The Atlas · Nº 21 ·Peru

Most Popular Peruvian Food

Peruvian food is coast, mountains, and jungle on one table: ceviche cured in lime by the sea, roast cuy in the Andes, and thousands of potato varieties worked into plates like the bright causa rellena. Waves of Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese cooks made it one of the world's great fusion cuisines.

126 dishes ranked·35 in the global top 1,000 ·6,803 diner ratings·Best rank Nº 34

Plate I — The Origins

Fig. 1 Where 126 ranked peruvian dishes were born. Dish origin

Drag to pan · Double-click or +/− to zoom · Select a marker for its entry

The Signature Dishes

The twelve highest-ranked Peruvian dishes, by global position.

Causa rellena, appetizer from Peru
Plate IIAppetizer · Peru

1 Nº 34 worldwide

Causa rellena

Appetizer · Causa limeña

A cold Peruvian terrine of mashed yellow potato whipped with lime, chili, and oil, layered around a filling of tuna or chicken salad and avocado. Sliced into neat rounds and served chilled, its bright yellow color comes from Peru's ají amarillo pepper.

★ 4.5|94% positive |83 ratings

Queso helado, ice cream from Peru
Plate IIIIce Cream · Peru

2 Nº 40 worldwide

Queso helado

Ice Cream

Arequipa's frozen dessert, its name meaning frozen cheese though there is no cheese in it, made from milk, coconut, and cinnamon churned by hand over ice. Shaved into a cup and dusted with cinnamon, it is sold from carts on the plazas of the white city.

★ 4.5|100% positive |46 ratings

Seco de cabrito, stew from Peru

3Seco de cabritoNº 45

Stew

A northern Peruvian goat stew, the meat braised slow with cilantro, ají, and chicha, the fermented corn beer, until the sauce turns green and the goat falls off the bone. Served with beans and rice, it is coastal home cooking with deep pre-Hispanic roots.

★ 4.5|44 ratings

Shambar, soup from Peru

4ShambarNº 69

Soup · Also Shambar de los Lunes

A hearty Monday soup from Trujillo, thick with several kinds of bean, wheat, and chickpeas, smoky with cured pork, and topped with toasted corn. Traditionally eaten only on Mondays, it draws crowds to the stalls that make it well.

★ 4.4|39 ratings

Leche de tigre, appetizer from Peru

5Leche de tigreNº 98

Appetizer

Tiger's milk, the citrusy, chili-spiked juice left behind by ceviche, served on its own in a glass as a bracing shot. Sharp with lime, fish, and ají, it is prized as a pick-me-up and a famous hangover cure along the Peruvian coast.

★ 4.4|132 ratings

Mixed Ceviche (Ceviche mixto), seafood from Peru

6Mixed Ceviche (Ceviche mixto)Nº 122

Seafood

Mixed ceviche, raw fish cured in lime with the addition of shellfish, squid, octopus, and prawns, all firmed by the acid and sparked with red onion, chili, and coriander. Served with sweet potato and corn, it is the ocean at its freshest, Peru's national dish in full.

★ 4.4|311 ratings

Tiradito, fish dish from Peru

7TiraditoNº 129

Fish Dish

Ceviche's leaner cousin, thin sashimi-like slices of raw fish laid flat and dressed at the last second with lime, chili, and coriander, and no onion. A dish born of Japanese immigrants meeting the Peruvian pantry, all about the freshness of the cut.

★ 4.4|139 ratings

Pollo a la brasa, chicken dish from Peru

8Pollo a la brasaNº 134

Chicken Dish

Peru's rotisserie chicken, marinated in soy, cumin, and spices, then slow-turned over charcoal until the skin is burnished and crisp. A national obsession, eaten with fries, salad, and a battery of green ají dipping sauces, it is Sunday dinner for much of the country.

★ 4.4|281 ratings

Anticuchos de corazon, offal dish from Peru

9Anticuchos de corazonNº 151

Offal Dish

Skewers of marinated beef heart, cut into cubes, soaked in ají panca, garlic, and vinegar, then grilled hard over coals until charred at the edges and tender within. A pre-Columbian street food, cheap and smoky, sold from braziers on Lima street corners at night.

★ 4.4|43 ratings

Chupe de camarones, seafood soup from Peru

10Chupe de camaronesNº 157

Seafood Soup · Also Peruvian Shrimp Chowder

A rich Arequipan shrimp chowder, river prawns simmered in a milky broth with potatoes, corn, rice, and a poached egg, tinted red with ají. Substantial enough to be a whole meal, it is one of the grand dishes of southern Peruvian cooking.

