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or other seafood marinated in lime juice, onions, cilantro and chili peppers, it is typically served with a wedge of boiled corn and sweet potato. Tiradito is a Japanese-influenced version: thin slices of fish served without onions, and sometimes bathed in a creamy hot pepper sauce. Seafood in general is a major facet of Peruvian cuisine – even in the mountains, where river trout is popular. Fish is prepared dozens of ways: al ajo (bathed in garlic), frito (fried) or a la chorrillana (cooked in white wine, tomatoes and onions). Shellfish appear regularly in soups, stews and Spanish omelets. Choros a la chalaca (chilled mussels with fresh corn salsa), conchitas a la parmesana (scallops baked with cheese) and pulpo al olivo (octopus in a smashed olive sauce) are favorites.

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THE COUNTRY’S TOP EATS

Collectively, the writers on this guidebook spent months on the road and ate hundreds of meals. Herewith, a list of the places so good they brought tears to our eyes and unbridled joy to our palates:

Arequipa: La Nueva Palomino serves melt-in-your-mouth roast pork and monstrous jars of chicha (fermented corn beer) in a packed, informal setting (see boxed text, Click here).

Cuzco: Gastón Acurio’s latest chic eat, Chicha (Click here), serves an achingly tender estofado de res (beef stew). Look for a second outpost of this restaurant in Arequipa (Click here).

Huancayo: Dip into the creamiest papas a la huancaína (steamed potatoes served with a spicy, creamy cheese sauce) in a flower-filled courtyard at Huancahuasi (Click here).

Iquitos: A vintage rubber boom eatery, Gran Maloka produces an exquisite chupín de pollo, a thick, beautiful soup of chicken, egg and rice (Click here).

Lima: El Verídico de Fidel has ceviches so deliciously aphrodisiacal you might find yourself making out with a waiter after your meal (Click here).

Tarapoto: At La Patarashca don’t miss the namesake dish, traditional platters of fresh-grilled Amazon giant shrimp and fish doused in garlic and cilantro (Click here).

Trujillo: Restaurant Demarco is a small bistro that ladles out the butteriest, most lip-smacking chupe de camarones (shrimp chowder) in the land (Click here).

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Soups are extraordinarily popular, especially in the chilly highlands, where these tend to be a generous, gut-warming experience. Chupe de camarones (shrimp chowder) is a mainstay, along with sopa a la criolla (a mild, creamy noodle soup with beef and vegetables) and caldo de gallina (a nourishing chicken soup with potatoes and vegetables).

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In addition to Gastón Acurio, Peru’s most celebrated novoandina chefs (all based in Lima) include Pedro Miguel Schiaffino (Malabar), Rafael Osterling (Rafael) and Rafael Piqueras (Fusión).

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Other common main dishes include ají de gallina (shredded chicken in spicy walnut sauce), picante de pollo (stewed chicken with yellow chilies and cilantro) and, in the highlands, cuy chactado (seared, pressed guinea pig). In the north, a favorite is arroz con pato a la chiclayana (a dish of duck and rice simmered in beer and cilantro, typical of the northern city of Chiclayo). Aguaditos are soupy risottos made with chicken, seafood or beef. In recent years, Amazonian dishes, such as juanes (a banana leaf stuffed with rice and chicken or pork), have also grown in popularity around the country.

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Conchas negras (literally, black shells) are a mangrove mollusk resembling a mussel that are popular in ceviche. they are alleged, by some, to have unmatched aphrodisiac qualities.

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Desserts tend to be hypersweet diabetes-inducing concoctions. Suspiro limeña is the most famous, consisting of manjar blanco (caramel) topped with sweet meringue. Also popular are alfajores (cookie sandwiches with caramel) and crema volteada (flan). Lighter and fruitier is mazamorra morada, a purple-corn pudding (of Afro-Peruvian origin) stocked with chunks of fresh pineapple.

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DRINKS

The main soft drink brands are available here, though the locals have a passion