I’ve never been a big friend of street food; actually, food as such has never really been on my mind – traveling was, and meeting new people, seeing faraway places and falling for mysterious strangers in 3 days. In short, discovering what’s over the horizon …
I never saw any appeal in eating standing up, too, and what’s up with those greasy fingers afterwards?
So, asking me to write about food is like asking a hipster sporting jean shorts, a lumberjack beard, oversized glasses and the same haircut like his girlfriend to write about style.
Especially, when street food in my country basically comes down to fried bratwurst with horseradish sauce, and garlic frisbees (the Google translator!) – deep-fried yeast breads spread with chopped garlic and grated cheese. Not exactly high cuisine, but delicious. Almost as good as breakfast at a mysterious stranger’s place the next morning!
But when in Rome, eat as the Romans do.
And so I do.
And write about it.
About the local ritual of passing one bottle of beer with one glass around a group of drinkers, instead of each drinking his own beer out of his own glass, which takes a bit getting used to.
As does eating food associated with cute animals, like alpaca steaks or the cuy, both the skinny restaurant version and the abundant roadside barbecue version (really still guinea pig, or rather dwarf piglets?).
Still more peculiar are roasted pork skins and grilled cows bellies; side dishes of French fries and cooked rice served together; and water sold in little sealed plastic bags that look like silicone breast pads.
One thing I’ve noticed on my travels is that the closer to the Equator you get, the busier the night life and the more abundant the street food.
Peru is no different.
The country is not just the Inca, llamas and cute indigenous ladies in bowler hats, but also 55 varieties of corn (maíz) in any color (from yellow and purple to white and black), over 3,500 varieties of potatoes (papas) and around 300 varieties of chili peppers (ají).
When hungry, just have a look around to eat – little food carts are on almost every corner. Their meals might not be exactly Woody Harrelson’s choice of a vegetarian diet but they taste far better.
The flies swarming above them can’t all be that wrong, can they?
Anticucho is a marinated grilled beef heart, served on a stick and accompanied with potatoes and ají, the spicy chili pepper salsa. The taste is very soft and tender. 
Mixto is a combination of Anticucho and Rachi, grilled cows belly. 
Butifarra is the Peruvian version of sandwich that consists of slices of pork served with onion and other ingredients on flat bread. 
Tamales are made of cornmeal and filled with meat, peppers, onions and other extras, wrapped in corn husk. It’s a popular breakfast dish. There’s also a sweet version called humitas, filled with raisins. 
Empanadas are a mix of meat, boiled eggs, olives and raisins inside a folded pastry pocket. They were introduced by the Spanish during the colonial period and locally modified. 
Chicharrónes are deep-fried, crispy pork skins or rinds that can be eaten as snacks. This dish was brought to Latin America from Spain, and comes in many national variations. In Peru, they’re often served as pan con chicharrón, sandwiches stuffed with fried pork, sweet potato and onion salsa. Chicharrónes can also be made with chicken or fish. 
Papa rellena is a deep-fried, mashed potato pocket filled with minced beef, eggs, onions and olives. 
Choclo con queso is basically an oversized corn on the cob with cheese. 
Arroz con leche and mazamorra morada are sweet dishes, sold usually from the same vendor. Arroz con leche is a rice pudding, mazamorra morada is its purple version made of purple corn, that only grows in Peru. 
Both can be spiced with cinnamon and cloves and mixed with native fruits and raisins. Mazamorra morada can also be served as a non-alcoholic drink called chicha morada, that is sweetened with sugar and cinnamon. 
Picarónes is another popular street dessert, made of sweet potato or squash dough. These doughnut rings come deep fried and are sweetened with sugarcane syrup called chancaca. 
Emolientes are warm herbal drinks that are especially popular in winter. They’re made of medicinal plants, herbs and seeds, and come in many local variations. Important ingredients are toasted barley, quinoa, flax seed and Peruvian lime juice, others include horsetail, stonebreaker, cats claw or aloe vera.
After a day, spent running around the many archaeological sites of Peru, there’s nothing like sitting down to a nice, hearty meal in a local restaurant.
Here’s a choice of some of the most famous Peruvian delicacies served on the coast, in the mountains and in the jungle.
Ceviche is a national dish of Peru. It consists of raw fish, onions, ají and herbs that are doused in lime juice marinade called leche de tigre (tiger’s milk). It’s often served with camote, sweet potato and choclo, oversized corn, both native to Peru. It’s fresh, tangy and unique. Since many Peruvians believe it’s also an aphrodisiac and a hangover cure, it has its own national day (June 28!) 
Cuy chactado is one of Peru’s most famous dishes, a must try. It’s a deep-fried guinea pig, served whole. Cuy al palo is guinea pig roasted over a spit.
The meat has been an Andean delicacy for over 5,000 years. It’s very tender, highly nutritious and has very little fat. Andean people raise cuys in their homes and don’t view them as pets.
Lomo saltado is a traditional Peruvian-Chinese stir fry-dish, made of sliced beef, onions, tomatoes, and served with French fries and rice. 
