Amazónica
Amazon jungle — paiche, sajino, tucupí, sachaculantro, aguaje — Iquitos-Pucallpa.
Bijao-Leaf Wraps
Bijao-leaf wraps are used to steam and infuse dishes with a unique aroma, characteristic of Amazonian cuisine.
View page →Amazónica (Peruvian Amazonian) cuisine is the food of the Iquitos and Pucallpa regions — Peru's vast Amazon basin (60% of Peru's land area but only 13% of population). The cuisine uses ingredients found nowhere else: paiche (the world's largest freshwater fish), sajino (collared peccary, the Amazon's wild pig), tucupí (fermented cassava broth, sour-savory), sachaculantro (jungle cilantro, more intense than regular cilantro), aguaje (orange palm fruit, beta-carotene-rich), chonta (heart of palm), ají charapita (the tiny but intensely-hot Amazon chili), yuca (cassava root, pre-Columbian staple), and plantain (cooked many ways: patacones, tacacho, maduros).
Signature dishes are uncompromisingly Amazonian: Paiche a la Plancha (seared peacock-bass-style giant fish), Juane (rice + chicken + olive + egg + spices wrapped in bijao leaves and steamed), Patarashca (fish + ají + onion wrapped in bijao leaves), Tucunaré (peacock bass in coconut-tucupí broth), Caldo de Carachama (gelatinous armored-catfish broth), Cecina de Iquitos (sun-and-smoke-dried Amazon beef jerky), and the iconic Sajino al Horno (roasted wild peccary). The cuisine is largely unknown outside Iquitos — most Peruvian-American restaurants offer only Lima coastal food. The Iquitos restaurant scene is the country's most-undervalued.
Start Here
Paiche is the world's largest freshwater fish; its firm white flesh holds up well to high-heat searing.
Why start here · Paiche is the Amazon's most-celebrated freshwater fish; sustainable farms in Iquitos now ensure its future.
Wrap tightly in bijao leaves to steam-cook the rice-and-chicken mixture into a moist parcel.
Why start here · Juane is the iconic Iquitos-festival food — served at San Juan (June 24) every year, the most-recognized Amazonian dish.
Tucupí (fermented cassava broth) is non-substitutable for authenticity; without it, the dish is just a coconut fish stew.
Why start here · Tucunaré (peacock bass) is the Amazon's most-prized sport fish; combined with coconut-tucupí broth, it's pure Iquitos.
The Pantry
See all 65 ingredients›
Herbs & Spices
Sauces & Condiments
Other
How They Cook
Techniques that define this cuisine
Kindred Kitchens
Cuisines built on the same signature ingredients
Other regions
Siblings within Peruvian — each its own tradition.
