Best Peruvian Food in Cusco | Llapango Travel

Peruvian cuisine has been on the global food map for over a decade now, and Cusco — despite being a mountain city — has its own distinct culinary identity shaped by Andean ingredients and Inca-era cooking traditions.

1. Cuy (guinea pig) — a Cusco specialty, usually roasted whole. Adventurous, but a genuine local tradition, not a tourist gimmick.
2. Lomo saltado — stir-fried beef, onions, tomatoes, and fries, a legacy of 19th-century Chinese immigration to Peru.
3. Chicharrón — deep-fried pork, typically served with mote (hominy) and onion salsa.
4. Rocoto relleno — a fiery stuffed pepper, not for the spice-averse.
5. Chiriuchu — a cold Cusco specialty combining guinea pig, chicken, sausage, cheese, and seaweed, traditionally eaten during Corpus Christi.
6. Quinoa soup (chairo) — hearty, warming, and a good antidote to Cusco’s altitude and evening chill.
7. Alpaca steak — leaner than beef, commonly grilled and served with Andean potatoes.
8. Anticuchos — grilled beef heart skewers, a popular street food.
9. Chicha morada — a sweet, non-alcoholic purple corn drink found everywhere.
10. Chicha de jora — the fermented, alcoholic cousin of chicha morada, an Inca-era corn beer still brewed in Sacred Valley villages.

Most of our full-day Sacred Valley tours include a stop for a traditional lunch — ask your guide to point out the dishes on this list.