What to eat in Peru, from coast to jungle

In Peru, the menu changes with the altitude. So does the view. The cold Humboldt Current feeds the coast, the Andes grow thousands of potato varieties, and the Amazon brings fruits you've never heard of. Here's what to look for at each level. For the interactive version, try our food map.

The coast: sea level

• Ceviche. Raw fish, lime, chilli, red onion. Eat it at lunchtime: many cevicherías close by late afternoon.
• Causa limeña. Cold layers of lime-and-chilli potato with a filling.
• Lomo saltado. Wok-fried beef with chips and rice, a Chinese-Peruvian classic.
• Anticuchos. Grilled beef-heart skewers, best from a street cart at dusk.
• Pisco. Grape brandy from the valleys south of Lima. Try it neat as well as in a sour.

Lima's restaurant scene deserves its own trip. We book the tables that need booking months ahead.

The Andean valleys: about 2,300–3,400 m

• Choclo con queso. Giant-kernel Sacred Valley corn with fresh cheese.
• Pachamanca. Meat and potatoes cooked under hot stones in an earth oven.
• Rocoto relleno. Arequipa's stuffed red chilli. Hotter than it looks.
• Maras salt. From thousands of terraced salt pans above the valley.

The high Andes: about 3,400 m and up

• Native potatoes. Purple, yellow, knobbly, striped. Ask for papas nativas.
• Quinoa and chuño. Grains and freeze-dried potatoes from around Lake Titicaca.
• Lake trout at Titicaca, and alpaca steak in Cusco and Arequipa.
• Mate de coca. Coca-leaf tea, offered on arrival at most hotels.

Cloud forest and Amazon: about 100–2,500 m

• Coffee and cacao. Grown on the misty eastern slopes. A chocolate workshop is a great rainy-afternoon plan in Cusco.
• Juane. Rice and chicken wrapped in a leaf, made for the San Juan festival.
• Paiche. A giant river fish, now farmed sustainably.
• Camu camu. A sour little fruit, usually as juice.

A few practical notes

Drink bottled or filtered water. Go easy on rich food and alcohol in your first days at altitude. And always say yes to the market tour.