N° 1860, San Borja |
S/. 52 |
LIMA PHOTO GALLERY
- Caral
- Cementerio Presbitero Maestro
- Chorrillos
- Huaca Pucllana
- Huancaya Valley
- Magic Circuit of the Water
- Miraflores
BIRDS OF LIMA - PHOTO GALLERY
- Birds in Andean Valley - (Cañete, Canta and Santa Eulalia Valleys)
- Birds in coastal marshes in Peru # 1 (Swamps of Villa)
- Birds in coastal marshes in Peru # 2 (Swamps of Villa)
- Birds in coastal marshes in Peru # 3 (Medio Mundo and Paraiso)
LIMA TRAVEL GUIDE - SEE ALSO...
- Lima Travel Guide
- Historical Center of Lima
- Museums in Lima
- Religious Monuments in Lima
- Colonial Mansions in Lima
- Around Lima
- San Isidro and Miraflores
- Barranco