Gastronomy of Peru

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Fish ceviche

Chicken aji

Lomo jumped

Pisco sour

Picarones

The Peruvian gastronomy is the set of dishes and culinary techniques of Peru that are part of the traditions and common life of its inhabitants, the result of the fusion of the culinary tradition of ancient Peru with gastronomy European and others. In 2011, Peruvian gastronomy was recognized as "Cultural Heritage of the Americas for the World" by the Organization of American States.

Peruvian cuisine is one of the most important cuisines in the world and an example of fusion cuisine, due to its long multicultural history, which is based on the mixture of the culinary knowledge of ancient Peru —with its own techniques and stews—with Hispanic cuisine in its variant very strongly influenced by 762 years of Arab presence in the Iberian Peninsula, and with an important contribution of culinary customs brought from the Atlantic coast of sub-Saharan Africa by slaves.

Later, this miscegenation was influenced by the culinary uses and customs of French chefs who fled the revolution in their country to settle, in large numbers, in the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Equally transcendental was the influence of the migrations of the 19th century, which included Chinese-Cantonese, Japanese and Italians, among other populations. mainly European.

Peruvian cuisine is one of the most varied in the world; the book 357 lists to understand how we Peruvians are counts up to 491 typical dishes, being the gastronomy with the most typical dishes in the world. Along the Peruvian coast there are more than two thousand registered five hundred different types of soups, likewise there are more than 250 traditional desserts. The great variety of Peruvian gastronomy is based on three sources: the particularity of the geography of Peru, the mixture of cultures and the adaptation of ancient cultures to the kitchen modern.

Peru is the country with the greatest variety of potatoes worldwide, with more than three thousand types of potatoes, which, in fact, has its origins in the southern highlands of Peru, a tuber that plays a role very important in global gastronomy and in world cuisine.

Lima, the capital of Peru, is recognized as the gastronomic capital of America. One of the reasons why it is called that way is because it has the most important food festival in Latin America, the Feria Gastronómica Internacional de Lima, known as Mistura. Likewise, in The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, Peruvian restaurants dominate the ranking of the best in Latin America, having obtained first place five times (2014, 2015, 2016, 2021 and 2022) through the Central restaurant, which also ranked fourth in the world ranking in 2021 and second in 2022. Additionally, it has highly recognized chefs worldwide, including Virgilio Martínez and Pía León stand out, who have been awarded as the best in the world in 2017 and 2021, respectively, as well as Gastón Acurio, who has been one of those who has contributed the most to the revaluation and internationalization of Peruvian cuisine.

History

The presence of the different altitudinal floors of the Andes mountain range in Peru and its proximity to the geographic equator allow the existence of a series of microclimates and species, from areas with regular snowfall to tropical jungles; With 84 of the 104 climatic zones on the globe, it is one of the 12 countries in the world with the greatest megadiversity. It has adequate conditions for growing fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Likewise, the Humboldt current of cold oceanic waters that run through the Pacific Ocean off the Peruvian coast allows the existence of a great variety of fish and shellfish (Peru is one of the main fishing countries in the world).

Pre-Columbian times

Huaco of the Mochica culture that represents potato tubers. Larco Museum, Lima, Peru.

The central Peruvian Andes were the largest center of plant domestication in the ancient world, with native species such as maize, tubers with more than seven thousand varieties of potatoes, according to the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA), and many others of sweet potato, cassava or cassava, oca, maca; quinoa, kiwicha or amaranth grasses, cañihua; fruits such as custard apple, lucuma, pacae, tomato, pumpkin, avocado, tumbo, elderberry; legumes such as beans, lima beans, peanuts and a wide variety of aromatic herbs.

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Peruvian geography was home to a great variety of cultures, all conquered by the Inca Empire, each of which had particular gastronomic characteristics, although there were some generalities, according to the chroniclers of the Conquest. For example, the main condiments were aromatic herbs, cocha yuyo (a type of river algae), salt and, above all, chili pepper, called uchu in Quechua, and considered today a fundamental element of Peruvian cuisine.

