Ceviche, cebiche, sebiche, or seviche is a dish consisting of fish or shellfish marinated in citrus and seasonings, recognized by UNESCO as an expression of Peruvian traditional cuisine and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, although different versions of ceviche are part of the culinary culture of various Spanish-American countries along the Pacific Ocean where each one is native: Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru. In Peru it is also considered a flagship dish and cultural heritage.
Peruvian culture is the gradual blending of Amerindian cultures with European and African ethnic groups. The ethnic diversity and rugged geography of Peru allowed diverse traditions and customs to co-exist. Peruvian culture has been deeply influenced by Native culture, Spanish culture, and African culture. Other minor influences on their culture are Chinese, Japanese, and other European peoples.
Chinese Peruvians, also known as tusán, are Peruvian citizens whose ancestors came from China.
Chinatowns in Latin America developed with the rise of Chinese immigration in the 19th century to various countries in Latin America as contract laborers in agricultural and fishing industries. Most came from Guangdong Province. Since the 1970s, the new arrivals have typically hailed from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Latin American Chinatowns may include the descendants of original migrants — often of mixed Chinese and Latino parentage — and more recent immigrants from East Asia. Most Asian Latin Americans are of Cantonese and Hakka origin. Estimates widely vary on the number of Chinese descendants in Latin America but it is at least 1.4 million and likely much greater than this.
Peruvian cuisine reflects local practices and ingredients including influences mainly from the indigenous population, including the Inca, and cuisines brought by immigrants from Europe, Asia, and Africa. Without the familiar ingredients from their home countries, immigrants modified their traditional cuisines by using ingredients available in Peru.
Lomo saltado is a popular, traditional Peruvian dish, a stir fry that typically combines marinated strips of sirloin with onions, tomatoes, french fries, and other ingredients; and is typically served with rice. The dish originated as part of the chifa tradition, the Chinese cuisine of Peru, though its popularity has made it part of the mainstream culture.
Barrio chino is a neighborhood in Lima, Peru that is centered on two blocks – 7 and 8 – of Jirón Ucayali in downtown. The neighborhood was founded in the mid-19th century by Chinese immigrants, but it was heavily damaged in the late 19th century by the War of the Pacific and further declined in the following decades. It experienced a revival starting in the 1970s and is now a thriving resource for Chinese-Peruvian culture.
Puchero is a type of stew originally from Spain, prepared in Yucatán, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Perú, south of Brazil, the Philippines, and Spain, specifically the autonomous communities of Andalusia and the Canary Islands. The Spanish word "puchero" originally meant an earthenware pot, before being extended to mean any vessel, and then the dish cooked in it.
Chinese fried rice is a family of fried rice dishes popular in Greater China and around the world. It is sometimes served as the penultimate dish in Chinese banquets, just before dessert.
The seco is a stew typical of Ecuadorian and Peruvian cuisine. It can be made with any type of meat. According to an Ecuadorian popular etymology, the name of seco comes from the Península de Santa Elena in Ecuador, where at the beginning of the 20th century a camp English did oil work in Ancón, when referring to the second course of food, in English "second", the Ecuadorians repeated deforming the word until they reached the current "seco", which has been widely disseminated, despite being a myth, since records of this dish have been found since 1820, almost a century before the English presence in the Santa Elena Peninsula. At that time, deer and Creole goats abounded. According to the Dictionary of Peruvianisms of the Peruvian Wings University, seco is a «stew of beef, kid or another animal, macerated in vinegar, which is served accompanied by rice and a sauce of ají, huacatay and cilantro”. Thus, its main characteristic is to marinate and cook the chosen meat with some type of sauce acid, such as chicha, beer, naranjilla or vinegar.
Arroz chaufa, also known as arroz de chaufa, is a fried rice dish from Peru. It is part of the Chinese Peruvian cuisine, which is called chifa.
Puerto Rican Chinese cuisine is a popular style of food exclusive to restaurants in Puerto Rico developed by its Chinese immigrants. The food is a variation of Cantonese cuisine with some elements of Puerto Rican cuisine. A typical dish consists of fried rice, a choice of meat, and French fries. The fried rice itself varies in every restaurant, but can contain many ingredients such as ham, beef, shrimp, egg, lettuce, and onions. In 2020, there were an estimated 450 Chinese restaurants in Puerto Rico and the owners suffered discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico.
Carapulcra, or carapulca, is an ancient Andean dish that has been prepared for centuries by both Quechua peoples and Aymara peoples. The original term for this dish in the Aymara language is qala phurk'a, which means a stew made with hot stones. In contemporary Peruvian cuisine and Bolivian cuisine, it is a stew of pork and papa seca, with peanuts, aji panca and mirasol peppers, garlic, and other spices like clove. In ancient times llama meat or alpaca meat would have been used, and some people still use these meats today. It is usually eaten with rice, boiled potatoes or yuca.
The juane is one of the main dishes of the cuisine of the Peruvian jungle and is widely consumed on June 24, the feast of St. John the Baptist, hence the name. It is known that after the arrival of the Spanish people to Incan lands, missionaries popularized the biblical account of the beheading of St. John. This dish's name could therefore be, more specifically, a reference to the head of St. John. It possibly originated in the city of Moyobamba.
Chinese Latin American or Chino-Latino cuisine, associated with Asian Latin Americans of Chinese origin, combines elements of Chinese cuisine with other Latin American influences. It is found in Chinese communities and Chinatowns across Latin America, including Peru and Cuba. It has spread to the United States with the migration of Asian Latin Americans, particularly the migration of Chinese Cubans to New York City.
Causa limeña or simply causa, is a typical and widespread entrée of the Peruvian gastronomy which has a pre-Columbian origin.
Tallarín saltado is a Peruvian dish that is found in chifa cuisine. The name of the dish comes from the word "stir-fry" (saltear), in which the food is fried over high heat in small pieces. To make this dish, some cooked noodles, vegetables and portions of meat are sautéed to taste. The seasoning or dressing comes from Chinese spices and sesame oil.
Nikkei cuisine is a type of fusion cuisine that combines Japanese and Peruvian elements. Nikkei is the word used to describe immigrants of Japanese origin in Peru.
Jirón Ucayali is a major street in the Damero de Pizarro, located in the historic centre of Lima, Peru. The street starts at its intersection with the Jirón de la Unión and continues until it reaches Jirón Paruro. Its route extends to the west along Jirón Ica.
