The culinary traditions of Arequipa, the White City, can be best enjoyed in the so-called picanterías (traditional restaurants with firewood cookers). A good meal starts with hot red peppers stuffed with minced meat, spices, cheese, eggs and milk (rocoto relleno); then the so-called “soltero” made of broad beans, corn, olives and chopped hot red peppers; and ocopa or sliced potatoes with peanut, onion and cracker cream and, finally, chicharrones or “deep-fried” pork.Favorite soups are the white broth of lamb loins, potatoes, corn, chickpeas, freeze dried potatoes –chuño– and spices, and “puchero,” a stew of boiled beef, pork and chicken with vegetables and spices. Main dishes are “adobo”, a pork loin stew made with hot peppers, onions and corn beer called chicha, served with bread; also “picantes,” spicy dishes made of pork or beef, lamb or duck; “locro” a stew of beef, pork, beans and vegetables; “chupe,” a shrimp chowder where shrimps are fried in hot red pepper and cooked with broad beans, milk, rice, corn and potatoes; and “Malaya”, parboiled and fried flank steak.
Favorite desserts are fritters made of flour, eggs and milk and bathed in molasses syrup; “queso helado” cinnamon, coconut and spices ice cream, plus chocolates and toffees.
Good local beers, regional sodas and corn beer called chicha de jora are popular. Digestives are “té piteado” (tea and anise liqueur) or Nájar anise liqueur.
How to get there:
By plane: daily flights from Lima to Arequipa.
By road: to Arequipa by the pan-American highway.
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Rocoto Relleno/F.Soto y J.Sullivan/ PP | |