The Inca Garcilaso de la Vega in his Royal Commentaries wrote about it:

Those of my land are so friends of the uchu, they will not eat without it even though it is but raw herbs. For the taste they receive with him in what they eat, they forbade eating it in their rigorous fasting, because it was more rigorous.

Carapulc plate with white garnish rice.

It was common to prepare food in a dehydrated form, to avoid its decomposition, highlighting the charqui, salty meat, and caui, which is the goose dried in the sun. The ancient Peruvians also consumed immense quantities of fish and shellfish (the archaeological record of this is overwhelming) and they supplemented their diet with duck meat, guinea pig and domestic South American camelids (mainly alpaca and llama).

In the societies of the north coast, in addition, the meat of certain lizards and deer was consumed. In those of the eastern jungle they fed on the multitude of species provided by the Amazonian flora and fauna. Since millenary times, the ancient Peruvians prepared chupes or soups, stews (carapulcra, for example, is considered the oldest type of Peruvian stew), they made stews with raw marine species marinated with chili, tumbo and herbs, from which it originates. the cebiche that in pre-Columbian times had another name, in Quechua.^{[citation required]}

Cuy colored

They had different ways of processing food, they salted fish, roasted the corn (obtaining the cancha, which is to this day the simplest and most popular Peruvian “piqueo”) or peeled their grains and dried them (obtaining nickname). They also prepared charqui -or stuffed, salty and frayed camelid meat- and different types of chuño -tubers dried and frozen outdoors-. They cooked in clay pots and, on occasion, organized large banquets of meat and vegetables from natural earth ovens (pachamancas and huatias).

They also drank different forms of corn beer (chicha) and cassava (masato). Pre-Columbian history identifies Peru as a gastronomic country. Thus, in the legend about "Llampayeq" (Lambayeque) compiled by Miguel Cabello Valboa in 1532, he mentions King Naylamp's cook named OcchoColo in the Sicán Kingdom of the IX. Later, in the legend of the Ayar brothers, it mentions that they left Tamputoco hill (Tampu, Tambu, place where food is kept) and their names were Ayar Cachi (quinoa with salt), Ayar Uchu (quinoa with chili), Ayar Auca (quinoa with beans), Ayar Manco (the one who takes care of the quinoa).

Viceregal period

Anticuchos.

Since the beginning of the Spanish presence, new culinary uses and customs were incorporated with the beginning of the viceroyalty. The frying, the use of dairy products (incorporated into some chupes or soups), in addition to beef, pork, chicken eggs and new poultry; In addition, some crops arrived that would be essential for the new cuisine, such as onion and garlic, which, combined with chili peppers, would be the main ingredients of many Peruvian dishes.

The lime brought by the Spanish and adapted over time to the Peruvian land, was transformed into the current Peruvian variety called lemon (subtle), green, small and acid in color and which becomes one of the basic components of the ceviche. The vine (from which pisco originates) and wines also arrive at the beginning of this period. In the first encounters between the Spanish and the natives, during the conquest of the Inca empire, they exchanged pieces of fried Iberian pork with potatoes, sweet potatoes and native corn.

In time: White rice, olluquito with charqui, rubber, chanfainite and blood.

Francisco Pizarro, who raised pigs in his childhood, was the main fan of this dish called chicharrón during the early days of the Spanish presence in this territory. The dedication of many nunneries to cooking in an environment where sugar plantations (a species also brought by the Spanish) and immense varieties of native fruits abounded also originated a long pastry tradition, standing out the alfajor, manna prepared in different varieties, shapes and colors depending on the occasion, as well as dozens of other desserts of the time.

African slaves contributed their own in a series of stews, in addition to the use of the entrails discarded by the elites, which they seasoned abundantly to reduce the strong flavors of the meat and cooked on coals. From here came many of the most representative dishes of current Creole food, such as: anticuchos, sangrecita, sweet potato with stuffing, cau cau, tummy, rachi, sweetbreads, chanfainita, patita con maní, the choncholí and the tacu-tacu.

