Arequipan cuisine facts for kids

Arequipan cuisine is the special food from Arequipa, a city in Peru. It's a big part of Peruvian cuisine. Arequipa is famous for its picanterías. These are traditional restaurants where you can try delicious, often spicy, local dishes. They serve a drink called chicha de jora and small plates of food seasoned with spicy rocoto peppers. Sometimes, there's even music or singing!

Discovering Arequipa's Picanterías

Picanterías are unique restaurants in Arequipa. They are known for cooking food over firewood in clay pots. This traditional way of cooking gives the dishes a special flavor. Many of these recipes come from the time when Spain ruled Peru.

Daily Dishes at Picanterías

Picanterías often have a special menu for each day of the week. This tradition has been around since the Spanish colonial period. It's a fun way to try different dishes!

• Monday: Chaque
• Tuesday: Chairo
• Wednesday: Chochoca
• Thursday: Red stew or potato flour dishes
• Friday: Stew
• Saturday: Stew or Timpusca
• Sunday: White broth, Pebre loins, and Adobo

Popular Arequipan Dishes to Try

Arequipa has many famous dishes. Here are some of the most popular ones you might find:

• Chupe de Camarones: A tasty shrimp soup.
• Ocopa Arequipeña: Boiled potatoes covered in a creamy, flavorful sauce.
• Rocoto Relleno: A spicy pepper stuffed with meat and other ingredients.
• Adobo: Pork marinated in a special sauce.
• Solterito de Queso: A fresh salad with cheese.
• Potato Cake: A delicious baked potato dish.
• Costillar Frito: Fried ribs.
• Cuy Chactado: Fried Guinea pig.
• Cauche de Queso: A cheese stew.
• Locro: A hearty vegetable stew.
• Chaque de Pecho: A beef stew.

More About Arequipan Flavors

Let's learn more about some of these amazing dishes:

• Rocoto Relleno: This dish uses a special spicy pepper called rocoto. The pepper is carefully prepared and then stuffed with chopped meat, peanuts, boiled eggs, olives, cream cheese, and milk. It's often served with baked potatoes.
• Ocopa: This dish features boiled potatoes. They are covered with a creamy sauce made from yellow hot pepper, onion, garlic, cream cheese, and a special herb called huacatay. The sauce is blended with dry bread to make it thick. It's served with boiled eggs, olives, and lettuce.
• Arequipan Adobo: This is a rich pork dish. Pieces of pork meat are marinated overnight in chicha, vinegar, hot pepper, and other spices. It's served with its delicious gravy.
• Chairo: This is a beef broth stew. It's made with yellow hot pepper, garlic, onion, spices, black chuño (a type of dried potato), pieces of cured meat, lamb tongue, and patasca (a pork and corn stew). It's often served with toasted corn.
• Shrimp Soup: This creamy soup is made with potatoes, milk, eggs, cheese, spices, hot pepper, and tomato.
• Chactado: This dish is made with Guinea pig or rabbit. The meat is cooked in a spicy gravy with hot pepper and served with boiled potatoes.

Sweet Treats and Drinks

After all that delicious food, you might want something sweet! Common desserts include:

• Queso Helado: A creamy, ice-cream-like dessert.
• Donuts: Sweet fried dough.
• Convent Candy: Traditional sweets made in convents.
• Chocolates: Arequipa also has tasty chocolates and bonbons.

For drinks, you can find regional beer and a liquor made from anisette. River crawfish are also a special local food.

See also

In Spanish: Gastronomía de Arequipa para niños