Peruvian Cuisine keeps being enjoyed by locals and foreigners and is considered the best cuisine in South America and one of the best in the world. If you consider yourself a foodie, just like the one who’s written this article, you may have already tried some of our dishes.
Perhaps Lomo Saltado, Pollo a la Brasa, Cuy, or our flagship dish, ceviche. However, how much do you know about the Peruvian Rainforest food? Commemorating Peruvian Cuisine Day, which is celebrated every year on September 8th, let’s see some must-try dishes from the Peruvian Jungle that we assure you’ll love.
Peruvian Amazon Ingredients
Paiche also known as “arapaima”, is the largest freshwater fish in the Amazonas. Its flavor is mild, without strong taste, and has an elegant texture. It can be enjoyed grilled, fried, stir-fried, or barbecued, making it a versatile option for various cooking methods.
Camu Camu is a citrus fruit used in juices, sauces, and salads. It is high in vitamin C and has a refreshing and delicious taste. We highly recommend trying the juice made from it.
Cocona is another citrus tropical fruit. Cocona is more used in salads and sauces. A salad or a hot sauce including this fruit is a bittersweet, intense flavor, while the juice is refreshing and sweet. Cocona and its derivates have several medicinal properties.
Bijao Leaves are a traditional holder when eating Amazonian food in the Peruvian jungle. It’s not only used for presentation purposes but it also adds a distinctive flavor to meals.
Popular Dishes
Juanes
Juanes is the most popular Amazonian Peruvian dish. Simple in concept, Juanes is made with rice and meat bundles wrapped up in banana or bijao leaves. It’s popular in the Amazon region, where it holds a special place in people’s hearts.
To make juanes, cooks combine rice with seasoned meat – often chicken – garlic, lightly spiced diced onions, Cocona fruit, and local spices for a flavor that’s really something. Some versions, such as “Juane de gallina” or Hen Juanes consist of the mix marinated in tomato and onion sauce and then wrapped in banana leaves.
Once the mix is wrapped it is steamed or boiled, letting all the flavors meld together. This dish is best enjoyed with Masato, or cecina, which we’ll talk about later in this blog. It is also dressed with fried banana chips called “patacones”.
In the Festival of San Juan, the most popular celebration in the Peruvian jungle a staple at festivals and special events, people eat it a lot for their unique flavor mix and the great smell of the banana leaves.
Inchicapi
The name of this Peruvian food comes from the Quechua words “Inchic” which means peanut, and “capi” which is stew. The main ingredients of “inchicapi”, a creamy Peruvian soup, are chicken or hen meat, cornmeal, peanuts, oil, tapioca, and garlic.
It comes from the jungle areas of San Martin, Loreto, and Ucayali in Peru. This classic soup is typically topped with chopped coriander just before serving. A recurring accompaniment for Inchicapi is adding boiled plantain.
Tacacho con Cecina
This is a combination of “Tacacho,” a mix of mashed potatoes, lard, and pork rind. “Cecina” is dried pork meat from Peru’s forests, is smoked and dried.
It’s interesting to note that “Tacacho” comes from a Quechua word that means “what it’s beaten” or “what it’s pounded.”
Pollo Canga
Many people in the jungle area say that it’s older than the famous “pollo a la brasa.” Pollo Canga” is boneless grilled chicken, but what makes it different is the seasoning, which is based on fruits and spices that you only can find in this region.
The result is a tender, juicy, and delicious chicken with a unique flavor, accompanied by Cocona-made salad or hot sauce.
Ensalada de Chonta
“Chonta”, also known as palm heart, is a delicious tender shoot from palm species like pijuayo and acai. Indigenous communities in Latin America have enjoyed it for generations. A refreshing chonta salad includes sliced or delicately shredded palm hearts, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon.
This delightful dish is not just popular in Amazonian cuisine; it has also made its way around the world thanks to its fresh flavor and crunchy texture. Plus, chonta is packed with fiber, vitamins, potassium, and antioxidants, making it a nutritious choice. Its rich cultural heritage adds to its charm, making it a wonderful addition to any meal!
Masato
Although this is not a meal, we decided to include it as “Masato” is the most traditional Amazonian drink thanks to its bizarre preparation. Its main ingredient is boiled yuca, also known as manioc or cassava, a utensil called “batan”, which is a grinder used in Peru. The other ingredient is human spit. Yes, you read it well, human spit.
People who take part in its preparation chew the mashed cassava for 30 minutes. Then, they spit the mouthful into a bucket. Traditionally, people chew yuca to break down its starch into sugar using enzymes in their saliva. This step helps with fermentation, which can take anywhere from four to ten days, depending on how strong you want the drink to be.
After fermentation, the chewed yuca is mixed with water and strained. This creates a white liquid that has a delightful, slightly sour milk-like taste. In some modern communities, folks often take a shortcut by adding sugar, sweet potato, or even sugarcane liquor (cañazo) to boost the alcohol content and speed up fermentation.
We hope you can enjoy traditional jungle cuisine on your trip to Peru! We assure you you’ll love it just like the rest of our vast and delicious cuisine. When in Peru trust us, travel with Viagens Machu Picchu. More than 100,000 satisfied clients can confirm that our service is the best. Contact our experts to start planning your trip to Peruvian lands!
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