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Peru / Arequipa (southern highlands)

Arequipeña

The picantería cooking of Arequipa — fiery rocoto relleno, peanut-bright ocopa, river-shrimp chowder, and a weekly rotation of hearty chupes.

8 dishes · 46 ingredients · 10 techniquesReference
Signature·Dish

Rocoto Relleno

A fiery rocoto pepper stuffed with spiced beef and cheese, baked under a potato gratin — Arequipa's signature.

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Arequipa, the 'White City' of the southern highlands, guards a cuisine apart — the picantería tradition served in its centuries-old taverns and recognized as cultural heritage. Its emblem is rocoto relleno, a fiery thick-walled pepper stuffed with spiced beef and cheese under a potato gratin. Beside it: ocopa, potatoes under a huacatay-and-peanut sauce; solterito, a fava-and-cheese salad; the river-shrimp chupe de camarones; and the famous weekly rotation of chupes that gives each day of the week its own soup.

Dishes to explore

The Pantry

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How They Cook

Methods linked to dishes in this catalog

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Related cuisines

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Other regions

Siblings within Peruvian — each its own tradition.

Dish catalog (8)

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