Peru
Celebrations
Semana Santa (Easter)
Easter is very important in Peru because it is a catholic country. A nice place to celebrate Easter is Ayacucho because this city has many churches. If you are in Peru around Easter there will be organized trips for sure or you can just go on your own.
28 de julio - independence Day
28 de Julio (the 28th of July) is the national holiday (independence day). Peruvians are very proud of their country so they celebrate it with parades and flags. I even heard (not sure if it’s true) that if you don’t put your flag on your balcony, you have to pay a fine.
In the picture, you can see decorated Donuts with the typical "P" for Peru.
Food
Peruvian food is known worldwide for being very good and exclusive. I think the "Restaurante Central" in Lima is one the best and most expensive restaurants in the world. If you want to eat there you have to get a reservation some months in advance (I never went but I had a friend who worked there).
Lomo Saltado
Lomo saltado is one of my favorite Peruvian meals. It is made with meat, rice, french fries, red pepper, onion, some sauce, and also some Pisco (Peruvian national alcohol).
Ceviche
Ceviche is also one of the most popular Peruvian dishes. It’s made from fish and a chili-lemon sauce (called leche de tigre) and then you can also add tomatoes and coriander. As I don’t eat a lot of fish and don’t like coriander it’s not something that I used to eat but if you like fish then you should try it!
Ají de Gallina
Aji de Gallina is made with chicken, rice, and a sauce that is made from yellow chili (Ají amarillo).
Papa a la huancaina
Papa a la Huancaina is my favorite Peruvian food. It’s made with potatoes and a sauce, called Huancaina. This sauce is made from many different ingredients including yellow or orange chili.
Tequeños
Tequeños are some kind of filled spring rolls that are usually accompanied by an avocado sauce, like Guacamole. You can see them on the left in the picture.
papa rellena
Papa rellena is a filled potato. Usually, it’s filled with meat.
Pollo a la Brasa
Pollo a la brasa is grilled chicken and it's very popular in Peru. Usually, you eat it with fries and salad.
Chaufa/Chifa
An interesting thing about Peruvian food is that there is a mixture between the local cuisine and Asian cuisine due to a big Asian immigration during the last century. This mixture is called Chifa because in Chinese "chi fa" means "to eat food" or "to eat rice". The most special dish is Chaufa – Chinese rice. I really like it.
Quinoa
Quinoa is a Peruvian kind of cereal that is very healthy. It can be found everywhere in the world nowadays.
Alfajores
Alfajores are Peruvian sweets. They also exist in other South American countries, but the Peruvian ones are small. Alfajores are usually filled with dulce de leche (caramel)
Picarones
Picarones are some kind of donut usually sold on the streets. They are so good.
Chicha Morada
Chicha Morada is my favorite drink in Peru. It’s made from corn, but "purple" corn – which only exists in Peru (and maybe Mexico). You cook it with cinnamon, pineapple, and some spices. After that, you put it in the fridge.
Inka Kola
Inka Kola is the Peruvian version of Coca-Cola – but it tastes very different. I like it but I have to admit that it tastes a little artificial.
pisco
Pisco is the national alcohol of Peru originally from the small city called Pisco. A special drink is Pisco Sour or Pisco Maracujá
Click here to know more about where to travel in Peru.