★ 4.4|83 ratings

Bistec a lo pobre, beef dish from Peru

11Bistec a lo pobreNº 236

Beef Dish

Poor man's steak, a plate that is anything but: a seared beef steak crowned with a fried egg and piled with fries and fried plantain or onions. Shared with Chile, it is generous, unfussy fuel, the fried egg the crucial finishing touch.

★ 4.3|73 ratings

Anticuchos, meat dish from Peru

12AnticuchosNº 240

Meat Dish

The Peruvian meat skewer, most famously made with beef heart but also chicken or fish, threaded on and grilled fast over hot coals. Its roots reach back to Inca times, and the smoke of the anticucho brazier is part of a Lima street at night.

★ 4.3|185 ratings

The Departments

Every Peruvian dish in our ranking, grouped the way you'd order them.

The Complete Ledger

All 126 Peruvian dishes in the world ranking. Every entry, leaf by leaf.

126 entries
  1. 34 Causa rellena Appetizer Peru ★ 4.5
  2. 40 Queso helado Ice Cream Arequipa Region ★ 4.5
  3. 45 Seco de cabrito Stew Peru ★ 4.5
  4. 69 Shambar Soup Trujillo ★ 4.4
  5. 98 Leche de tigre Appetizer Peru ★ 4.4
  6. 122 Mixed Ceviche (Ceviche mixto) Seafood Peru ★ 4.4
  7. 129 Tiradito Fish Dish Peru ★ 4.4
  8. 134 Pollo a la brasa Chicken Dish Peru ★ 4.4
  9. 151 Anticuchos de corazon Offal Dish Peru ★ 4.4
  10. 157 Chupe de camarones Seafood Soup Arequipa ★ 4.4
  11. 236 Bistec a lo pobre Beef Dish Peru ★ 4.3
  12. 240 Anticuchos Meat Dish Peru ★ 4.3
  13. 243 Arroz chaufa Rice Dish Peru ★ 4.3
  14. 302 Jalea Seafood Peru ★ 4.3
  15. 326 Aji Criollo Salsa Peru ★ 4.2
  16. 346 Aji de gallina Chicken Dish Peru ★ 4.2
  17. 402 Picarones Sweet Pastry Lima ★ 4.2
  18. 409 A Arroz con pato a la chiclayana Rice Dish Chiclayo ★ 4.2
  19. 437 Salsa ocopa Sauce Arequipa ★ 4.2
  20. 446 Sopa Criolla Soup Peru ★ 4.2
  21. 448 Salsa a la Huancaina Salsa Huancayo ★ 4.2
  22. 542 Lomo saltado Stir-fry Peru ★ 4.1
  23. 578 Pan con relleno Sandwich Peru ★ 4.1
  24. 595 Papa rellena Snack Peru ★ 4.1
  25. 617 Conchitas a la parmesana Appetizer Peru ★ 4.1
  26. 640 Saralawa Vegetable Soup Cusco ★ 4.1
  27. 718 Inchicapi Chicken Soup Ucayali ★ 4.1
  28. 736 Salsa de palta Dip Peru ★ 4.1
  29. 791 Chupe de pescado Fish Soup Peru ★ 4.1
  30. 844 Crema volteada Custard Peru ★ 4.0
  31. 850 Anticuchos de pescado Fish Dish Peru ★ 4.0
  32. 867 G Guargüeros Sweet Pastry Peru ★ 4.0
  33. 870 S Sopa teóloga Bread Soup Trujillo ★ 4.0
  34. 948 Ensalada de pallares Salad Peru ★ 4.0
  35. 963 Salsa de rocoto Salsa Peru ★ 4.0
  36. 1,030 Seafood Cau Cau (Cau cau de mariscos) Stew Peru ★ 4.0
  37. 1,041 C Cancha salada Snack Peru ★ 4.0
  38. 1,077 Anticucho de pollo Chicken Dish Peru ★ 4.0
  39. 1,159 F Flounder Ceviche (Ceviche de lenguado) Appetizer Peru ★ 4.0
  40. 1,164 P Pan con chimbombo Sandwich Peru ★ 4.0
  41. 1,166 Patarashca Fish Dish Iquitos ★ 4.0
  42. 1,169 H Habas saladas Snack Peru ★ 4.0
  43. 1,206 Choclo con queso Appetizer Peru ★ 4.0
  44. 1,259 Arroz con camarones Rice Dish Peru ★ 4.0
  45. 1,283 Rocoto relleno Appetizer Arequipa ★ 4.0
  46. 1,306 Picante de habas Stew Peru ★ 4.0
  47. 1,326 Parihuela Seafood Soup Peru ★ 3.9
  48. 1,350 Tacacho Breakfast Amazonas ★ 3.9
  49. 1,365 Chifle Snack Piura Region ★ 3.9
  50. 1,397 Mazamorra morada Pudding Peru ★ 3.9
  51. 1,440 Menestrón Soup Peru ★ 3.9
  52. 1,453 Uchucuta Sauce Peru ★ 3.9
  53. 1,458 A Anticuchos de pulpo Octopus Dish Peru ★ 3.9
  54. 1,481 H Huevera frita Appetizer Peru ★ 3.9
  55. 1,495 C Chapanas Dessert Peru ★ 3.9
  56. 1,539 Choritos a la Chalaca Mussel Dish Callao ★ 3.9
  57. 1,588 Turrón de Doña Pepa Dessert Lima ★ 3.9
