Peruvian food is delicious, there’s no doubt about it. This cuisine, which fuses Asian, Italian, and Spanish influences has become a very popular Latin food option with delectable dishes like lomo saltado and papa a la huancaína. There are a few dishes, however, that only the most intrepid food explorer would dare try. Read on to discover three.
Anticuchos
At first glance, these skewers of marinated meat look like the shish kabab you’d find on street corners across the globe. Eat your heart out haters! These skewers are delish, especially when served with their traditional garlicky sauce that packs a little kick. Speaking of heart, that’s what the traditional anticucho recipe calls for… beef heart. This is one case where I’m thankful that I was told what I was eating after I had already started, or I might have missed the amazing appetizer that anticuchos peruanos turned out to be.
iStock/claudiio Doenitz
Cuy
From a distance, when you first see a cuy cooking, it looks like a tiny pig on a spit. As you get closer you realize that it looks more like a rodent. The hard truth here folks is that cuy is indeed a pig… a guinea pig. Before you get all judgy, keep in mind that while in the States guinea pigs are pets, like my beloved Snowball, in the Andes they’re a staple protein. I haven’t tried cuy myself, mostly because I grew up with a pet guinea pig, but I’ve heard that they have a pleasant gamey taste, like rabbit.
iStock/ glenn-specht
Alpaca
As a huge fan of Peruvian llamas, I was a bit crushed to learn that their smaller cousin, the alpaca winds up on dinner plates across the Andes. These little guys are so cute and furry! I’d much rather have a new Peruvian alpaca blanket instead of an alpaca meat sandwich, but that’s just me. Alpacas are super lean animals, which makes them a healthier alternative to beef, and perfect for cooking over high heat. From what I’ve heard, their roasted meat has a taste similar to buffalo. Apparently alpaca farming is becoming a thing here in the U.S., so you might just find alpaca as a protein choice on your next trip to your favorite burger joint.
iStock/ Kaszojad
Have you tried any of these bizarre foods? What did you think? Share this article with your friends and see who’s brave enough for this culinary adventure!