Food & Cuisine in Colca Canyon
Food info sections | Eating locally
In Peru you can taste flavours as diverse as the weather patterns in the country. In fact, eating out is quite an adventure. The coast (costa), the jungles (selva) and the mountains (sierra) all have their unique cuisine, which is as diverse as the topography of the three geographical regions.
The cuisine of the Colca Canyon is diverse and you'll find a number of great local restaurants serving delicious local meals.
Our Colca Canyon Restaurant Guide is a handy source of information for eating out in the Colca Canyon. Check out our Colca Canyon Shopping Guide for some great gift and souvenir ideas and our Peru Restaurant Guide recommends some great food ideas to look out for as you travel Peru.
Food & Cuisine in the Colca Canyon
Local Food
The Italian influence on Peru's cuisine is obvious in the pizza and the traditional soups and pastas of Peru. Papas, the world-famous Peruvian potato, is available in more than 5,000 registered varieties. These vegetables are grown in the mountains. Sweet potatoes, cooked and served cold with ceviche are a must. In the sierra, you will either find cuy (guinea pig) in stews, or gutted, flattened and barbecued. The Peruvians like to eat rabbit meat, and even llama meat is available in the restaurants of the Colca Canyon.
Anticucho, which is beef heart barbecued on a stick, is a favourite throughout Peru. The dish is also prepared with seafood and chicken. The Asian inspired lomo saltado includes beef, onions and French fries served with rice. This dish is eaten everywhere in the country and is an excellent example of Asian influence on the local cuisine.
Fruits and Vegetables
The Peruvians like to eat a medley of fruits and vegetables marinated in limon, which is like the North American lime in appearance and tastes like something between a lemon and a lime. The fruit and vegetable platter offered often includes an artistic arrangement of avacados, tomatoes (considered as fruit in Peru), cucumbers, onions, carrots, and many other varieties of fruits and vegetables.
Ice Cream
If you like ice cream, you will probably enjoy the wide range of flavours available in Peru where this dessert is very popular. Most of the desserts served here are high on the sweet scale, for example the deep fried churros are covered with sugar. Many restaurants in Peru serve arroz con leche (rice pudding), flan and gelatine.
Drinks
Peru is probably better known for its traditional brandy - Pisco Sour - than for any of its traditional dishes. The first vineyards in South America were planted in Pisco, thus inspiring the name of the brandy made in this area.
You should also try chicha morada, which is brewed from purple maize or corn. And then there is the national Peruvian soft drink, Inca Kola, a thick yellow soda pop with a bubblegum flavour. When compared with similar soda drinks from North America, Inca Kola lacks fizz (carbonation). You will find Coca-Cola almost everywhere in Peru. Ice is generally not served here with drinks.