Peruvian anthropologist Humberto Rodríguez Pastor highlights the type of traditional Peruvian tamale as an Afro-Peruvian legacy in his work Life in the environment of the Peruvian tamale. The mentioned food is introduced in this territory from the first years of the Spanish presence that came with its African slaves. The large number of them coming from the African Atlantic coast demographically marked the City of Kings since in the XVII century, more 60% of the capital's population was of African origin.

Republican era

Disposed in Lima

After independence, there was a series of migrations from different origins that integrated their own traditions into the already local culinary dynamics. The Chinese-Cantonese migration of the mid-19th century century popularized stir-frying and sweet-and-sour meats as well the use of new herbs and soy sauce. But his most notable contribution was rice. Although it has been consumed since the XVI century, it is after the Chinese migration that rice became popular and became the Peruvian garnish par excellence, to the detriment of bread.

The favorite form of rice in Peru is arroz graneado not overcooked, it is made with long grain rice, however, it differed from the Chinese preparation in the use of garlic and salt. Another no less influential immigration in the second half of the XIX century is the Italian, who popularized the use of pasta, cake chard, sweets and desserts such as panettone, which is a must at Christmas throughout the country. Japanese migration at the end of the century XIX, finally, had a notable impact on Peruvian marine cuisine, giving rise to the so-called Nikkei cuisine. Very neat Japanese cuts and techniques in the presentation of the dishes, join Peruvian sauces and preparations and a new culinary aspect is born in Peru. Thus, for example, from the crossing of Japanese sashimi and Peruvian cebiche, the tiradito was born.

Modern Peruvian Cuisine

In the last decade of the XX century, and beginning of the XXI, Peruvian cuisine began to become popular outside its borders. At the IV Madrid Fusión 2006 International Gastronomy Congress, held from January 17 to 19, 2006, Lima was declared the gastronomic capital of America, while on December 12, 2012, Peru was honored at the World Travel Awards, carried out in New Delhi (India), as the Main Culinary Destination worldwide, surpassing Australia, China, Spain, the United States, France, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico and Thailand, countries with renowned gastronomic trajectories.^{[citation required]}

The gastronomy of the country is registered as a world brand^{[citation required]}, and therefore as a flagship product of Peru. Due to this rich variety, its flavor and the foods used, Peruvian gastronomy is constantly awarded internationally and its chefs often obtain international medals that distinguish them. A notable element is its constant openness to innovations and the continuous development of new dishes, incorporating into gastronomy the continuous search for experimentation and the avant-garde.^{[citation required]}

Olluquitos with pork and white rice

Just as each region preserves its culinary richness, in haute cuisine the mixture of colors and food products stands out, an example of this is the so-called Novoandina cuisine, a new culinary style that emerged in Peru due to the interest of the local gourmets to resume food customs from the pre-Hispanic past to recreate them, thus rescuing and revaluing many of the native ingredients.

In this recreation of Andean cuisine, elements from other cultural horizons such as Europe enter. Some of the native products used are tarwi, chuño, quinoa, kiwicha, moraya, cochayuyo, maca, coca, uchu, olluco, oca, in dishes such as quinotto or coca sour. Lima, the cosmopolitan and mestizo capital, and Arequipa have become the main venues for this culinary current, although in the main Andean points such as Huaraz, Juliaca, Cusco or Huancayo, this style has also gained great popularity.

Main features

Peruvian cuisine has been the meeting point of various cultures, thanks to the penchant for miscegenation that has characterized the history of Peru. Classic Peruvian cuisine is usually attractive for its color and sometimes for its spicy nuance due to the different varieties of chili, this being a gravitating ingredient. However, some peppers are not spicy and only serve to give color to the presentation of typical dishes or to give them more flavor. Rice is a food that accompanies many dishes in the country's gastronomy, popularized mainly from the XIX century, although in fact it became a key ingredient that goes beyond a simple garnish, since there are many dishes made from rice.

Main ingredients

Black Pope of Peru.

