The 5 Best Food in Cusco You Must Try

Cusco, an emblematic destination in Peru, boasts an exquisite gastronomy offering a wide selection of typical regional dishes. Below, we present the 5 typical dishes that you cannot miss when visiting the Imperial City.

Chiri Uchu

In Cusco’s cuisine, there’s a representative dish called Chiri Uchu, which means chili, well-known among locals. It’s consumed during festivities like Corpus Christi in June and also during Inti Raymi or the Feast of the Sun. This dish is a blend of cuy meat (guinea pig), cooked chicken, chalona (shredded lamb), torreja (toasted bread), trout roe, cochayuyo (a type of seaweed), sausage, toasted corn, serrano cheese, chorizo, and rocoto (pepper). It’s served cold in a single dish that you can eat in your own way. Some people prefer to use utensils, while others use their hands to enjoy this delightful stew. However, the trick is to combine all the flavors at once for a great culinary experience.

Puchero

Served during carnival, it’s rich, composed of various meats and accompanied by vegetables, potatoes, moraya (a type of potato), chickpeas, yucca, sweet potato, pear, peach, and rice. Undoubtedly, it’s a very diverse and delicious dish. It can be paired with your favorite drink.

Rocoto Relleno

Cusco’s creativity shines in this delightful dish made with stuffed peppers filled with chopped vegetables and delicious beef, covered with a crispy crust to be enjoyed in multiple bites, where the delicious serrano potato cannot be missed. It’s a traditional dish of the region that satisfies every palate.

Cuy al Horno

A highly nutritious dish typical of Cusco and Arequipa. This cuisine is especially present in the Peruvian Andean regions. It’s a delicacy baked in the oven and served with pre-cooked potatoes to be enjoyed at its best.

The cuy or guinea pig is a native rodent of the Andes mountain range in South America (Peru), domesticated more than 3000 years ago and subsequently taken by Spanish colonizers to Europe, where it became a pet. For the Incas, it held great significance; it was consumed during festivities (even today) and also for its high nutritional value (as it is today).

Chicharrón

A delicious specialty containing pork meat golden-fried in natural oil. This dish is served every day in the district of Saylla, 45 minutes from downtown Cusco. It’s served with slices of fried potato salad, mote (varieties of cooked corn grains), beans, and ají or uchucuta (ground pepper, in Quechua).

These 5 typical dishes are more than just delicacies; they’re a link between history, cultural identity, and Cusco’s culinary tradition, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in a feast of flavors that tell the story of this Imperial City.

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