Peru

A Peruvian main course of poached and hand-shredded hen or chicken blanketed in a thick, golden sauce built from ají amarillo paste, milk-soaked white bread, ground walnuts, and grated Parmesan, served over white rice and boiled potatoes.

Peruvian street-food skewers of thinly sliced beef heart marinated overnight in ají panka, cumin, garlic, and vinegar, then grilled directly over live charcoal.

Arroz con Leche is the Hispanic rice pudding of rice slow-cooked in sweetened milk perfumed with cinnamon and vanilla.

A slow-simmered Andean feast soup built on a free-range mature hen whose prolonged cooking yields a deep golden, collagen-rich broth served with the bird's pieces, starchy vegetables, and fresh herbs.

A cold Peruvian layered terrine of lime- and ají amarillo-seasoned mashed papa amarilla encasing a filling of tuna or chicken bound with mayonnaise, typically garnished with avocado and black olive.

Raw saltwater fish cured entirely by the acid in fresh lime juice — not heat — then dressed with ají amarillo, thinly sliced red onion, cilantro, and salt, and served immediately swimming in its own curing liquid.

A non-fermented Peruvian cold beverage made by simmering dried purple maize (maíz morado) with pineapple rind, cinnamon, and cloves, then straining, sweetening, and finishing with fresh lime juice before serving chilled.

A rich, milk-enriched Andean chowder from Arequipa built on a stock of river-prawn heads and shells, thickened with potato and bound with a poached egg, colored and flavored by an ají panca aderezo.

Cuy al Horno is a whole cleaned guinea pig rubbed inside and out with a paste of cumin, ají, garlic, and salt, then slow-roasted until the skin crisps to a deep mahogany and the dark, fine-grained meat pulls cleanly from the bone — the ceremonial protein centerpiece of Andean feasts.

The citrus-and-chile curing liquid of Peruvian ceviche — strained and served on its own as a cold, bracing shot enriched with ginger, garlic, and celery.

A Peruvian chifa stir-fry of marinated beef strips flash-cooked at high heat with red onion, tomato, ají amarillo, and soy sauce, served simultaneously over white rice and alongside crispy French fries.

A Peruvian dessert pudding made from purple maize steeped with fruit and spices, then thickened with sweet potato starch and studded with dried and fresh fruit.

A traditional Andean Peruvian feast of marinated meats, potatoes, fava beans and humitas slow-cooked underground over fire-heated stones.

Sliced boiled Andean yellow potatoes blanketed in a vibrant, creamy sauce of ají amarillo, queso fresco, evaporated milk, and crackers, served at room temperature over lettuce and garnished with hard-boiled egg and black olive.

A Peruvian fritter of seasoned mashed potato shaped around a savory filling of spiced ground beef and aromatics, then deep-fried to a crisp golden shell.

Peruvian deep-fried doughnut rings made from a squash and sweet-potato dough, drizzled with spiced chancaca (raw-sugar) syrup.

A fiery Andean rocoto pepper hollowed and stuffed with a spiced ground-beef picadillo, topped with cheese and baked, traditionally served with a potato gratin.

A northern-Peruvian beef stew braised slowly in a cilantro-heavy sauce loosened with chicha de jora and beer, served with rice and beans.

A Peruvian fish stew in which fillets or steaks are gently 'sweated' in a fragrant broth of tomato, onion, and ají amarillo, often loosened with chicha or fish stock.

A two-layer Peruvian dessert consisting of a creamy dulce de leche (manjar blanco) base topped with a light port-wine meringue, characterized by the contrast between rich caramel and ethereal wine-flavored foam.

A Peruvian dish of leftover rice and beans mashed together and pan-fried into a crisp-edged cake or omelette-shaped patty, typically topped with a protein and salsa criolla.