"Peru can lay claim to one of the world's dozen or so great cuisines”.
The Economist, January of 2004.
Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the world as a consequence of Peru’s several ecosystems that provide a wide assortment of ingredients and the influence that consecutive waves of immigrants (Spanish, African, French, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese, among others) have had on traditional pre-Inca and Inca cuisine.
“Take one part Incan and one part Spanish. Mix well. Add influences of African, Chinese, Japanese and Italian. What do you get? Peruvian”.
The Washington Post, May of 2006.
Thanks to the blend of the already rich Peruvian ancient heritage with that of different races and cultures, the Peruvian cuisine combines the flavors of four continents, yielding a big and eclectic variety of dishes that are in constant evolution. Because of this diversity, a comprehensive list of Peruvian dishes is extremely hard to compile in their entirety.
“Peru's been recognized by the World Travel Awards as the best culinary destination on Earth for five years in a row. Three spots in the Peruvian capital made last year's World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards list”.
The Globe and Mail, March of 2017.
During the last decade there has been an amazing blooming in Peruvian cuisine. The number of restaurants in Lima and the rest of Peru have multiplied several times not only in number but also in variety and quality. Now you can find world class restaurants offering criollo, seafood, chifa, nikkei, regional or ethnic, and novoandina dishes among many others. This incredible booming has surpassed expectations, as well as national borders and has spread into neighboring countries and into other continents where Peruvian cuisine is being recognised as one of the greatest in the world.
"Lima, the capital of Peru, is currently the best place in the universe to get a sampling of the highest-ranking restaurant cooking."
Bloomberg Pursuits, March of 2017.
Because of its increasing economic importance and international prestige, Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the flagship products of Peru, together with alpaca and vicuña, pisco, maca, Pyma and Tangüis cotton, lucuma, asparagus, coffee, quinoa and Chulucanas pottery.