  58. 1,705 A Ají de langostinos Shrimp/Prawn Dish Peru ★ 3.9
  59. 1,714 A Arroz al olivar Rice Dish Peru ★ 3.9
  60. 1,758 Butifarra Sandwich Lima ★ 3.9
  61. 1,777 Sancochado Soup Peru ★ 3.9
  62. 1,794 Ceviche Fish Dish Peru ★ 3.9
  63. 1,812 Picante de langostinos Stew Peru ★ 3.9
  64. 1,906 S Scallop Cau Cau (Cau cau de conchas) Stew Peru ★ 3.9
  65. 1,920 H Huallpa chupe Chicken Soup Huancayo ★ 3.9
  66. 1,931 P Picante de conchas Stew Peru ★ 3.9
  67. 1,977 F Frito trujillano Pork Dish Trujillo ★ 3.9
  68. 1,978 C Cuy al palo Meat Dish Cusco Region ★ 3.9
  69. 2,029 Mushroom Ceviche (Ceviche de champignones) Appetizer Peru ★ 3.9
  70. 2,054 Quinoa Soup (Sopa de quinoa) Vegetable Soup Peru ★ 3.9
  71. 2,109 Salsa verde de cilantro Sauce Peru ★ 3.8
  72. 2,190 O Oyster Ceviche (Ceviche de ostra) Appetizer Peru ★ 3.8
  73. 2,210 M Mussel Cau Cau (Cau cau de choros) Stew Peru ★ 3.8
  74. 2,292 P Picante de Pallares Stew Peru ★ 3.8
  75. 2,371 Chicken Cau Cau (Cau cau de pollo) Stew Peru ★ 3.8
  76. 2,499 C Chicharrón de pulpo Octopus Dish Peru ★ 3.8
  77. 2,765 Saltado de coliflor Stir-fry Peru ★ 3.8
  78. 2,781 T Timbuche Soup Amazonas ★ 3.8
  79. 2,847 Papa a la Huancaína Appetizer Huancayo ★ 3.8
  80. 3,014 Suspiro de Limeña Dessert Peru ★ 3.8
  81. 3,544 Q Qapchi Appetizer Ayacucho ★ 3.8
  82. 3,566 Pepián de cuy Stew Peru ★ 3.7
  83. 3,586 Triple Sandwich Sandwich Peru ★ 3.7
  84. 3,601 S Saltado de vainitas Stir-fry Peru ★ 3.7
  85. 3,622 S Sudado de langostinos Shrimp/Prawn Dish Peru ★ 3.7
  86. 4,036 Arroz tapado Rice Dish Peru ★ 3.7
  87. 4,286 Picante a la Tacneña Offal Dish Tacna ★ 3.7
  88. 4,305 Puca picante Stew Ayacucho Region ★ 3.7
  89. 4,504 Arroz zambito Pudding Peru ★ 3.7
  90. 4,605 Carapulcra Stew Peru ★ 3.7
  91. 4,781 Prestiños Snack Peru ★ 3.7
  92. 4,875 Picante de mariscos Stir-fry Peru ★ 3.7
  93. 5,242 A Apanado de alpaca Meat Dish Peru ★ 3.6
  94. 5,602 Tamalito Appetizer Amazonas ★ 3.6
  95. 5,761 Salsa Criolla Salsa Peru ★ 3.6
  96. 5,916 Juane Rice Dish Peru ★ 3.6
  97. 6,077 C Cancacho Lamb Dish Ayaviri ★ 3.6
  98. 6,098 Cuy al horno Meat Dish Cusco Region ★ 3.6
  99. 6,130 Lomo saltado pizza Pizza Peru ★ 3.6
  100. 6,135 Pachamanca Lamb Dish Peru ★ 3.6
  101. 6,264 Tacu-tacu Rice Dish Peru ★ 3.5
  102. 6,412 C Copús Meat Dish Piura Region ★ 3.5
  103. 6,846 Ranfañote Dessert Peru ★ 3.5
  104. 6,851 Picante de cuy Meat Dish Cusco Region ★ 3.5
  105. 6,919 Purtumute Bean Dish Amazonas
  106. 6,928 F Frejol colado Dessert Chincha Alta ★ 3.5
  107. 7,131 Octopus Ceviche (Ceviche de pulpo) Octopus Dish Peru ★ 3.4
  108. 7,142 Salchipapas Street Food Lima ★ 3.4
  109. 7,176 Aguadito de pollo Chicken Soup Peru ★ 3.4
  110. 7,275 H Humitas dulces Dessert Peru ★ 3.4
  111. 7,333 Locro de zapallo Stew Peru ★ 3.4
  112. 7,552 Picante de carne Stew Peru ★ 3.4
  113. 7,699 T Testicle Ceviche (Ceviche de criadillas) Appetizer Peru ★ 3.3
  114. 7,714 A Arroz arvejado Rice Dish Peru ★ 3.3
  115. 7,751 Pulpo al olivo Octopus Dish Peru ★ 3.3
  116. 7,899 O Olluquito con charqui Stew Cusco Region ★ 3.3
  117. 7,963 Cuy frito Meat Dish Peru ★ 3.2
  118. 8,005 Chinguirito Appetizer Lambayeque ★ 3.2
  119. 8,112 Cau cau Stew Peru ★ 3.2
  120. 8,241 Sangrecita Appetizer Peru ★ 3.1
  121. 8,544 Escabeche de pollo Chicken Dish Peru ★ 2.9
  122. 8,662 Solterito Salad Arequipa Region ★ 2.7
  123. 8,752 Tortilla de raya Egg Dish Lambayeque ★ 2.5
  124. 9,127 Stuffed Candied Lemon (Limones rellenos) Dessert Peru
  125. 9,296 M Morusa Side Dish Peru
  126. 9,564 A Anticuchos de suri Insect Dish Amazonas
Leaf 1 of 4

