Traditional Peruvian Food that’s Also Vegetarian

Ever more modest and upscale vegetarian restaurants are popping up throughout Peru. This is due in part to the same growth of nutritional and ethical concerns that other countries are having and in part to small fringe religious movements that include vegetarianism among their proscriptions. We reviewed some of our favorite vegetarian options in Cusco, Peru in an earlier post.

Many of these restaurants serve vegetarian versions of well-known Peruvian dishes: causa with avocado and mango rather than fish, a mushroom ceviche, creamy yellow sauce from ají de gallina dressing fetuccini rather than shredded hen. Others serve a mixture of different cuisines, those oft-used dishes that have become associated with vegetarianism internationally: falafel, hummus, black bean tacos with guacamole, veggie pizzas…

Meanwhile, at the traditional markets, a plethora of fruits from the desert coast, the Andes, and the Amazon make an appearance, with juice stands offering interesting combinations.

They’re all vegetarian, and all filling and yummy. However….intrepid vegetarian backpackers want a taste of authentic local cuisine as well, and this is entirely possible. Unfortunately, there aren’t many dishes that fit into this category, but we’ve rounded up what we could:

Papas a la Ocopa, Papas a la Huancaína & Cauche: All of these dishes can be loosely defined as “boiled potatoes in a cheese sauce”. Ocopa is a green sauce made primarily of black mint, peanut, and cheese, while huancaína sauce is mainly yellow ají pepper, crackers to thicken, and cheese. (That’s packaged sauce in the photo- as always, doesn’t compare to the real thing.) While Ocopa is often topped with a slice of boiled egg and olive and served with some fried cheese on the side in Arequipa, in carb-happy Cusco you’re likely to find them served over noodles in a simple pesto. Finally, cauche is a flavored white sauce with large pieces of cheese.

Locro de Zapallo: A comforting and silky squash stew spiced with yellow ají pepper, and studded with potatoes, fresh fava beans, and pieces of cheese. You won’t be disappointed. Like most things, it’s served alongside rice, unless what you’ve ordered is Cream of Squash, Crema de Zapallo. The latter isn’t a bad choice either, as it’s the only cream soup in most mid-range restaurants that doesn’t come from a package.

Pastel de Acelgas and Cheese Empanadas: While in a bakery or café and in need of snack that isn’t sweet, you can usually find swiss chard tart and cheese turnovers on option.

Sweet Tamales and Humintas: Streetside tamal vendors offer both salty and sweet tamales, with the latter being the only vegetarian option. The sweet version has cinnamon and clove flavors, and usually has a couple of raisins mixed in with the dough. If they are made with ground fresh corn rather than dried, they are humintas. Occasionally humintas might have a little cheese in them, but these are neither the most common nor the best.

Olluquito con Queso: The leaves of the olluquito resemble spinach, while the olluquito root resembles a yellow potato with fuschia dots and tastes similar to jícama. When finely diced and stewed, it retains its crispness. The traditional offerings are Olluquito con charqui, which is with alpaca jerky, and Olluquito con Queso, which is with cheese and thus acceptable vegetarian option.

Tarwi: Despite being a vegetable, Tarwi resembles a legume. It’s native to the Andes and has been found to have a higher vegetable protein content than soy. It’s been a part of the local diet since pre-Incan times.  It makes a satisfying stew with a little bit of fresh fava bean or potato for variety, but as it’s often offered with some meat and gravy on top, be careful to specify how you want it.

Hopefully, you’ve gotten some ideas that will help you while dining in a group with other non-vegetarian travelers, or just some things you’d like to try while traveling throughout Peru. Buen provecho, and, as always, happy travels!