Arequipeños are rightfully proud of their local cuisine. Many of Peru’s local dishes can get a bit repetitious (fried meat, rice, slice of tomato) but in Arequipa the sheer variety of local specialties can be overwhelming, in a very good way. We attempted to sample as many of these dishes as possible for your edification…. Buen Provecho!

Entradas (Appetizers)

Rocoto Rellena: a mildly spicy pepper stuffed with ground beef and spices (including peanuts), topped with a slice of cheese and baked. The peppers are soaked in water with salt and sugar overnight to remove the heat of them, but they can still have a feisty bite to them.

Pastel de Papas: very similar to a Spanish tortilla, with potatoes layered with eggs and cheese, baked golden on the top with a scattering of anis seeds in the top layer. Often served as a combo appetizer with a Rocoto Rellena (see photo above).

Soltero de Queso: A delicious cold salad of squares of fresh cheese, onions, tomatoes, lima beans, choclo (corn) and cilantro. Dressed with olive oil and a dash of vinegar; by far the healthiest thing on the “comida tipica” menu, but don’t let that scare you off!

Platos (Entrees)

Chicharron de Cerdo: Coming from Chicharron de Pescado on the coast, we were expecting little fluffy nuggets of deep fried pork. The Chicharron de Cerdo is actually large squares of fatty porky goodness, deep fried of course. So delicious. (Go for a run afterwords.)

Malaya Dorada: Ribs—golden fried and tough, but well-seasoned. I didn’t get a good knife, and I resorted to an unladylike tearing with my teeth. I recommend you to bring floss.

Chupe de Camarones: We didn’t get a chance to try this, but how can you really go wrong with shrimp soup?

Bebidas (Beverages)

Anis Najar: This anis-flavored liqueur comes in three styles, seco, semi-seco, and crema especial. Crema especial is sweeter and smoother, and I wish that I’d tried it in hot chocolate. A local digestif, Anis Najar is sometimes served with black tea in a hot drink known as Té Piteada.

Kola Escocesa: This local soda has faint flavor of cherry cough syrup, but for a Peruvian beverage it’s not too sweet. The bottle also has a charmingly classic feel to it.

Arequipeña: Local beer made by the beer giant Baccus. It tastes slightly different that the other beers sold by the giant. This beer tasted better when cold, really cold.

Postre (Dessert)

Toffees blandas: These delightful soft caramels come in a seemingly endless supply of flavors, including coconut, orange, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, almond and pecan. The coconut ones are divine, but they’re highly recommended in all their forms. The little shops that sell them also sell another dozen or so typical treats, from cookies to pastries.

Queso Helado: The name literally means “frozen cheese,” but this icy treat is more like a light ice cream. As far as I could make out, it’s made of milk, sugar and vanilla, frozen and blended. Great on a hot day, or really whenever.

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Looking for recipes? Arequipa Linda (Lovely Arequipa) has a great collection (in Spanish).

Still hungry? Head on over to Wanderfood Wednesday for some more delicious food posts!

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