Lúcuma is a fruit that is an enormously popular ingredient in Peruvian desserts, especially ice cream, with sales eclipsing more traditional flavors like chocolate and strawberry. Opening the fruit, the shape and large central stone are just like an avocado but with bright orange flesh. The fruit has a similar texture to cooked egg yolk, it’s dry and crumbling, and for that reason lúcuma is sometimes called “eggfruit” in English.
Maca is climbing the charts as a nutritional supplement and super food. It’s been called everything from “nature’s Viagra” to Peruvian ginseng, and when taken in powdered form it’s been shown to increase libido, reduce the risk of prostate cancer and improve sperm count for men, and alleviate period pain and increase fertility for women. It does so without directly raising hormone levels
The Moche people of Northern Peru held freshwater crayfish or camarones to be sacred, and they appear in artwork found in Sipan and at sites around Trujillo. Seafood soups featuring camarones are popular throughout coastal Peru, with the picanterias of Arequipa specializing in mountainous collections of the crayfish in this opaque, spicy broth.
It May Interest You: How to Spend 2 Days in Arequipa
Update: Grimanesa Vargas Araujo now has her own restaurant.
Dying to try some real local street food in Lima, but worried about the consequences? Here’s a way to enjoy a mainstay Peruvian dish that won’t have you regretting it the next day.
Peru’s love affair with the lime starts with ceviche and continues in its potent, refreshing national cocktail, the pisco sour.
