Peru
Vegetarian food in Peru - Our findings
Vegetarian food
South-America
Since 2020, we thought it was time to change our lifestyle too. At home, we already ate very little meat, but when travelling, we often had to search for vegetarian food, which meant that we usually did not manage to eat no meat, poultry or fish. We are going to change that in 2020 and we started right away in Peru! Read our findings on vegetarian food in Peru here. Is it possible? You can read it here!
Generally speaking, South America is a carnivorous continent. Chicken is especially popular because of its cheap price. We have already noticed this in Mexico (somewhat similar to South American countries). It is very difficult to eat vegetarian there if you go outside the tourist zones. Think of tacos or burritos. They are always filled with meat and in exceptional cases with fish. So we thought it would be difficult to eat vegetarian in Peru.
Search a bit
The first few days we had to search for restaurants that also served vegetarian dishes. Most of the places we found the first few days were fast food restaurants with only chicken or beef on the menu. Or llama or guinea pig, as these are traditional dishes in Peru. Even at the local McDonalds, they only served meat. There were no salads or even fish dishes to be found there. So it was a bit of a search. Also because we had only just started our new lifestyle. Then it is undoubtedly quite a search. Especially if the menu is in a different language. We could not understand much of the Spanish menus, but the waiters in the restaurants are very helpful and can show you the vegetarian options (platos vegetarianos) right away. That makes it a lot easier.
Eating vegetarian food in
Peru
So clearly we had some prejudices before we went to Peru. We thought that there were no or hardly any vegetarian choices but we were wrong. Especially in the tourist areas, city centres and modern neighbourhoods, there were plenty of options. For example, we found the San Blas neighbourhood in Cusco very surprising in terms of food. It is a paradise for (vegetarian) foodies. Be sure to visit Ethnika restaurant for the vegetarian risotto. It is delicious! And at the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, you will find all kinds of restaurants offering vegetarian pastas, pizzas and salads. Fish, especially the dish ceviche, is also widely eaten in Peru and is an option if you would like to make an exception to the vegetarian diet.
Various cuisine
The cuisine in Peru is quite diverse and a main meal is more than enough to fill your stomach. The dishes are always large so that you are also satisfied with, for example, a salad and a soup. We were able to eat a variety of vegetarian food in different establishments and did not have to rely solely on soup and salads. We could enjoy a diverse cuisine with great flavours. We were particularly impressed by Raw Cafewhere they serve delicious vegan food. So you certainly don’t have to worry about finding plenty of vegetarian and vegan options in Peru!
Questions about vegetarian food in Peru?
Do you have any questions about vegetarian food in Peru? Leave them in the comments, on our Facebook page or Instagram page and we will answer them soon!
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