The variety of ingredients that exist in the territory (both native and those that arrived from other latitudes) allowed the evolution of a diverse cuisine, where strong regional traditions and a permanent reinvention of dishes coexist, without opposing each other. Peru is considered one of the largest genetic centers in the world and many ingredients of ancestral origin are used in its cuisine:

Pope: Peru has the largest variety of potatoes in the world, more than 3,500. More than 700,000 families earn a living with this crop.

The International Potato Center is based in Lima, from which new varieties of this tuber have been registered.

Camote: There are 150 varieties.

Ají: Originally from Mexico and Peru, disseminated to everyone mainly by Spanish and Portuguese sailors, due to their vitamine value that protected them from scurvy. The most widely used varieties worldwide, however, are derived from Mexico and Central America. Peruvian Ajis are virtually unknown outside the Andean region of South America. The yellow aji, the ají limo, ají mochero, the panca aji and the rocoto are grown almost only in Peru.

Here.: The most recent research seems to indicate that the origin of the tomato was in the current Peruvian territory and, in any case, it would be a parallel domestication plant in Mexico (from which it took the name) and in Peru.

Ají charapita on a bijao leaf.

Dry fruit: The delicious walnut of Brazil is not exclusive to the country of Brazil. These nuts are a native cultivation of Peru.

Fruits: There are more than 500 species originating from the current Peruvian territory. Like some of these: Peruvian Lemon and Pineapple.

Chirimoya: Of Peruvian origin, it is a green peel fruit with a juicy white pulp, of peculiar aroma and sweet flavor. Fernando Cabieses, connoted scholar of food and medicine in ancient Peru, as well as expert in nutrition, says: "It is a queen fruit and does not need companions or dresses to succeed on any table... The one who does not leave the evidence."

Lúcuma: It is also with chirimoya, perhaps one of the most extraordinary fruits of Peru, has a very intense flavor and aroma and has been since ancient times a component of numerous sweets and soft drinks.

Achiote: It is a seed of an original fruit of Peru and Mesoamerica, it has a reddish dye that is used as a food savor and as a natural dye of cosmetics all over the world.

Fish: There are 2000 species of fish, marine, lacustres and rivers, holding the first place in the world in terms of varieties.

Tarwi: It's a very high vegetable in proteins.

Different varieties of Peruvian corn.

Maize: There are 50 ecotypes, sharing the origin with all of Central America, arrived in Europe primitively as a supplement for the feeding of cattle and then in various forms and modes became indispensable at the tables of the world. The varieties used in Europe and most of the world, however, are from Central America. Peru's very large grain corn is a component of many traditional dishes, plus a variety: purple corn, is unique in the world.

Many other food products, cucurbitaceae, various tubers and Andean grains.

In their exchanges with African and Asian continents, various products such as banana and lime were imported.

There are many other ancestral crops of growing popularity and avant-garde use (e.g. in astronaut nutrition), as is the case of unique cereals such as quinoa kañiwa and kiwicha. It can also be found in Peru native edible of the jungle such as saúco, camu camu (contains high levels of vitamin c) or heel (very recommended for diabetics) and cat nail (very known for their healing properties of cancer).

Cooking by region

It has three main axes: the coast, the mountains and the jungle.

Coastal cuisine

It is made up of a variety of dishes and species in which we have:

Sea cuisine

Choritos to the vest.

Peru is one of the two main producers and exporters of fishmeal for animal feed in the world. Its richness in fish, its marine fauna and flora are enormous, finding types of animals or plants that only occur in its waters. But we must also highlight its riches of fresh water that are found mainly in the Amazon River and its tributaries, as well as in its lakes, such as Titicaca.

Each coastal region, different in fauna and flora, adapts its cuisine according to the products of its waters. The shrimp chupe is an original and typical dish from the department of Arequipa, it is one of the most refined dishes of the Peruvian coast. It is a thick soup based on fish and shrimp, potatoes, milk and chili. In Peru there are different varieties of chupes, such as chupe de habas, chupe de zapallo, chupe de olluquito, among others. Other typical dishes of this kitchen are ceviche, mussels a la chalaca, tiradito, leche de tigre, parihuela and pickled fish.

