01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Cusco.
Andean Kitchens
Cusco
Taste the flavours of the Andes, from ceviche and chaufa to cuy, tamales and picarones.
Cusco Collective
Cusco
An evening journey through Cusco's smoky grills, hidden kitchens and centuries of Andean food traditions.
02 Meet the tastemakers
The local food experts who help us research, refine and lead every A Chef's Tour.
Cuy chactado flattened and fried, alpaca steak, chicha de jora fermented from purple maize, rocoto relleno stuffed with beef and cheese. The high Andes cook potato, corn and quinoa in a hundred forms.
04 The pantry
- Native potatoes, dozens of Andean varieties from the sacred valley
- Aji panca, dried smoky red chilli for adobo and stews
- Chuno, freeze-dried potato from the high altiplano
- Kiwicha and quinoa, ancient grains for soups and porridge
- Chicha de jora, fermented purple maize beer
05 In the kitchen
- Fermenting chicha de jora from sprouted maize for weeks
- Slow-cooking chairo lamb and chuno soup at altitude
- Grilling alpaca steaks over Andean charcoal
- Roasting cuy chactado under a hot stone for the crackling
- Baking huatia potatoes in an earthen mound of hot stones
06 Eat this first
- Cuy chactado, flattened whole guinea pig fried crisp
- Alpaca steak, lean Andean meat with quinoa and aji
- Chairo, lamb and chuno soup that warms the highlands
- Rocoto relleno, stuffed red chilli baked with beef and cheese
- Chicha morada, cold purple corn drink with pineapple and cinnamon
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 Cusco.
Weather
High altitude at 3,400 m. Cool days (18°C) and cold nights (near freezing) year-round. Dry season May to October is peak. Rainy November to April.
Currency
The Peruvian sol (PEN). Cash for markets and taxis; cards for restaurants and hotels. USD accepted at some tour operators.
Language
Spanish. Quechua is the everyday language for many locals and the Sacred Valley. English is common in tourism.
Etiquette
Take the altitude seriously. Rest, hydrate, drink coca tea. Ask before photographing people, especially those in traditional dress; a small tip is appreciated.
Getting around
The historic centre is walkable but the altitude makes hills tough. Taxis are cheap (agree the fare). Combis (minibuses) run to the Sacred Valley cheaply. Trains to Machu Picchu leave from nearby Ollantaytambo or Poroy.
Prayer
Catholic layered over deep Andean Inca traditions. Many festivals blend the two (Corpus Christi, Inti Raymi). Templo del Sol at Coricancha is the extraordinary hybrid site.