Alpaca steak is another tourist favorite, mostly offered in restaurants of high-altitude regions of Cusco and Puno. Alpaca meat is one of the healthiest in the world – it’s lean, low in fat and cholesterol and rich in proteins. 
Pollo a la brasa is a roasted, blackened chicken that is sold in eateries called pollerías. The chicken is served with French fries and two distinct sauces ají amarillo and ají verde, yellow and green chili, that are as common in Peru as ketchup and mustard in North America. Despite being one of the most popular dishes, it’s relatively new – Swiss hoteliers developed the recipe in the 1950‘s in Lima for wealthy patrons. 
Ají de gallina is a spicy, creamed chicken served over rice with boiled potatoes. The cream sauce has a bright yellow color from the yellow ají peppers. 
Tacu Tacu is the Peruvian version of fried beans and rice, originally a way to use up leftovers. It’s usually formed into a kind of patty and served with meat or a fried egg. 
Locro de pecho is a beef stew, made of crumbled potatoes, onions and herbs. It’s served with rice. 
Pachamanca is an ancient Andean dish, made of a variety of meats, potatoes, vegetables and herbs that are baked on a bed of hot stones, buried in the ground and covered with plantain leaves and earth. 
Juane is a traditional jungle dish, made of steamed chicken, rice, olives and hard-boiled eggs, all wrapped in banana leaves. It was once the cornerstone dish for Christian missionaries. 
Chupe de camarónes is a rich and creamy river prawn chowder with potatoes, milk and chili peppers. It’s a dish typical of Arequipa, 
just like rocoto relleno, a spicy red pepper stuffed with beef, tomato sause, raisins and cheese. 
Cecina con tacacho or patacones is another typical jungle dish, made of cecina, smoked pork bacon and served with tacacho, mashed banana balls, and patacones, fried banana chips. 
Chifa is the term for Peruvian-Chinese food or a restaurant. Chifa is not genuine Chinese food since many Chinese ingredients are hard to find in Peru and had to be replaced by Peruvian ingredients. Chifa food is very popular, especially arróz chaufa, fried rice with vegetables, onions, eggs and chicken.
When you eat, you need to drink. Apart from the famous alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, like
Cusqueña beer, 
Chicha, 
Inca Kola, 
coca tea, 
Pisco Sour or 
Chicha Morada,
there are fruit juices made of Andean and Amazon fruits, known since the Inca, that you’ve never heard of.
Here’s a small selection of them:
Lucuma is a green fruit with yellow flesh and a unique flavor, best described as that of maple or butterscotch. Peruvians rarely eat it raw – they use it in ice creams and juices. 
Chirimoya is a green, heart-shaped, scaly-looking fruit with white flesh and black seeds. It’s known as custard apple and has a sweet taste and plenty of vitamin B and C. It can be eaten raw or used in juices, ice creams, crumbles and pies. 
Aguaymanto is a small, round, orange berry with a cherry-like flavor that is hidden in a husk. Known as goldenberry or pichuberry to associate it with its origin in Peru, the fruit is used in juices, ice creams, and desserts. 
Camu Camu is an Amazon rainforest, cherry-like berry, red in color and sour in flavor. The fruit has a high vitamin C content of 2-3 % of its weight. It’s mostly used in juices, ice creams and yoghurts. Japan is the major buyer of this fruit. 
Pepino dulce or pepino melon is a fruit resembling a yellow melon with purple stripes. It has a sweet and juicy flesh and is usually eaten by itself. 
Tumbo resembles a small, thick, elongated banana, hence its English name – banana passionfruit. Sweet-sour in taste, it can be consumed raw but is more often made into juices, cocktails and ice creams. 
Aguaje is another Amazon rainforest fruit. It grows on palm trees, it’s covered in brown scales and has a vibrant yellow flesh with a hard nut underneath. The taste is mild, and the fruit is eaten raw or used to make juices, ice creams or desserts. It’s called the latest “miracle” food since it contains phytoestrogens that induce breast augmentation and help with menopause. 
Cocona is another Amazon region fruit that looks like a bell pepper with colors varying from yellow to orange and red. The fruit is mostly used in juices, desserts and sauces. 
Tuna is better known as opuntia fruit or prickly pear. It looks like a hand grenade, reddish/greenish in color, with bright red or orange flesh and many seeds. It has a sweet, juicy flavor and is said to help lose weight and treat diabetes due to a high concentration of vitamins and nutrients. It’s best taken raw or in juices, cocktails and jams. 
Granadilla is a shiny yellow to orange fruit the size of a large plum. It has a transparent, jelly-like pulp and black seeds inside. It’s very aromatic and sweet, and usually eaten by itself. The fruit is said to have a soothing effect on the stomach. 
Pacay comes in the shape of a long, dark-green, flat pod. It has a white pulp with inedible seeds inside. Its sweet juicy taste is reminiscent of vanilla flavor, hence the English name ice-cream bean. It’s eaten directly or used in juices, ice creams and desserts. The fruit is said to improve digestion and alleviate irritated stomach.