Creole cuisine

Rice with duck to the chiclayana.

With 250 traditional desserts dating back to the 19th century, this great variety has originated mainly in coastal cities since the time from the viceroyalty of Peru, such as the suspiro de lima, the ranfañote, the picarones, the nougat of Doña Pepa, the melcocha and the purple mazamorra, among others. In Tacna, at the beginning of the XX century, its main dish was created spicy Tacneña style. Restaurants with Creole menus in their various forms are numerous, pastry shops abound and constitute one of the culinary riches of the cities of Lima, Arequipa, Ica, Trujillo and Tacna.

The offer of restaurants of all kinds and specialization is notorious. One of them, a luxury one, facing the sea on the Costa Verde in Lima, offered free service at noon with more than four hundred different dishes served simultaneously, for which it held the Guinness Record. Among the main dishes Of the Creole food we have: ají de gallina, carapulca, chicken marinade, rice with chicken, tacu-tacu, rice with duck, cau cau, salted loin, stuffed rocoto, tamales, stuffed potato, boiled, anticuchos, cause a la Lima, among others.

Crazy kid.

On the other hand, there is a very popular hybrid dish on the coast of the country, especially in the central area, simply called "combined". It consists of a portion of huancaína potatoes with traditionally stewed noodles (carrot, tomato and onion dressing) and cebiche. It should be added that combined can be said to any dish that turns out to be a bit of other dishes; so the term Combined does not necessarily apply to the dish described above.

Seco de cabrito, is another typical dish of Peru, it was born in the north of the country between Trujillo and Chiclayo, it is a mammal the size of lamb, also known as goat, which is seasoned with different seasonings including Yellow chili, chicha de jora and cilantro are also added, served with rice and beans. Other northern dishes are shámbar (served only on Mondays), theologian soup, pepián, causa en lapa, fried guinea pig with ajiaco, fried Trujillo, etc. All exclusive to Trujillana cuisine.

Andean cuisine

Ocopa. Traditional plate of the kitchen arequipeña.

The Andes are the origin of ancient cultures and with them the flavor of Peruvian cuisine. In this high part of the country, the main diet continues to be corn, potatoes and a multiplicity of tubers. Introduced products such as rice, bread and pasta are now also popular. The variety of meats consumed has been enriched with bovine, porcine and ovine; In very high places like Huancavelica, llama, alpaca and wild animal meat is still consumed.

The variety and richness of Andean food is similar to that of coastal food. From the chactado guinea pig to the moron soup and from the huancaína potato to the chairo soup, to more than highly original desserts and grains that are eaten fresh or cooked in various ways. The head broth and the golden mutton ribs are a minimal sample of a vast catalog that has hardly been disseminated.

Some of the main Andean dishes are: pachamanca, tarwi stew, stuffed rocoto, Arequipeño adobo, malaya, spicy puca, olluquito with charqui, huatia, huancaina potato, ocopa and dishes made with guinea pig. Likewise, a great variety of freshwater fish are part of the regional cuisine, with trout being highly appreciated, introduced at the end of the XIX century.

The Jungle Kitchen

Tacacho with cecina and chorizo.

The jungle area of Peru has a great biodiversity in fauna, which is why it is traditional to eat a variety of meats, such as huangana (wild pig), suri, tapir, rodents (majaz, añuje, punchana, sachacuy), armadillo, turtle, woolly monkeys and maquisapa. Among the immense variety, the paiche stands out, the second largest freshwater fish (it can weigh up to 180 kilos and measure up to 3 meters long).

The food of the Peruvian jungle has as popular elements, among others, a basic dressing that is known as misto (or mishkina), the use of ingiri, which is how the boiled green plantain is known, the high consumption of fruit and the cooking of meat, especially fish and also juane, wrapped in bijao leaves, a palm tree that has a particular aroma. With respect to meat, they are usually contributed by hunting and fishing and to a lesser extent by livestock.

Juane chicken.

