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Food and Drink
The hot and spicy nature of Peruvian food, created by ají and ajo (hot pepper and garlic), has become celebrated at home and abroad. Peruvians enjoy a wide variety of vegetables; there are over 2,000 kinds of indigenous and cultivated potatoes alone. Table service is the norm in hotels and restaurants and many also offer buffet-type lunches.
National specialities:
• Ceviche (uncooked fish marinated in lemon or lime juice and hot chilli pepper).
• Chupe de camarones (chowder-type soup made with shrimps, milk, eggs, potatoes and peppers).
• Causa relleña (potato cakes with chicken in the centre, but also cooked with avocado or crabmeat).
• Tamales (boiled corn dumplings filled with meat and wrapped in a banana leaf).
• Mazamorra morada (purple maize and sweet potato starch jelly cooked with lemons, dried fruits, cinnamon and cloves).
National drinks:
• Pisco sour (bittersweet cocktail made from a potent grape brandy).
• Other pisco-based drinks are algarrobina (pisco and carob syrup), chilcano (pisco and ginger ale) and capitán (pisco and vermouth).
• Chicha de jora (fermented corn juice) and chicha morada (non-alcoholic purple corn juice) are popular drinks dating from Inca times.
• Peruvian beers and wines are good.
Legal drinking age: 18.
Tipping: Service charges of 10% are added to bills. Additional tips of 5% are expected in better restaurants.
National specialities:
• Ceviche (uncooked fish marinated in lemon or lime juice and hot chilli pepper).
• Chupe de camarones (chowder-type soup made with shrimps, milk, eggs, potatoes and peppers).
• Causa relleña (potato cakes with chicken in the centre, but also cooked with avocado or crabmeat).
• Tamales (boiled corn dumplings filled with meat and wrapped in a banana leaf).
• Mazamorra morada (purple maize and sweet potato starch jelly cooked with lemons, dried fruits, cinnamon and cloves).
National drinks:
• Pisco sour (bittersweet cocktail made from a potent grape brandy).
• Other pisco-based drinks are algarrobina (pisco and carob syrup), chilcano (pisco and ginger ale) and capitán (pisco and vermouth).
• Chicha de jora (fermented corn juice) and chicha morada (non-alcoholic purple corn juice) are popular drinks dating from Inca times.
• Peruvian beers and wines are good.
Legal drinking age: 18.
Tipping: Service charges of 10% are added to bills. Additional tips of 5% are expected in better restaurants.
Nightlife
There are many good bars, pubs, discos and casinos in the major towns and tourist resorts. Peñas always serve snacks and some serve full meals. Here you can enjoy criolla or folk music, especially at weekends. Nightlife in Lima and Cusco has a wide array of choices. Most discos, peñas, pubs and karaokes are open until 0300 or 0400 in the morning.
Shopping
There are many attractive Peruvian handicrafts such as alpaca wool sweaters, alpaca and llama rugs, Indian masks, colourful weaving and jewellery. Galleries and handicraft shops abound in Cusco and the Miraflores, Pueblo Libre and downtown districts of Lima. Handicrafts markets are located in Miraflores (Avenida Petit Thouars, blocks 52 to 53) and Pueblo Libre (Avenida La Marina, blocks 8 to 10). Bargaining (regateo) is an expected practice with beach vendors and at markets.
Shopping hours: Hours vary significantly, but the standard is Mon-Sat 1000-1300 and 1600-2000.
Shopping hours: Hours vary significantly, but the standard is Mon-Sat 1000-1300 and 1600-2000.