Hi, I am Chef Zara. In this post, I will guide you through the Peruvian Cookbooks.
I love discovering new food and more cooking with friends and family. One of the most common questions that I often get is for cookbook recommendations. I have created this guide for friends, family, and new friends alike. I hope that you enjoy our site.
- 1. The Fire of Peru
- 2. The Big Peruvian Cookbook
- 3. Andina: The Heart of Peruvian Food: Recipes and Stories from The Andes
- 4. Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen
- 5. Lima Cookbook: Peruvian Home Cooking
- 6. The Everything Peruvian Cookbook
- 7. The Peruvian Kitchen: Peruvian Cookbook for Beginners
- 8. The Peruvian Vegan Cookbook
- 9. Peru, The Cookbook
- 10. Best Chifa Recipes You Will Ever Come Across: Amazing Meals From The Best Peruvian Chefs
Introduction to Peruvian food blending color, texture, and flavors with traditions of Peruvian cuisine 🍽
Peru is a culture rich in history, art, spirituality, and tradition. The food in Peru is no exception to this. Peruvian cooking can be very traditional, with recipes passed down through families and not changed much over time. Classic ingredients are often used interchangeably and you may find the following ingredients in any Peruvian meal: potatoes, corn, eggs, and chili peppers.
You can find Peruvian cuisine influence all over the world – from Spain to other parts of Europe, to the USA, and beyond. People of the world love traditional Ceviche and other classic recipes. When traveling to Peru, many travelers can’t resist some of the dishes that make Peruvian food famous – roast ostrich and guinea pig, just to name a few!
Here are the 10 Peruvian Cookbooks to celebrate this ancient cuisine 🍤
1. The Fire of Peru
Why We Love It ❤️
This book is full of everything that we love about Peru: color, texture, dynamic stories, and of course, beautiful, sexy, vibrant FOOD! The Fire of Peru is a journey of the meal – from the cocktail to the appetizer, to the famous first course, to the main meal with a plethora of recipes from all corners of Peru, and this book also ends on something sweet.
Review 📖
This book has it all! Classic recipes such as Ceviche and the Pisco sour, to in-depth knowledge and stories behind some of Peru’s most famous (and obscure!) foods. Richardo explains why Peruvian food is adored worldwide and doesn’t skimp on history. This book explains why Peruvian cuisine is eaten in Japan and Spain. In this lush and colorful book, Ricardo tells stories from his childhood, living and eating in Peru, and as you read it, you will feel like you are on a guided tour with a local.
2. The Big Peruvian Cookbook
Why We Love It ❤️
The Big Peruvian Cookbook is just that a BIG book for Peruvian recipes. This book has it ALL – flavors, techniques, ingredients, and stories and is a go-to guide of recipes from every corner (and backstreet!) of Peru. An extremely thorough and thoughtful collection; this definitely should go to your favorite bookends!
Review 📖
Like Peruvian culture, this collection has a little bit of everything. From its long list of traditional appetizers to its more advanced multi-step mains to its traditional sweets, this definitive Peruvian cookbook provides step-by-step descriptions of each recipe and ingredient, so it is suitable for amateur or more advanced chefs.
This book isn’t for the faint of heart. However, some recipes will have you on the hunt for some unusual ingredients (does your local grocery store carry ostrich meat?), but don’t worry, there are many substitutions in this book, so every recipe is accessible and manageable in even the most modest kitchen.
3. Andina: The Heart of Peruvian Food: Recipes and Stories from The Andes
Why We Love It ❤️
This book hones in on a region of Peru where most cookbooks only scratch the surface of The Andes! The Andes is a mountainous region famous for growing quinoa but also has many other famous recipes and traditions. This book highlights them all!
Review 📖
This book focuses on recipes and ingredients from the Andes. In the Andes, many traditional Peruvian ingredients are grown and produced, such as maca root and quinoa, so without intentionally creating a healthy food cookbook, this book contains many healthy recipes, including smoothies, power shakes, healthy desserts, and snacks. This book talks about superfoods and why they are so important to Peruvian culture and is full of beautiful colors and vibrant step-by-step images. The author of this book was named the “Food Ambassador” by the Peruvian government, so it is no surprise that this cookbook is such a gorgeous and thorough collection.
4. Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen
Why We Love It ❤️
According to the internet, this book was the first Peruvian cookbook published for a US audience. So this book is filled with recipes that are approachable and ingredients that are easier to find. It originates from the famous UK restaurant Ceviche and Latin America’s best restaurants.
Review 📖
This book puts a spin on classic dishes by utilizing famous ingredients from Peru, such as quinoa, corn, potatoes, and amaranth, but by using European and Latin American, techniques to make them more accessible and recognizable. At Ceviche, this was a key to making this Peruvian restaurant a success in European culture and why we love this cookbook. It is full of easy-to-make recipes that do not skimp on flavor.
There are a variety of recipes in this book that would likely never be attempted if not for the beautiful step-by-step photos, grocery store suggestions, and substitutions for ingredients. Many reviewers say that this book is THE book you need if you are interested in using this cookbook to make Peruvian feasts at home.
5. Lima Cookbook: Peruvian Home Cooking
Why We Love It ❤️
We love that this book celebrates Lima – the capital of Peru and one of the world’s food capitals! It highlights the career and chef journey of Virgilio Martinez, who has worked as an international chef for years but has kept his focus on his hometown of Lima. This book is a celebration of his love for Lima, and you will also love it after finishing it!
Review 📖
This book contains many recipes you will not see in other Peruvian cookbooks. Virgilio Marinez has worked worldwide and honed his skills as an international chef, meaning he has picked up plenty of experience and recipes from his time in Canada, Europe, and more. Because of this, his recipe book for Lima contains colors, textures, techniques, and ingredients that may feel foreign to a traditional Peruvian, but for any cook or food lover, this book lends itself well to your imagination and creativity. This book is likely for more advanced cooks.