With regard to fruits, camu camu stands out as it concentrates the greatest amount of vitamin C. Aguaje is also widely consumed, from which a soft drink called aguajina is prepared, with a high content of vitamin A. However, tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple and many others abound. A soft drink known as chapo is prepared from the ripe banana.

An important element of the jungle food are liquors, mostly the product of the fermentation of cane liquor with local species (roots, fruits, among others). For example, the chuchuhuasi, the uvachado, the seven roots, the rompe calzón, among others. The masato deserves a special mention, a drink of pre-Hispanic origins made from chewed cassava and fermented for a few days in an artisanal earthenware container with a wide base and narrow neck. The best-known dishes of the Peruvian Amazon are juane and tacacho with cecina but there are also other highly consumed dishes such as inchicapi, patarashca, chonta salad, timbuche, paiche ceviche, charapita chili sauce, Ají cocona, suri, charapita rice, etc.

Desserts and sweets

Drinks

Soft drinks, soft drinks and infusions

Chicha abode

Classic Peruvian coke mate.

Gaseous drinks: The Inca Kola and Kola Escocesa – in Arequipa – both have a tradition in the accompaniment of local food. Inca Kola, the best known in and out of the country, is the only gaseous beverage in the world that has managed to overcome in sales to Coca-Cola in a local market. Kola Escocesa is a drink made with mineral water from the town of Yura in the department of Arequipa where it is considered the drink par excellence of the region and indiscussed companion of the varied Arequipeña gastronomy. Other gaseous beverages that stand out are the English Kola, the Royal Kola and the Triple Kola and the Kola Quadruple.

Chicha abode: It is a drink prepared with the boiled purple corn, which once cold, is added pieces of pineapple, drops of lemon, sugar and ice to taste. There are currently packaging versions of this soda produced by transnational companies. Other forms of chicha existing in the country are chicha arequipeña, chicha de maní, chicha de qiwicha y la chicha loretana.

Cremolada: It is a derivative of fruit juices, similar to the sorbet, which is prepared to freeze the juice to form ice, then gently crush it and form a semi-solid mass that is served in glasses. It's popular at summer times. A similar preparation is the raspadilla.

Infusions: Coca mate is an infusion that is consumed at the national level, is traditional in the Andean area, where it is used to counter dizziness and height evil. Another traditional infusion is the so-called thylo tea, which is used as a soothing and also, in popular culture, as a relief to fight the scare, grafting and curses; also stands out the cat's nail tea, which is a drink prepared with a plant of the amazonia, the cat's nail, known for its medicinal and healing properties. Another popular drink is the emollient, it is a drink that is prepared on the basis of roasted barley grains, extracts of medicinal herbs, sugar and lemon juice. It is of low nutritional content, although it can contribute to the diet some carbohydrates, minerals and vitamin C. Its best value is medicinal.

Juices: For the diversity of fruits it is common to have a wide variety of fruit juices. For example coconut, camu camu, aguajina (water-based refresh), among others.
Tea: In Peru they make tea with the shells of cocoa beans.

Liquors and cocktails

Pisco bottles from Peru.

Cachina: It is the result of early fermentation of grape juice. It is very popular at the time of vintage that is celebrated in the department of Ica.

Bullshit: The chicha of Peru has many varieties. The traditional form, known as a hump, is prepared from the time of the incas; it is prepared by the fermentation of the germinated corn, called Jora and different fruits and aromatic spices. In Quechua it is known as ajha or acca and is stored in clay containers known as ♪. Jora's chicha is an extended drink in much of the Peruvian territory, of which there are different versions such as the cunt with cow paw and the clarito.
Chicha de güiñapo: This particular variety of chicha is the widespread consumption in the city of Arequipa. Like the hump, the pea chicha is made with a grain of germinated and dry corn. However for the preparation of this is not used the same variety of corn used in the hut. A specific variety of black corn is used, which has been domesticated and is native to the valleys of Characato and Socabaya. This variety of maize gives this chicha a lively carmesi coloration.

Masato: It is an ancestral drink of the Peruvian jungle, and of the South American jungle in general. It is made with the fermentation of the yuca.

