Peruvian cuisine reflects local practices and ingredients including influences mainly from the indigenous population, including the Andean and Amazonian cuisine, and cuisines brought by immigrants from Europe (Spanish cuisine and Italian cuisine), Asia (Chinese cuisine and Japanese cuisine), and Africa (Maghrebi cuisine and West African cuisine). Without the familiar ingredients from their home countries, immigrants modified their traditional cuisines by using ingredients available in Peru.

The four traditional staples of Peruvian cuisine are corn, potatoes and other tubers, Amaranthaceae (quinoa, kañiwa and kiwicha), and legumes (beans and lupins). Staples brought by the Spanish include rice, wheat and meats (beef, pork and chicken).

Many traditional foods—such as quinoa, kiwicha, chili peppers, and several roots and tubers—have increased in popularity in recent decades, reflecting a revival of interest in native Peruvian foods and culinary techniques. Chef Gastón Acurio has become well known for raising awareness of local ingredients. The most important ingredient in all Peruvian cuisine is the potato, as Peru has the widest variety of potatoes in the world.

American food critic Eric Asimov has described it as one of the world's most important cuisines and as an exemplar of fusion cuisine, due to its long multicultural history. 

History

Peruvian cuisine reflects the influences of indigenous ingredients and techniques, the viceregal era and the European, African and Asian immigration, It can be divided by the following points:

• Pre-Columbian era

Local ingredients included potatoes, aji pepper, corn, quinoa and various Andean grains. By this time, sophisticated agricultural techniques had been developed that allowed the local inhabitants to grow and cultivate crops in the challenging terrain of the Andes Mountains.

• Colonial era

The 'Colonial era' marked a significant shift in Peruvian cuisine with the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. The Spanish introduced new ingredients, such as onions, garlic, and various meats, which enriched the culinary landscape. They also brought new cooking techniques, such as frying and sautéing, which revolutionized the way Peruvians prepared their meals.

• African and Asian influences

In the late 19th century, Peru experienced an influx of African and Asian immigrants who brought with them their culinary traditions. African slaves introduced dishes such as tacu-tacu, a mix of rice and beans that was fried and served with steak or eggs. Chinese immigrants created dishes such as lomo saltado, a stir-fry of beef, onions, tomatoes, and French fries, which has become a popular dish in Peru and globally.[2]

• Modern era

Peruvian cuisine has transcended borders and is now recognized globally. Some of its most distinguishable dishes include aji amarillo peppers, huacatay herb, and Peruvian corn. In 2004, the Peruvian government launched the 'Gastronomy Project' to promote the country's culinary traditions and stimulate the growth of the restaurant industry. This initiative has been successful, as evidenced by the declaration of July 28 as 'National Ceviche Day' in 2011, a testament to the dish's significance in Peruvian cuisine.

Crops

Peru is considered an important center for the genetic diversity of the world's crops:

• Potatoes. Many varieties of potato are native to the Andes mountains. Over 99% of all cultivated potatoes worldwide are descendants of a single subspecies, namely Solanum tuberosum. This subspecies has developed into thousands of varieties that vary by size, shape, color, and other sensory characteristics.

QuinoaPeruvian potatoes

• Quinoa, three varieties
• Kaniwa
• Tarwi, a legume native to the Andes which is similar to the lupin bean
• Lima bean
• Maca
• Oca, a potato-like tuber
• Mashua, a potato-like tuber
• Ulluco, a potato-like tuber
• Caigua, a vegetable with a cucumber-like taste
• Capsicum baccatum chile peppers, including ají amarillo and ají limón
• Capsicum pubescens, rocoto chile
• Capsicum chinense, ají panca and ají mochero/limo
• Fruits—Peru has about 20 native fruits that are used in cooking or eaten fresh

The sweet potato is native to the Americas and was domesticated there at least 5,000 years ago. Two varieties of sweet potato are commonly available for sale in the markets, but there are more varieties around the country. One has dry orange flesh and light tan skin and tastes sweet. The other has purple skin, is white and brown inside, and is only moderately sweet. Occasionally another variety, characterized by small tubers and dark skin, is available.