6. The Everything Peruvian Cookbook
Why We Love It ❤️
We love this book because it contains over 300 delicious, flavourful, unique Peruvian recipes! You will not find a bigger collection on the market, and if you only buy ONE Peruvian cookbook to make the classic dishes Peru is famous for, let this be the one!
Review 📖
Written by popular Peruvian writer and food bloggers Morena Cuadra and Morena Escardo, this book has the best of all worlds. Both authors have written other Peruvian cookbooks and had recipes published, but this cookbook is the Bible regarding Peruvian recipes. It lists over 300 classic recipes, including Tamale-style quinoa stew, Aji de gallina, Lima bean tacu tacu, Candied Egg Yolk Confections, and the Pisco sour. It is the most thorough and detailed Peruvian cookbook on the market and comes highly recommended.
7. The Peruvian Kitchen: Peruvian Cookbook for Beginners
Why We Love It ❤️
This book is a masterpiece dedicated to beginner cooks, especially those new to exporting Peruvian cuisine! It outlines new ingredients that might not use by the average home cook and breaks down each recipe into easy-to-follow steps that aren’t intimidating!
Review 📖
Carla Hale uses this book to introduce her readers to Peru’s vibrant cuisine without all the fluff and background noise you might find in a traditional cookbook. From the vibrant, easy-to-digest introduction to Peruvian food to the step-by-step directions for each recipe and the descriptions of ingredients, this book is a no-brainer for novice cooks or anyone new to Peruvian food! Highly recommended as a gift for your kids going to college (rescue them from Mac & Cheese), as well as those people in your life who always want to try something new. They’ll love this book as much as we did!
8. The Peruvian Vegan Cookbook
Why We Love It ❤️
If you think Peruvian Vegan is an oxymoron, think again! This book is the epitome of deliciousness, variety, and healthy substitutes for those classic meat dishes in a culture rich with meat-centric dishes. We love that this book doesn’t try to be something it’s not – it highlights dishes that are already vegan and uplifts and transforms meat-based dishes into something anyone can eat!
Review 📖
Elias Lopez and Enid Soto-Lopez take us on a journey of not only epic, authentic Peruvian food but vegan Peruvian food. With so many people turning towards a more plant-based diet for health, environmental and moral reasons, this book is a refreshing look at one of the cultures that even long-time vegans might wonder, Is it possible to make this dish without meat? The answer, according to Elias and Enid, is yes! This book is a collection of those yeses! With over 50 recipes, it will transform your kitchen into a healthier, green, and more vibrant place after you read and use this cookbook.
9. Peru, The Cookbook
Why We Love It ❤️
This cookbook is huge, one of the biggest, and most extensive on the market. Gastón Acurio brings us over 500 recipes, you will find absolutely everything you need to know about Peruvian cooking (and even some things you didn’t even know you needed!)
Review 📖
Written by famous chef Gastón Acurio, the world-renowned chef famous for bringing Peruvian food to the US and worldwide, this cookbook is a true testament to Gastón’s pure love for Peruvian cuisine. Gastón Acurio uses this book as an opportunity to show the world why Peruvian cuisine is such a powerful, healthy, rich food culture and why everyone can cook and enjoy this wonderful cuisine at home. You would be hard-pressed to name a Peruvian recipe and NOT find it in this book. This book is extensive and, at times, exhaustive in that it includes so many recipes. So if you’re looking for something complete and thorough that follows traditional recipes, techniques, and traditions, then this is it!
10. Best Chifa Recipes You Will Ever Come Across: Amazing Meals From The Best Peruvian Chefs
Why We Love It ❤️
What’s NOT to love… Chifa is a word to describe a particular type of cuisine that combines Chinese ingredients and traditions with those of Peru. Can you spell DELICIOUS?! This book is an excellent combination of these cultures, with plenty of tempting recipes and beautiful photographs.
Review 📖
In this book, you will find everything from appetizers to entrees that highlight Chifa cuisine. It is believed that this term translates to “to eat rice.” Peruvian and Chinese cultures center around rice, so be prepared for some heavy rice recipes! This type of cooking is extremely popular in Lima but is a growing trend all over the world. Be ahead of the curve, and try your hand at Chifa cooking with this elementary cookbook, which is a stunning collection of recipes from around the globe and will introduce you to some of Peru’s most famous chefs.
Final Thoughts
With so many cookbooks on the market related to the world’s most popular cuisine, like Italian, Indian, and Mexican, it is refreshing to see so many cookbooks on Peruvian cuisine. Although it is not a food culture recognized worldwide, there is a growing trend because Peruvian food is healthy, vibrant, often easy to prepare, and most importantly, delicious!
Peruvian FAQ
What is Peruvian cuisine? Peruvian cuisine is the national cuisine of the country of Peru but includes traditions and influences from the indigenous population (Inca) as well as many other countries in Latin America, like Ecuador.
What are popular Peruvian recipes? Peruvian cuisine focuses on what is grown or produced locally in Peru, such as corn, potatoes, eggs, aji Amarillo quinoa, beans, rice, wheat, meat, and chili spice. Popular recipes include Ceviche, Salt Cured Beef, Peppers Relleno, and Guinea Hen.
What is Peruvian cooking like? Peruvian cooking uses bold flavors and simple ingredients. You may find a dish with just boiled eggs and potatoes and aji Amarillo but when you take a bite, it is filled with spices and lime. Peruvians love spice, and their slow cooking times and fire techniques provide depth of flavor and complexity.
