Four Ways to Eat Like a Local in Peru

Peru is famous for its culinary delights. Whether you long for fresh ceviche, or peculiar potatoes – Peru has it all. Fabulous restaurants are in abundance, but to get a real taste of Peru you need to eat like a local. Check out these four tips to get you started.

Hunt down a homestay

Hostels are great places for meeting likeminded travellers, but if you want a taste of local life you should look further afield. AirBnB and Homestay.com are both useful resources, with keen hosts offering insights into their hometowns. We stayed with a wonderful couple in Cusco, where we spent the day shopping in the local market and cooking traditional Peruvian food. Our hosts made us feel so welcome and showed us a fascinating side of the city we hadn’t seen before. Check out the recipe for traditional Peruvian soup.

Make new friends at the market

For fancy fresh juices, or charming cheap eats, local markets are the place to be. Peru is home to some of the best markets in South America, selling everything from fruit and veg to herbal medicines and car tyres. Get chatting to one of the vendors for discounted offers – repeat purchases often result in bagging a bargain! Most of the major markets in Peru also have dining areas where you can join local families stuffing their faces with delicious meals – a wonderful way to practice the lingo.

Go back to school and get creative in the kitchen

Whether you are a whizz in the kitchen or can barely boil an egg, learning to cook a new dish is fabulous fun. Cooking classes offer new perspectives on traditional eats, including visits to the market and colourful stories of culture and heritage. Not only will you add to your (already flourishing) dinner party repertoire, but group classes are a great way to make new friends. The best bit, of course, is devouring your delicious handiwork at the end.

Feast on treats at a food festival

Get your hands on a local newspaper or city magazine and scour the pages for upcoming events. Big cities and small towns alike have their fair share of parades, performances and parties throughout the year. Here you will find unusual food stalls selling local produce, or perhaps a pop-up version of a popular restaurant. We were lucky enough to stumble across a cool foodie festival while in Cusco, but don’t leave it to chance. Fail to plan, plan to fail and all that…

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