Pisco: Pisco is Peru's national drink. This liqueur from the grapes of eight local varieties: the grape Quebranta, the grape Uvina, the grape Mollar, the grape Black Criolla, the grape Italy, the grape Albilla, the grape Moscatel and the grape Torontel; it is produced in some regions of the country. There are four varieties of Peruvian pisco: Puro, Green Mosto, Acholado and Aromatic. Based on pisco and lime, the famous pisco sour is prepared. Other traditional cocktails prepared with pisco are the cocktail of algarrobine, the ponche of the liberators, the pisco punch, the tacna sour and the chilcano.

Most popular dishes in the 21st century

Mixed Cebiche in El Callao

Example of chifa cuisine: Tallarin jumped.

A quarter of grilled chicken

Since the late 20th century and early XXI, cebiche, grilled chicken and chifa dishes are the most popular representatives of Peruvian food, being widely consumed throughout the Peruvian territory and There are versions for all social classes: from very cheap preparations that are consumed "on the go" to very exclusive gourmet preparations.

Ceviche

Main article: Cebiche

The cebiche, ceviche, seviche or sebiche, is a widely spread dish and declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation by the Peruvian government. The basic recipe for cebiche is the same in all regions: fish in pieces, lemon juice, red onion, chili pepper and salt to taste. The fish used are very diverse and include both freshwater and sea species, as well as they include other seafood such as shellfish and seaweed and even vegetables. The dish is accompanied by local products such as cancha serrana, sweet potato, chifles, zarandaja, cassava and lettuce leaves.

Chifa

Main article: Kitchen chifa

Chifa is a term used in Peru to refer to the cuisine that arose from the cultural adaptation of the gastronomy of Chinese immigrants, mainly from the Canton area, who arrived on the Peruvian coast in the middle of the century 19th century and early 20th century, this term is also used to refer to the chifa restaurants where this food is served. Currently the chifas. The main dishes are chaufa rice, wonton soup, salted noodles, airport and chijaukai chicken. Although Chifa is not part of traditional Peruvian food, Chinese migration made this culinary style popular.

Grilled chicken

Main article: Chicken in Peru

It is one of the most consumed dishes in the country. It has been recognized as a "Peruvian Culinary Specialty" by the Peruvian government on October 14, 2004. It basically consists of an eviscerated chicken marinated in a marinade includes various ingredients, baked on the embers. The beginnings of this dish in Peru can be traced to the Ate district of Lima, its creator was the Swiss Roger Schuler, a chicken farmer and founder of the La Granja Azul restaurant.

In 1950 Schuler together with Franz Ulrich invented and registered the patent for the machine to cook grilled chicken, a mechanical system of planetary rotation that makes the chickens rotate on their own axis and alternate their circular movement, simultaneously. In Peru, the dish is accompanied by French fries, salad, various creams and chili sauces of all kinds; In the jungle of Peru, fries are often replaced by fried plantains.

Cultural Heritage of the Nation

Pachamanca made in Huancayo.

On October 16, 2007, the gastronomy of Peru was proclaimed Cultural Patrimony of the Nation; This declaration states that Peruvian cuisine is a cultural expression that contributes to consolidating the country's identity. Prior to this declaration, other elements of Peruvian gastronomy were declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation:

The pisco, April 7, 1988.
Pachamanca, 8 July 2003.
El cebiche, on 26 March 2004.
The pisco sour, September 7, 2007.
The Arequipeña picantería, on April 23, 2014.

Peruvian chefs

International Awards

2006: The most important award was the declaration of Lima as a "Gastronomical Capital of America" distinction awarded at the Fourth International Gastronomy Summit Madrid Fusion 2006, held from 17 to 19 January 2006. The publications include the distinctions given by the Gourmand 2006 Awards, highlighting five publications on Peruvian cuisine. The winners were:

Peru, very pleased by the Company Editora El Comercio y PromPerú (Special Jury Award).
Peru’s Gastronomic Guide: The Handbook of the Good Gourmet by María Rosa Arrarte (winner in the category Best Guide to the World).
Traditional Peruvian cuisine dictionary by Sergio Zapata Acha (honest mention in the category Best Culinary History Book in the World).
Eat Smart in Peru by Joan Peterson (winner in the Best Culinary Travel Guide category).
Wings of cherubim by Guillermo Toro-Lira (medal of silver in the category Best Book (other than the wine of the World).

