Peruvian food: A little something for everyone

Heavily influenced by Spanish and Asian cuisine, Peruvian food encompasses many different types of dishes, that feature a variety of mixes and tastes. Peruvian cuisine relies heavily on potatoes, corn, rice, and chili peppers to accentuate seafood, beef, chicken, and pork dishes.

There are many seafood dishes in Peru, but probably the most popular Peruvian dish is ceviche. Though there are several variations of it, ceviche typically incorporates chili peppers, onions, and fish, all of which are marinated in lime. Like most ceviche, the fish in the Peruvian version is raw, and is only cooked by the acidic properties of the lime juice, but unlike other types of ceviche, the Peruvian version does not include tomato, and instead features sweet potatoes and toasted corn.

A somewhat similar seafood dish is fish escabeche, which features fish that is cooked with a lot of vinegar and onions. Like ceviche, escabeche is seasoned with chili, which helps make both dishes uniquely Peruvian.

Peruvian food often includes beef, and among the more common menu items are anticuchos and lomo saltado. A plate of anticuchos features grilled pieces of marinated beef heart (though other types of meat can be used), that is typically served with bits of potatoes and corn. Anticuchos are popular street food and is often sold on a wooden skewer for a meal on the go.

Lomo saltado is made up of beef strips that are marinated in vinegar and soy sauce, before being stir fried with onions, tomatoes, and chili. The dish is usually complemented with rice and french fries.

Chicken is arguably the most eaten meat in Peru, and roasted chicken is the most common style. The roasted chicken, or pollo a la brasa, is marinated, cooked on charcoal, and served with French fries, and a spicy dipping sauce made from aji chili.

Chicken is often boiled, then shredded and sauteed with onions, garlic, and chili, before being covered by a creamy and spicy aji sauce, that is made from milk, cheese, other types of chili, and bread. Aji chicken, like most Peruvian food dishes, is served with rice.

Although not as popular as beef, chicken, or fish, pork is used to make several food items, including a sandwich known as jamon del pais, which has Peruvian ham, onions, and chilies seasoned with lime, salt, and pepper on a bread roll, and shambar, a type of stew that includes pork rinds, ham, beans, and onions.

As with all types of cuisine, Peruvian food is extremely diverse. Items such as empanadas, which are fried or baked pastry bread filled with chicken, beef, or cheese, are common in other cultures, but are made uniquely Peruvian by adding olives and raisins to them.

If you are vegetarian, papas a la huancaina, an extremely popular dish, consists of boiled potatoes smothered with a spicy sauce made from cheese. Regardless of the type of meat you prefer, or even if you prefer a vegetarian meal, there is a Peruvian dish to tempt your taste buds.