Arequipa offers some of the best cuisine in Peru. It stands out for its varied flavors derived from ingredients native to the country's coast and mountains. Highlights include stuffed rocoto, adobo, shrimp soup, potato pie, chactado guinea pig, and more. Many of these dishes can be enjoyed in Arequipa's famous chicherías. Below, discover the 10 best dishes from Arequipa, their prices, and where to try them.
Stuffed Rocoto
Stuffed rocoto is Arequipa's signature dish. It is served as both an appetizer and a main course. As its name suggests, it is made from rocoto, a spicy fruit shaped like an apple. Rocoto is stuffed with ground meat, cheese, olives, stews, and all cooked in an oven. In Arequipa, this dish is often accompanied by potato pie. There is a story that attributes the creation of this dish to the priest Manuel Mesías, who created this spicy dish to satisfy the devil's palate and thus win back his daughter.
Where to eat? La Lucila Restaurant, Laurita Cau Cau Restaurant, or the San Camilo Market.
How much does it cost? (approximately): 10 to 50 soles, depending on the restaurant you choose.
Arequipeño Adobo
This dish is also known as pork adobo or simply Arequipeño adobo. As its name suggests, it is made from pork seasoned with chili, garlic, lard, chicha, and rocoto pepper. All these ingredients are fried and cooked in the same juice. Arequipeños often accompany it with three-cheek bread soaked in the sauce. Historian Enrique Ramírez notes that the origin of this dish was in the Arequipa district of Cayma in 1525.
Where to eat? La Nueva Palomino Restaurant, Laurita Cau Cau Restaurant, or San Camilo Market.
How much does it cost? (approximately): 10 to 50 soles, depending on the restaurant you choose.
Shrimp Soup
Shrimp soup is a famous dish throughout Peru, although it originates in Arequipa. As its name suggests, river shrimp is its main ingredient. It is a soup seasoned with potatoes, cheese, milk, beans, peas, corn, rice, and egg. Although shrimp can be caught in any river in Peru, they are traditionally caught in the Ocoña and Majes rivers in Arequipa. It is one of the most famous dishes in Arequipa's picanterias. Its fame is also widespread in the city of Lima.
Where to eat? La Nueva Palomino Restaurant, Laurita Cau Cau Restaurant, or La Lucila Restaurant.
How much does it cost? (approximately): 15 to 60 soles, depending on the restaurant you choose.
Arequipa Ocopa
Ocopa is a very popular sauce throughout Peru, although its origins are in the city of Arequipa. Its preparation is similar to the also famous "papa a la huancaína." It is made with yellow chili pepper, cheese, milk, huacatay, peanuts, crackers, oil, and salt. This dish is usually accompanied by a boiled egg and fresh lettuce. Peruvians prefer it as a starter. Ocopa has an Andean tradition. It is believed to have origins before the Spanish invasion in the 16th century.
Where to eat? Laurita Cau Cau Restaurant, La Lucila Restaurant, or the San Camilo Market.
How much does it cost? (approximately): 5 to 20 soles depending on the restaurant you choose.
Potato Pie
The world-famous potato pie has its own characteristics in Arequipa. The most notable thing is that in Arequipa, this pie does not have a meat filling. It is made with white potatoes, cheese, milk, flour, eggs, butter, oil, and anise. All these ingredients are cooked in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Arequipeños usually accompany the stuffed rocoto with potato cake.
Where to eat? Laurita Cau Cau Restaurant, La Lucila Restaurant, or the San Camilo Market.
How much does it cost? (approximately): 5 to 20 soles, depending on the restaurant you choose.
Chaque Soup
Chaque is a delicious soup originating in the city of Arequipa. Its ingredients are mostly Andean, so it is believed that its origins date back to the Inca era. It is made with beef ribs, beef tripe, wheat, corn, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, chuño, as well as garlic, salt, oil, and other spices. Arequipeños have a tradition of eating it on Mondays. It is widely consumed in the region's popular markets.
Where to eat? Laurita Cau Cau Restaurant, La Nueva Palomino Restaurant, or the San Camilo Market.
How much does it cost? (approximately): From 5 to 20 soles depending on the restaurant you choose.
Olluco Soup
Peru is a land where different types of soups are often prepared. There is shrimp soup, squash soup, broad bean soup, and also olluco soup. As its name suggests, this dish is made with chopped olluco, cheese, squash, corn, broad beans, yellow potatoes, huacatay, milk, salt, and pepper. Its ingredients are mostly produced in the Peruvian Andes. Arequipa residents often eat it as a starter in the city's main markets.
Where to eat? La Lucila Restaurant, La Nueva Palomino Restaurant, or the San Camilo Market.
How much does it cost? (approximately): 10 to 30 soles depending on the restaurant you choose.
Brisket Locro
Although this dish is prepared throughout Peru, it has gained its greatest popularity in Arequipa. Its main ingredient is beef brisket. White potatoes, red chili peppers, onions, turnips, celery, salt, and mint are also used. Throughout the country, it is eaten with white rice. In Arequipa, it is usually eaten in the picanterías (small restaurants) of the "white city" as a main course. It can be accompanied by a glass of chicha.
Where to eat? La Nueva Palomino Restaurant, the San Camilo market, or any restaurant in the city.
How much does it cost? (approximately): 10 to 40 soles, depending on the restaurant you choose.
Arequipeño Escribano
This peculiar Arequipeño dish is a salad made with rocoto peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, vinegar, salt, and oil. Its name comes from a story that tells us that the escribanos (scribes) worked very long hours, so they would arrive late to the picanterías (small restaurants) of Arequipa. Thus, they were served this easy-to-prepare dish. Escribano is usually served garnished with huacatay branches. In some picanterías, seafood is added. It is prepared as a starter.
Where to eat? La Lucila Restaurant, La Nueva Palomino Restaurant, or the San Camilo Market.
How much does it cost? (approximately): 5 to 20 soles, depending on the restaurant you choose.
Cuy chactado
Cuy chactado is a dish spread mainly in the Andean region of Peru. Although its origins are uncertain, the people of Arequipa claim to be the creators of this dish made from cuy (guinea pig). It is also prepared with corn flour, lemon, garlic, pepper, and cumin, all fried in a pan with plenty of oil. Cuy chactado is found in the city's main tourist restaurants. It is usually accompanied by potatoes, onions, and, at the customer's request, a glass of chicha.
Where to eat? Laurita Cau Cau Restaurant, La Nueva Palomino Restaurant, or the San Camilo Market.
How much does it cost? (approximately): 30 to 70 soles, depending on the restaurant you choose.
