01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Arequipa.
Almuerzo Arequipa
Arequipa
Explore Arequipa's bold food culture with 15+ tastings across markets and time-worn picanterías.
Arequipa Nights
Arequipa
Explore Arequipa's vibrant night food scene with smoky grills, bustling markets and 15+ tastings.
02 Meet the tastemakers
The local food experts who help us research, refine and lead every A Chef's Tour.
Wood-fired picanterías, earthy ají panca, fragrant huacatay and slow-simmered stews. Arequipa cooks with patience, not haste.
04 The pantry
- Rocoto peppers, fiery with a surprising sweetness
- Ají panca, mild red chillies with a smoky depth
- Huacatay, aromatic black mint used in sauces and marinades
- Chuño, freeze-dried potatoes from the high Andes
- Queso fresco, crumbly white cheese found in countless local dishes
- Chicha de guiñapo, a dark fermented corn beer essential to adobo and Arequipa's picanterías
05 In the kitchen
- Slow-simmering adobo in clay pots over wood fires
- Charcoal-grilling anticuchos to develop deep smoky flavour
- Roasting rocoto peppers before stuffing and baking them
- Fermenting black corn into chicha de guiñapo for cooking
- Hand-grinding huacatay and chillies into fresh table sauces
- Preparing lunch the traditional picantería way
06 Eat this first
- Rocoto relleno, fiery peppers stuffed with meat, cheese and spices
- Adobo Arequipeño, slow-simmered pork stew with chicha de guiñapo
- Ocopa, sliced potatoes covered in a creamy huacatay and peanut sauce
- Anticuchos, charcoal-grilled beef heart skewers with Andean potatoes
- Queso helado, Arequipa's famous cinnamon-spiced frozen dessert
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
09 Recipes
A collection of authentic recipes we couldn't leave behind.
Long-grain rice cooked with prawns, squid, mussels and clams in an ají amarillo, tomato and coriander sofrito. Peru's answer to paella.
Home-cured ham (jamón del país) sliced thin, piled onto a fresh French roll with a mountain of salsa criolla. Lima's classic sandwich lunch.
Peruvian-Chinese fried rice adapted for the Amazon: pork, chorizo, palm heart and river fish stir-fried into aromatic rice with a spoon of ají charapita. Iquitos on a plate.
Skewers of marinated beef heart grilled hard over charcoal, brushed with ají panca marinade, served with potato and choclo corn. Lima's street-grill king.
Raw white fish "cooked" in fresh lime juice with red onion, ají amarillo and coriander, served with sweet potato and choclo corn. Peru's national dish.
Peruvian purple corn simmered with pineapple, cinnamon, cloves and lime, chilled and served over ice. Peru's national soft drink.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Arequipa.
Weather
Mild high-altitude climate at 2,300 m — sunny days year-round (20°C typical) with cool nights (down to 5°C in winter). Very little rain.
Currency
The Peruvian sol (PEN); cash for markets and taxis; cards for restaurants and hotels. Bring small notes.
Language
Spanish; Quechua and Aymara are heard in the surrounding countryside. English is common in tourism.
Etiquette
Modest dress at religious sites — the Santa Catalina monastery is strict about covered shoulders. Bargain gently at markets; a friendly 'buenos días' is expected.
Getting around
The historic centre is walkable. Taxis are cheap (always agree the fare — no meters); InDrive and Uber both work. The Colca Canyon is a long day trip or overnight.
Prayer
Deeply Catholic with Andean traditions layered underneath. The white-stone churches of the centre fill on Sundays; local festivals blend Catholic and pre-Columbian rhythms.