2007: Diego Oka Hosaka and Hajime Kasuga, Peruvian cuisine chefs won the first prize of the International Red Tuna Cuisine Contest held in Sardinia, between 17 and 20 May 2007.

2009: On the 2nd of July, five more top prizes for gastronomic editions were announced in Paris by Gourmand World Cookbook Awards having had as stage the prestigious local of the Comédie-Française. The award-winning editions were:

Best book of the world in gastronomic matters: 500 years of merger, by Gastón Acurio edited in Lima by the newspaper El Comercio.
Best restaurant guide: Lima 40 restaurants 40 spacesby Mixmade Editorial Productions.
Best book of gastronomic history: Cusco, the empire of the kitchenRosary Olivas Weston.
To the best translation: Peruvian Potato, History and RecipesSara Beatriz Guardia.
Best history book of a drink: Peruvian girl. A drink, a culturefrom Rafo León.

2010: In the month of February, the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards event held in Paris, which awards the most important awards in the world in terms of gastronomic publications and where they competed that year valuable works from 136 countries, four Peruvian books won outstanding awards.

Larousse de la Gastronomy Peruana, written by Gastón Acurio with the collaboration for its printing by the Editorial Larousse and Wong stores. Gourmand Award in the Best World Book for Professionals category.
Colorful kitchenKarissa Becerra. This is one of the three best works in the world in the category of publications for children and families.
Amazonian fruitsAstrid Gutsche, wife of Gaston Acurio. He was considered one of the best books in the world written by a chef. The book contains creative desserts and exotic drinks.
La Rosa Náutica Restaurant It is a work done by the restaurant of the same name, nestled in the marine waters of the Limeño district of Miraflores. The book was one of the three best publications in the category First Book of Kitchen.

2011: On the occasion of the celebration of the Inter-American Year of Culture, on March 23, 2011, the Organization of American States granted the distinction to the gastronomy of Peru as a Cultural Heritage of the Americas for the World.

2012: On 12 December 2012, Peru was distinguished at the World Travel Awards, held in New Delhi, as the world's leading Culinary Destination.

2013: On 30 November 2013, Peru was distinguished at the World Travel Awards, held in Doha, as the world's leading Culinary Destination.

2014: On 7 December 2014, Peru was distinguished at the World Travel Awards, held in Anguilla, as the world's leading Culinary Destination.

2015: In March 2015, Peru was named by China's Top Travel magazine as Best Gastronomic Destination. In addition, that year he won the award as the world's leading Culinary Destination at the World Travel Awards. In the month of June, four other Peruvian book awards were announced at Yantai by Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. The winning editions were:

Sweets of Moqueguafrom Rosario Olivas and Sandra Plevisani.
Passions. Gastronomy & ArtGonzalo Ferrand and Marcelo Wong.
Peruvian cuisineMartin Morales.
Peru–Honduras. Our table, of Guillermo González Arica and Isaac Albañil Yumbo.

2016: Peru is once again appointed Principal Culinary Destination at the World Travel Awards for the fifth consecutive year.

2017: For the sixth consecutive year, Peru is appointed Principal Culinary Destination at the World Travel Awards.

2018: For the seventh consecutive year, Peru is appointed Principal Culinary Destination at the World Travel Awards.

2019: For the eighth consecutive year, Peru is named best culinary destination in the world at the World Travel Awards 2019. The chef Pía León of the restaurant Kjolle received in Spain the Best Chef Award Top 100 2019 award in the ‘The Best Chef Rising Star’ category (best chef on promotion).
2021: Peru is appointed Principal Culinary Destination at the World Travel Awards.

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