Peru as a nation is the result of a cultural mixing pot and that’s the reason why Peruvian food is awesome.

Join me in a this “brief” food/history lesson:

First, you have the local food (passed on from the Incas almost unaltered, corn, quinua recipes, cuy, charqui, carapulcra, soups, cancha, mote, even ceviche!).

Quinua:

Alpaca Soup:

Ceviche:

Papa a la Huancaína:

Then you have the “2nd tier food” - talking in time - (the one that was mixed with the Spaniard conquistadores) with dishes like stews, pork with rice, chicharron.

Guiso de Carne (stew):

Chicharron:

The third tier happened a little after of the Spaniard’s conquest, with the arrival of African slaves (this should be recognized everywhere!), awesome dishes like anticuchos, tacu-tacu, pancita, cau-cau, chanfainita, tamales and PICARONES! (Peruvian donuts) would not be here without their influence.

Tacu Tacu:

Cau Cau:

Anticuchos:

Tamales:

Picarones:

After Peruvian Independence, under the Government of Ramon Castilla (1854), slavery was prohibited and the african slaves were declared “free” ’cause of that, Chinese (Cantonese) people started to arrive to Peru for “working” on the fields, thanks to the Cantonese we now have “Chifas” the perfect mixture of Cantonese cuisine and Peruvian ingredients, Cantonese people introduced stir-fried foods, fried rice, different flavors with sweet and sour sauces, and the most important thing, stri-fry technique and sillao (soybean sauce), without Chinese people we would not have now one of the most iconic dishes of Peruvian cuisine, the delicious Lomo Saltado!.

Lomo saltado:

Aeropuerto:

Taypa:

The next arrival of foreigners that had an impact on the Peruvian cuisine, were the Italians with pasta, empanadas, paneton, desserts etc.

Tallarines verdes con apanado:

Empanadas:

Menestrón:

Mondonguito a la Italiana:

The arrival of the Japanese colonoy around 1930–1960, is as big as the Chinese or African influence, with them, seafood in Peru started to change, the introduction of sashimi gave birth to the “littler brother” of Peruvian ceviche called tiradito, the Japanese also improved the preparation of ceviche! and many other dishes!

Tiradito:

Chita a la Sal:

Erizo:

Pulpo al Olivo:

But nothing of the above could have happened without our great geography and biodiverse climates!