Hi everyone and welcome back to my bloooog!
Today I’m going to talk about one of the Latin American cuisines you both hear a lot and very little about: Peru.
It’s well-known for its ceviche, but I feel like in recent years, Peruvian food has taken a bit of a backseat compared to cuisines like Mexico’s (though many “Mexican” foods in Europe are about as Mexican as Panda Express is traditional Chinese) and big, flashy meat dishes like Brazilian picanha and Argentinian steaks.
Nevertheless, Peruvian cuisine is not one to overlook when you’re searching for amazing food in South America! As you’ll see in the final spread, Peru has a fantastic showing of delicious dishes; and it’s really only the tip of the iceberg.
I did have to tiptoe around some very popular dishes since Peru seemingly loves itself some huancaĂna — basically a cheese sauce you pour over potatoes, eggs, or whatever you feel like. Now, one thing you need to know is that Mrs. W2P, my incredibly esteemed taste tester, food photographer, Instagram manager, and most of all, lovely wife, is not a fan of cheese (this is an understatement) unless it’s mozzarella melted on pizza. So I was admittedly trying to avoid dishes like papa a la huancaĂna that were recommended by people on the r/Peru subreddit. (I like to ask people on Reddit sometimes. Every time I’ve posted so far on countries I’ve been really stuck on, I’ve gotten great feedback.)
What I ended up with was a mix of both coastal, mountaun and immigrant traditions, something that represents both the Andes and the Peruvian coast: ceviche — fresh, sour, punchy, served with yam and corn, usually eaten for lunch as main #1 — and lomo saltado — beefy, Chinese-inspired, with potatoes and rice as main #2. And it was beautiful. The flavors were incredible, and I couldn’t have asked for a better meal.
Here’s a pic:
Overall I think I did a pretty good job – presentation-wise I got some mixed reviews on whether it would be plated the same in Peru but you can’t win ’em all! It’s served with Inca Kola (a peruvian softdrink) and Mazamorra Morada – sadly I couldn’t find any blue corn so a package mix had to make do.
This, as I found out afterwards, doesn’t taste much like traditional mazamorra morada, but rather like gummy bear soup. So if you CAN find blue corn – try that – or one of the other delicious-looking Peruvian desserts.
Here’s what I made (2025/09/21)
Click on the arrows to show the full recipe!
Lomo Saltado: Peruvian Beef Stir Fry
A bold, saucy stir-fry that blends Peruvian and Chinese flavors: tender beef, super crispy fries, and smoky wok magic all on one plate.
Serves 4. Thanks to Buenazo for the recipe inspiration! buenazo.pe
Traditional Peruvian Ceviche
A fresh, tangy seafood classic that captures the soul of Peru.
Serves 4. Thanks to Cravings Journal for the recipe inspiration! (cravingsjournal.com)
To sum it up:
I was really positively surprised by Peruvian food! I hadn’t had a lot of experience with it so I didn’t know what to expect. Really really recommend making it!
For me – an easy 8.5/10. Mrs. W2P gave it a shocking 6.5 but I guess tastes do differ sometimes.
For our next stop we’re coming back to Europe! Can’t wait for you guys to see!
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