Destination
Arequipa
The story
Butifarra is Lima's classic sandwich and one of the country's most-eaten street lunches: thin slices of jamón del país (Peruvian home-cured baked ham) piled onto a fresh crusty pan francés roll, topped with a heavy fistful of salsa criolla (thin-sliced red onion cured in lime, coriander, ají limo and salt), and eaten one-handed. Sold at every Lima sandwich counter and bakery, at every Barranco corner shop, at every home for a light supper. The name butifarra comes from the Catalan sausage of the same name — Lima's version has nothing to do with the original beyond the name, but the linguistic borrowing shows the depth of Iberian influence in the city's food culture.
Method
Slice the red onion as thin as you can (a mandoline helps). Rinse briefly in cold water. Drain. Toss with lime juice, sliced chili, coriander, salt, oil and sugar. Rest 15 minutes to soften and develop flavour.
Preheat oven to 180C for 3 minutes. Warm the rolls 3 to 4 minutes until the crust is faintly crisp and the interior is soft. Alternatively, split and toast the cut sides briefly in a dry pan.
If not pre-sliced: slice the ham very thin (2mm) with a sharp knife or a meat slicer.
Slice each warm roll almost in half lengthways, leaving a hinge at the back.
Spread the bottom of each roll with a thin smear of mayo (if using). Lay a lettuce leaf on the mayo.
Pile 4 to 5 slices of ham across each roll. Lay 2 slices of tomato on top of the ham.
Pile a generous handful of salsa criolla over the tomato — the amount should look excessive. Half the flavour of butifarra comes from the salsa.
Press the top of the roll down over the filling. Wrap in paper for takeaway, or serve on a plate with ají amarillo salsa on the side. Eat immediately — a made-ahead butifarra goes soggy from the salsa's acid.
Tips
- Jamón del país if you can find it. Peruvian home-cured ham has a specific flavour that mass-produced baked ham doesn't reach. Some Latino delis sell it; otherwise use a good roast ham (Serrano, Iberico or a quality baked ham).
- Salsa criolla is half the dish. Do not skimp — a fistful per sandwich is the classical amount. If you're worried it's too much, it isn't.
- Rinse the onion. Thirty seconds in cold water removes the raw sulfur bite. Rest 15 minutes in the lime bath after rinsing.
- Pan francés bread. The Peruvian French-style roll is crustier than a supermarket bun. A petit-pain or small crusty ciabatta works.
- Serve immediately. Butifarra doesn't hold. The salsa criolla soaks the bread within 10 minutes.
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