Gazetteer

A Regional Tour of Peruvian Food

Where Peru's ranked dishes were born, and what to order there.

Questions, Answered

Peruvian food, frequently asked. Answered from the data.

What is the most popular Peruvian food?
Ceviche draws the most ratings, raw fish cured in lime with chili and onion. Our best-ranked Peruvian dish is Causa rellena, the layered yellow-potato terrine, at #34 worldwide, followed by the mixed-seafood Ceviche mixto and Lomo saltado, the soy-splashed beef stir-fry.
What food is Peru known for?
Ceviche, potatoes, and fusion. Peru's calling card is Ceviche, fish cured raw in lime, alongside its lighter cousin Tiradito. But the country grows thousands of potato varieties, shown off in dishes like Causa rellena, and its Chinese-influenced chifa cooking gave the world Lomo saltado.
What is Peru's national dish?
Ceviche, so central that Peru marks a national Ceviche Day each June. Fresh raw fish is cured in lime with chili and red onion and served with sweet potato and corn. Its byproduct, the citrus-and-chili Leche de tigre, is savored on its own as a bracing shot.
What is Peruvian ceviche?
Peru's signature dish: fresh raw fish cut into cubes and cured in nothing but lime juice, red onion, chili, and coriander, firmed by the acid rather than cooked with heat. The Ceviche mixto adds squid, octopus, and prawns, and the leftover marinade, Leche de tigre, is drunk on its own.
What should I eat in Cusco?
The Andean highlands eat differently from the coast. Cusco's signature is cuy, roast guinea pig, whether oven-baked as Cuy al horno or grilled whole on a spit, a dish reaching back to Inca times. Round it out with hearty Andean soups and stews. All 30 Peruvian soups & stews →
What Peruvian dishes do locals love that tourists miss?
Beyond the ceviche counter. Jalea heaps crisp deep-fried seafood over sarsa salsa, a coastal fry-up made for sharing. In the kitchen, Salsa ocopa blankets potatoes in a creamy sauce of ají, huacatay herb, and cheese, and northern cooks slow-braise Arroz con pato, duck rice stained green with cilantro.