Among the fruits native to the Andes region in general (Peru, Bolivia) are lúcuma, camu camu, prickly pear, cape gooseberry, cocona, pacay (technically a legume but used as a fruit), guanabana, dragon fruit, pepino, papaya, ciruela, mammee apple, banana passionfruit, cherimoya, granadilla, moriche palm fruit, and tamarillo. Yacon, although an underground tuber, is also used as a fruit. Usually, none of the other native fruits are commercially available.

From Peru, the Spanish brought back to Europe several foods that became staples for many cultures around the world.

• Potatoes: Potatoes were introduced to Europe from the Americas. They were considered livestock feed in Europe until French chemist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier began serving dishes made from the tubers at his lavish banquets. His guests were immediately convinced that potatoes were fit for human consumption. The varieties used in Europe and most of the world, however, derive from a subspecies indigenous to the Peruvian Andes, Solanum tuberosum.
• Beans: Several varieties of the common bean are native to Latin America including the lima bean.

The varieties of chili peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and maize that the Spanish brought back to Europe, however, were native to Peru:

• Peppers: Chili peppers are native to America. The varieties most commonly used around the world, however, derive from Mexico and Central America. Sweet Peppers are native to Mexico and Central America. Peruvian Ají peppers are virtually unknown outside of the Andean region of South America.
• Maize: Maize ("Indian" corn), is native to Mesoamerica and Peru; the varieties used in Europe and most of the world are from Central America. The corn grown in Peru is sweet and has large kernels. However, it is not widely consumed outside of Peru.
• Tomatoes: The wild ancestor of the tomato, Solanum pimpinellifolium, is native to western South America both in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon.

Many foods from Spain are now considered Peruvian staples, including wheat, barley, oats, rice, lentils, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), broad beans, garlic, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, celery, lettuce, eggplant, wine, vinegar, olives, beef, pork, chicken, numerous spices (including coriander, cumin, parsley, cilantro (green coriander), laurel, mint, thyme, marjoram, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise (fennel), black pepper and oregano), bananas, quince, apples, oranges, limes, apricots, peaches, plums, cherries, melons, figs, pomegranates, honey, white sugar, almonds, walnuts, cheese, hen eggs, cow's milk, etc. Many food plants popular in Europe, however, were imported to Peru.

Cultivation of ancient plants

During the colonial period, and continuing up until the Second World War, Peruvian cuisine focused on Spanish models and virtually ignored anything that could be regarded as native or Peruvian. Traditional food plants, which the indigenous people continued to eat, were regarded as "peasant food" to be avoided. These colonial attitudes took a long time to fade. Since the 1970s, there has been an effort to bring these native food plants out of obscurity.

Some plants cultivated by ancient societies of Peru have been rediscovered by modern Peruvians, and are carefully studied by scientists. Due to the characteristics of its land and climate and the nutritional quality of its products, some Peruvian plants may play a vital role in future nutrition. Examples include quinoa (an excellent source of essential amino acids) and kañiwa, which look and cook like cereals but are pseudocereals. Nutritionists are also studying root vegetables, such as maca, and cereals like kiwicha.

Since 1985, NASA has used some of these foods—quinoa, kiwicha and maca—for astronaut meals. Andean ingredients like tubers and quinoa (kinwa in the indigenous language Quechua) have also been promoted by members of Peru's Ministry of Culture and received international endorsements from celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and NASA as a new type of superfood. While Peruvian state actors and celebrity chefs argue that these efforts have created economic opportunity for rural farmers and built international cultural awareness, the commercialization of Andean ingredients has decreased crop biodiversity on indigenous lands. Heightened global demand has caused prices to increase so that these ingredients are becoming less accessible to the native Peruvians.[8]

For many of Peru's inhabitants, these food stocks allow for adequate nutrition, even though living standards are poor. Abandoning many of these staples during the Spanish domination and republican eras lowered nutritional levels.

Peruvian cuisine is often made spicy with ají pepper, a basic ingredient. Peruvian chili peppers are not spicy but serve to give taste and color to dishes. Rice often accompanies dishes in Peruvian cuisine, and the regional sources of foods and traditions give rise to countless varieties of preparation and dishes.