Amazonian Cuisine

If only given one phrase to describe the varied cuisine of the Peruvian Amazon, it would be “culinary delight”.

Food from the Peruvian Amazon not only entices with its exotic dishes, but also attracts travelers with its great variety of delicacies such as beef, poultry, fish, mutton and pork.

It also offers other examples of Pachamama’s abundance, such as majaz, with its lean meat and delicious flavor, or plantains, used as a main ingredient in many recipes. And what better companion for this tantalizing food than the fresh juice of countless kinds of fruit, or other drinks, such as masato guaranteed to pamper the palate of our most indulged visitors.

Loreto, Ucayali, San Martín and Madre de Dios

Food from eastern Peru is exotic. The biodiversity of its resources seems infinite. Chonta or palm heart, harvested from palm trees, is an important element of Amazonian cooking and is used to make salads. Amazonian fare includes an array of meats: beef, poultry, fish, lamb and other gamey meats such as majaz, prized in the area for its delicious flavor and lean quality.

The plantain is another key ingredient in Amazonian food. It is used to prepare tacacho, which is often served with pork cracklings or dried pork. Juanes, pieces of chicken packed in cooked rice and wrapped in bijao leaves to cook; roast picuro, a species similar to the guinea pig; apinchado, cuts of pork stewed with peanuts and corn; andpatarashca, fish steamed in leaves in hot coals, are all examples of the flavors proffered by Amazonian dishes.

Juanes, pieces of chicken packed in cooked rice and wrapped in banana leaves to be lightly roasted; roast picuro, a species similar to the guinea pig; apinchado, cuts of pork stewed with peanuts and corn; and patarashca, fish steamed in leaves in hot coals, are all examples of the varied flavors proffered by Amazonian dishes.

Noteworthy soups include inchicapi, chicken prepared with peanuts, cilantro and cassava, and carachama soup, made from fish and accompanied with plantains and cilantro. When it comes to drinks, the Amazon offers remarkable fresh juices made from countless types of fruit, such as aguajina and cocona, as well as concoctions like masato or chuchuhuasi, which is alcoholic, or uvachado, a fermented grape beverage, and chapo, prepared with banana and/or milk.

Access:
By air: daily flights from Lima to Iquitos, Pucallpa, Tarapoto and Puerto Maldonado. Daily flights from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado.