10 Peru Must Eats

Pin It Now! Its hard to narrow it down, but here is a list of 10 things to try in Peru (in no particular order - based on my own trip):
(click on the link for my own experiences!)

1.  Anticuchos (either carne or pollo) in the Sacred Valley
2.  Eat a granadilla
3.  Eat a cuy  (guinea pig)
4.  Try pollo a la brasa
5.  Drink Inca Cola
6.  Get a taste of Chinese Peruvian food with lomo saltado
7.  Drink chicha morada
8.  Try Alpaca in the Sacred Valley
9.  Have a Pisco Sour
10.  Look out into a view of Peru and have a Cusquena

snacking around Pisac market

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On the way from Ollantaytambo to Cuzco, I visited teh Pisac ruins and then decided to stop by the Pisac market to wander around and grab some lunch.  It reminded me of Stanley Market in Hong Kong with the endless maze of homemade crafts and vendors.  If you end up here, I'd probably set aside 1-2 hours to explore and snack.  Also, if you come across little girls dressed in traditional dresses and carrying baby lambs, be warned they expect some money if you want to snap a picture.

The colorful display of fruit in the Pisac market.

Some of the varieties of potatoes (tubers) found in the Andes.

In one of the alleys in the market, I stumbled across a man selling empanadas fresh from a huge clay oven.

This carne y queso (beef and cheese) empanada was different than what the normal empanada I was used to.  It was similar to a bun with a soft exterior versus the flakey, slightly crispy ones back in California.

At one of the market there was a lady selling choclo con queso ( Corn on the cob with Cheese). Notice how the corn kernels are giant sized!

The corn kernels are giant sized so its more starchy and filling than the sweeter corn in the States. 

Address:                          Market at Pisac

Type:                                  Peruvian, street foods

Chomp worthy:          Try everything!

Random facts:         The market is open everyday, but the busiest days are Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday with

                                                 Sunday being the busiest and most popular of the three.

El Albergue - dinner

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My last night in the Sacred Valley I just felt like staying in.  A slight power outage at El Albergue left the whole facility in darkness as I was ordering my dinner in my room.  Not to worry, the staff pleasantly surprised me by knocking on my door and completing my order with a pen and paper.  Fifteen minutes later, the MOST amazing lamb I have ever tasted in my life as well as a plateful of fresh fruit, and some candles arrived straight to my room.  Did I mention how much I love this place?  Food and serivce at El Albergue is just beyond any 5 star place I have been to. 

PeruRail snacks

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Took the PeruRail from Ollantaytambo to Aquas Calientes on my trek to Machu Picchu.

If possible try to score the tickets for seats A1 and A2.  Its the best seat on the train.  Its has the most unobstructed views of the Andes Mountains.  Another hint - the left side of the train going to Machu Picchu provides better views.

A small pasta salad, a sweet cake, and a drink is given as a snack to each passenger for the 2 hour ride to Machu Picchu.

I ordered a box lunch from El Albergue for $12 USD for Machu Picchu.  It came with two sandwiches (one freshly cooked chicken breast sandwich, and one eggplant), a cookie, a brownie, mango juice, a nut/seed snack, and lots of candies.  One box is definitely big enough to share for two people.

One of the candies in the box was a Chicha Morada flavored hard candy.  It tasted exactly like the black fermented corn drink I had at Norky's - check out the drink here

El Albergue - breakfast

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My train for Machu Picchu left at 6:00A.  Thank goodness breakfast at El Albergue started at 5:30!  Breakfast was included with the room so I was expecting something simple like a continental breakfast with some fruit and some pastries.  I was not expecting a choice of scrambled eggs, fried eggs, or pancakes to be made upon order!

Although I didn't experience any altitude sickness, I still ordered a cup of coca tea just to try.  Coca tea, also called mate de coca, is brewed with leaves from the coca plant.  Drinking it as a tea or chewing the leaves are supposed to alleviate some altitude sickness.  It is commonly found in the Andes region of Peru, such as the Sacred Valley and Cuzco, where the elevation is much higher.  The smell is very fresh and woodsy and the taste is very mild.  It's not the best tasting tea, but its tolerable.

Freshly scrambled eggs!  The eggs were fluffy and light.  I always notice a different taste and texture to eggs found outside America.  I find that the eggs are more creamy and almost buttery tasting. 

 Freshly made pancakes topped with fresh banana slices.  I'm not a huge pancake fan, but I did manage a couple bites.  They were light and fluffy.

