Peruvian Food 101: 8 Amazing Dishes to Reinvent Your Meal Delivery Routine

Everyone from CNN’s Anthony Bourdain to the leading restaurant industry blogs agree: Peruvian food is having a moment. And if your office is stuck in a lunch rut (no offense, pizza, and Thai food), Peruvian may be the new take on food delivery you had no idea you were craving!

What is Peruvian food, exactly? Well, it’s fresh — really fresh. Raw-fish-fresh, as featured in the national dish, ceviche. It’s also hearty and traditional, with another iconic entree (pollo a la brasa) that’s essentially rotisserie chicken served with French fries. And it’s flavorful, with fiery aji chiles appearing in many forms in many dishes — but rarely overwhelming the palate.

Basically, Peruvian food is a global mash-up. It makes sense that this diverse country – which includes the Andes mountains, the Pacific coast, and the Amazon rainforest — would have a wide range of ingredients and cooking styles. But then, there’s the history: Spanish colonists in the 15th and 16th centuries, who brought African slaves, who were later replaced by Chinese laborers, who were then followed by waves of Japanese, Italian, and French immigrants in the 19th century… that’s a lot of culinary traditions meeting in one place. And the reason why it’s so hard to pigeonhole Peruvian food. There’s a lot more to it than ceviche and roasted chicken.

So here are eight of our favorite Peruvian takeout and delivery dishes – just to get your mouth watering, and inspire a little bit of a switch-up on your next corporate group order day!

1) Papa a la huancaina

Cold potatoes, eggs, and olives? Papa a la huancaina is actually a surprisingly delicious appetizer, mostly thanks to the fact that the dish swims in huancaina, a spicy cream sauce.

2) Ceviche

It’s iconic for a reason. The national dish is sliced raw fish, which is “cooked” (or rather, cured) by marinating in acidic citrus juices — usually lime or lemon — and mixed with spicy aji peppers and red onions. The result is a healthy, spicy, yet incredibly refreshing lunch.

3) Tiradito

Think ceviche meets sashimi: this Japanese-influenced dish is comprised of thinly sliced raw fish simply dressed, rather than marinated in, a spicy, citrusy pepper sauce. Unlike ceviche, tiradito isn’t cured in the citrus juice — but for sushi lovers, it’s a must-try.

4) Choritos a la chalaca

In this summery dish, usually served chilled, freshly steamed mussels are covered with a spicy salsa-like medley of tomatoes, onions, chiles, and lime juice.

5) Anticuchos

Not into seafood? Every cuisine needs its skewered meat, and Peru’s is traditionally made from beef hearts — although American restaurants might use more familiar cuts like tri-trip steak or even chicken. There might also be onions, mushrooms, and more huancaina.

6) Pollo a la brasa

This roasted, skin-on chicken, usually served with French fries, is the secret that will let you talk everyone in the office into ordering Peruvian for food delivery day — it’s the perfect dish for your coworker who thinks he doesn’t like “ethnic food”.

7) Lomo saltado

Strips of sirloin are seasoned with cumin and stir-fried with aji amarillo (hot yellow peppers), tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and soy sauce… and usually served with fried potato slices and rice. Saltado indicates a stir-fry (you might find chicken or seafood versions as well), and is part of the delicious mash-up of Chinese cooking techniques applied to Peruvian ingredients — commonly referred to as chifa.

8) Alfajores

Time for dessert! Finish your meal with alfajores, shortbread-like sandwich cookies filled with sweet, creamy dulce de leche. They’re incredibly popular in Peru, and after you have one (or two, or three) you’ll see why.

Hungry for something new? Try Peruvian cuisine today with food delivery services from Waiter.com! There’s no need to stay stuck in a takeout rut with our wide array of menus… and with simple online ordering and prompt delivery, we make it easier than ever to try new cuisine at the office every day.