Peru - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 715

ceviche is the classic Peruvian seafood
dish, consisting of raw fish, assorted
seafood or a mixture of the two,
marinated in lime juice and chilli and
with corn, sweet potato and onions.
You'll also find arroz con mariscos (rice
with seafood), tiradito (like sashimi,
served with a spicy sauce), conchitas a la
parmesana (scallops baked with cheese)
and fish prepared a dozen different ways.
In coastal areas you'll also find numerous
chifas (Chinese eateries) serving ample
portions of inexpensive Chinese dishes,
including vegetarian options.
Food in the Andes includes delicious,
hearty soups, such as sopa de quinoa
(quinoa soup), chupe de camarones
(shrimp chowder) and sopa criolla (beef
noodle soup with vegetables). Peru is
home to hundreds of potato varieties,
the standout dishes from which include
ocopa (potato with spicy peanut sauce),
papa a la Huancaína (potato in a spicy
cheese sauce) and causa (layers of mashed
potato with countless fillings). Other
popular dishes include lomo saltado
(stir-fried beef ), ají de gallina (chicken
in a mild chilli sauce), arroz con pato
(rice with duck, simmered in dark beer
with coriander) and the ubiquitous cuy
(seared guinea pig).
In the jungle, the succulent local fish,
such as dorado and paiche , comes grilled, as
patarashka (spiced, wrapped in banana
leaves and baked on coals) or as paca
(steamed in a banana tube). Fried and
mashed plantain figures highly, along with
yuca (a manioc rather like a yam) and
juanes (banana leaves stuffed with chicken,

9 WHERE AND WHEN TO EAT

In Peru, lunch is the main meal of the day,
and the time to grab the best food
bargains. In coastal areas, some of the
best food is found in cevicherías , simple
seafood restaurants open at lunchtime
only. Ask for the menú marino - a
lunchtime seafood menu that typically
consists of two courses, such as ceviche
and arroz con mariscos , and costs around
S15-20. Elsewhere, most restaurants will
offer a menú - a three-course set lunch
from S10 upwards.

rice and spices). There is often game on
the menu, but beware of eating turtle or
other endangered species. It is best not to
eat fish along the River Tambopata due to
the high levels of mercury used extensively
in river mining activities.
In big cities, there are numerous
vegetarian restaurants, though vegetarian
food may be quite difficult to find
elsewhere. If you ask for your dish sin
carne (without meat), that may only
exclude red meat, but not chicken or fish.
Dessert-wise, Peru offers a wide array
of tropical fruit, such as lúcuma ,
chirimoya (custard apple) and grenadilla
(passion fruit), as well as mazamorra
morada (purple corn pudding with
cloves and pineapple) and suspiro limeño
(caramelized condensed milk topped
with meringue).

DRINK
In Peru you can find all the popular soft
drink brands, though Peruvians prefer
the neon-yellow Inca Kola, which tastes
like liquid bubblegum. Fresh fruit juices
( jugos ) are abundant, with jugerías (juice
stalls) in markets and elsewhere offering
a variety of flavours, such as papaya,
maracuyá (passion fruit), plátano
(banana), piña (pineapple) and naranja
(orange); specify whether you want yours
con azúcar (with sugar) or sín azúcar
(without sugar). Another excellent
non-alcoholic drink is chicha morada ,
made from purple corn - not to be
confused with chicha , home-made corn
beer popular in the Andes (look out for
a red flag outside homes).

TAX H OAX
If any restaurant tries to add an extra “tax”
to your bill, be aware that in Peru, the 19
percent VAT is automatically added to the
cost of the dishes and that you shouldn't
have to pay anything extra. Also, for a bill
to be legal, it has to be either a boleto de
venta or a factura , with the name and
address of the restaurant on it. Should any
establishment insist that you pay an illegal
bill or tax, you have the right to report
them to SUNAT, the local regulating board
( W www.sunat.gob.pe).