Peruvian gastronomy is recognized for being among the top five worldwide, with many award-winning restaurants on multiple occasions. Still, this time, we will talk about a particular topic of food in Peru: street food. Peru is a country that has numerous ethnicities among its inhabitants, and this phenomenon is also transferred to the gastronomic part since street food in Peru is characterized by a fusion of various styles of international food.

Lima is Peru's capital and the country's most populated city, with a population density of almost 3,700 inhabitants per square kilometer, which places it among the five most populated cities in South America. Having reviewed this context, Lima hosts most of the leading restaurants in Peru and the highest percentage of street food places or ¨Huariques¨ as they are called in Peru.

Street food in Lima has yet to be created or has recently appeared. Contrary to what usually happens in many of the capitals of South America, street food in Lima had its origins in the colonial years and the Inquisition, where many people of low income or brought to Peru from other countries as slaves gathered in the afternoons and evenings and prepared food with the supplies that were discarded by Lima's elite. Over the years, street food in Lima has evolved and included new ingredients/styles to its already established dishes, popularly known as combinado or mixto.

In the following paragraphs, we have summarized Lima's main street food dishes and a small description.

Anticuchos: These are the cow's hearts marinated in local spices such as aji mirasol or panca and grilled with a stick of sugar cane or wood through it.

Cebiche: Raw fresh fish slices or cubes cooked with lemon juice and salt. It usually adds aji limo and onions cut into slices.

Chanfainita: Beef intestines are cut into small cubes, marinated in local sauces, and boiled with diced potatoes. It is usually eaten with corn called ¨mote¨ in Peru.

Causa limeña: Boiled potato-based pasta filled with avocado with chicken, fish, or seafood served in a circular or square mold.

Picarones: A traditional dessert from Lima consists of a dough based on sweet potato or chancaca, fried in rings and topped with honey.

As mentioned, these are not all the typical street food dishes in Lima, but they are the most requested by travelers visiting the city of Kings. Also, consider that most street food dishes in Lima are usually combined into duos, trios, and even dishes containing seven different street food types.

Also, consider that in each region of Peru, you will be able to find variants of the mentioned street food dishes as well as other completely different ones, so you should not worry if you have a travel program in Peru that stipulates more days in regions such as Cusco, Puno or Arequipa than in Lima.

Follow us on our networks and websites for the next post on The Best Street Food in Lima, which features the places that travelers visit the most during their stay in the beautiful coastal city of Lima.