Fried eggs

Address:                  El Albergue

                                          Ollantaytambo train station

                                          Ollantaytambo, Peru

         

Type:                            breakfast, American

Chomp worthy:   eggs

Tawachaki (Ollantaytambo, Peru)

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After spending 4 hours climbing a mountain, I figured I would conquer the next goal on my trip - to eat cuy (guinea pig).  Supposedly, cuy is a dish that is popular in the mountain regions of Peru, ie Sacred Valley.  Knowing this, I didn't look for a specific restaurant in Ollantaytambo that served the dish.

A special anniversary Cusquena beer to commemorate Machu Picchu's anniversary.

Avocados are plentiful in Peru.  Palta Rellena de Pollo (chicken filled avocado) was another commonly seen item on many Peruvian restaurants.  I love avocados so I had to order this.  One thing I did notice about avocados in Peru versus those in the States are the size.  Avocados are huge in Peru!  This dish was delicious and probably something easy for me to replicate when I got home.

After ordering cuy, 10 minutes later the waitress comes back to tell me that they were not serving cuy tonight because they did not have any.  I should have taken that as a hint to leave since there was no one in the restaurant and they were out of the one dish I had my heart set on that night.  Instead, I ordered the tacu tacu.  Tacu Tacu is a Afro-Peruvian dish.  The spices are derived from African spices supposedly from African slaves who used them to make this working man's meal.  Its usually served with a side of plantains and topped with a fried egg, which you can see this version does not come with - disappointing.  

Aji de Gallina is another traditional Peruvian dish.  Its made with a yellow Peruvian chile called aji amarillo (means yellow in Spanish) which gives the dish its yellow color and supposedly some heat, but this one was rather mild.  It consists of strips of chicken mixed in a creamy sauce, almost like a light curry with a side of rice and a boiled egg.  Since I eat a lot of Indian and Japanese curries, this dish wasn't very flavorful for me.

Address:           Tawachaki
                                 Square by the Ollantaytambo ruins
                                 Ollantaytambo, Peru

Type:                   Peruvian, casual

Puka Rumi Restaurant (Ollantaytambo, Peru)

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Since Ollantaytambo is a small town, there aren't too many food options.  Puka Rumi is located right outside the ruins before the square.  Its known for their steaks and burritos.  Since I had a day of climbing planned I chose to pass on the burrito and go for something a little lighter.

This beef steak was stuffed with garlic and carrots and cooked in a red wine sauce and served with a side of mashed potatoes.  No knife needed!  This steak was so tender the beef practically melted in your mouth.

An amazingly fresh and delicious chicken soup with vegetables and quinoa.  More homey and comforting than any chicken soup I have ever tasted.

Address:                   Puka Rumi
                                          located right before the square near the ruins

Type:                          Peruvian, casual

Chomp worthy:  steaks and the chicken soup

El Albergue (Ollantaytambo, Peru)

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After catching an early flight from Lima to Cuzco and some sightseeing at Moray, I finally reached my home for the next couple days in the Sacred Valley.  I opted to acclimate in Ollantaytambo hoping I would avoid the altitude sickness with the gradual altitude (Ollantaytambo = approx. 2,700 meters above sea level; Machu Picchu = 2,430 meters; Cuzco = 3,400 meters).  Thank goodness I never experienced much altitude sickness the whole trip besides a faint shortness of breath at times.  I chose the El Albergue in Ollantaytambo at my central point for this leg of my trip.  I HIGHLY recommend this bed & breakfast/hostel.

A refreshing lemonade made with fresh squeezed lemons and a bottle of sparking water.

El Albergue is home to a small family of friendly cats. A couple of them decided to invite themselves to lunch.

A popular Peruvian dish called chicharron de pollo served with "mote", potatoes and an onion and mint salad.

Alpaca, which is similar to a llama, was something I had to eat in Peru.  It is a popular dish served in the Sacred Valley.  El Albergue's preparation was a steak cut with an elderberry sauce and Huacatay potato puree.  Alpaca had a beef and lamb taste and texture.  The meat was tender and juicy, but not gamey at all. 

 Address:                       El Albergue

                                              Ollantaytambo train station

                                              Ollantaytambo, Peru

Type:                                Peruvian
                                              casual

Chomp worthy:      Everything is delicious here!  Alpaca is a must try since it is indigenous to the area.  The
                                              lamb here is also some of the best lamb I've ever had.