Peruvian

Chiri Uchu

“Cusco ceremonial cold plate — a 8-component composition of cold roasted cuy, dried llama jerky, smoked sausage, boiled chicken, cheese, seaweed, fish roe and corn tortilla — served only at Corpus Christi (June feast), the most ceremonial dish in Peruvian cooking.”

Hard3 hours

Where it comes from

Chiri Uchu ('cold ají' in Quechua) is the ceremonial dish of Corpus Christi in Cusco — served only during the June Catholic-Inca syncretic feast (the date varies by year, typically June 15-25). The dish dates to colonial-era Cusco when the Spanish Catholic feast of Corpus Christi (June, originally medieval European) merged with the Inca celebration of Inti Raymi (June 24, sun-festival). The dish's 8 components symbolize ingredients from all corners of the Inca Empire: cuy (Andean), llama jerky (Andean highlands), smoked sausage (Spanish), chicken (Spanish), cheese (Andean dairy), seaweed (Pacific coast), fish roe (Lake Titicaca), corn tortilla (Andean grain). Eating chiri uchu connects you to the Inca-Catholic Cusco history.

On the plate

Chiri Uchu on a plate is Andean-Spanish maximalism: 8 distinct components representing all of Peru's geography, each contributing a different flavor and texture. Eating it requires assembly — take a piece of cuy + a slice of cheese + a corn tortilla, fold and eat; then jerky + roe + sauce; then chicken + seaweed + tortilla. Each combination is different. The dish is fundamentally about Cusco's Corpus Christi June celebration — eating it outside that context loses meaning. If you're in Cusco in June, find a restaurant serving chiri uchu; you'll never forget the experience.

How it works

Chiri Uchu's design is symbolic, not gastronomic — each component represents a region of pre-colonial Peru, and eating the assembly is meant to commemorate the unity of the Inca Empire under Spanish-Catholic religious framework. The dish is technically a 'plate assembly' rather than a cooked dish — preparation is more about sourcing and combining than transformation. The cold-served format honors Cusco's altitude (where serving warm food cools quickly in any case) and the slow June feast pace.

Variations

Cusco canonical with 8 traditional components; modern Lima Andean restaurants offer 'Chiri Uchu Light' with fewer components year-round (acceptable but not ceremonial); commercial pre-made chiri uchu plates exist at Cusco markets during the festival; the dish is impossible to make properly outside Cusco's June Corpus Christi context.

On the Palate

Ingredients

Serves 6

1Chicken Breast

200g smokedChorizo

200gQueso Fresco

6 roundsCorn Tortilla

1 tbsp pasteAji Panca

1 tbsp pasteAji Amarillo

How it's made

12 steps · Show ↓

90 min active · 90 min waiting

1
3 min
Prepare each component individually (this dish is more about assembly than cooking):
2
130 min
1. Roast cuy: marinate 1 cuy in ají panca + cumin + garlic for 2 hours; roast at 200°C for 35 min until skin crackles. Cut into 6 portions; cool.
3
30 min
2. Boil chicken: simmer 1 chicken breast in salted water + bay leaf for 25 min; cool; shred.
4
5 min
3. Cook llama jerky (charqui): pan-fry 100g llama or beef jerky 2 min per side; chop.
5
5 min
4. Slice smoked sausage: take 200g Cusco-style chorizo (Spanish-Andean style; substitute with smoked pork sausage); slice into 1cm rounds.
6
5 min
5. Cube queso fresco: 200g queso fresco, cut into 1cm cubes.
7
11 min
6. Soak seaweed: 30g cochayuyo (Andean dried freshwater seaweed; substitute with rehydrated dried sea cabbage); soak 10 min; chop.
8
5 min
7. Fish roe: 50g caviar or 50g cured fish eggs (huevera).
9
3 min
8. Make corn tortillas: cook 6 round corn tortillas in a dry skillet 90 sec per side until heated through.
10
6 min
Assemble: on each plate, arrange 1 piece of cuy + 1 small piece of chicken + 1 piece of jerky + 2 sausage slices + 4 cheese cubes + 1 tsp seaweed + 1 tsp fish roe + 1 corn tortilla folded.
11
5 min
Sauces: serve 3 small bowls alongside — rocoto sauce, ají amarillo sauce, and salsa criolla. Diners assemble their own bites.
12
2 min
The dish is served cold (room temperature). Pair with chicha morada (purple corn drink) or chicha de jora.

What you'll need

Cast-Iron Skillet

A heavy, single-piece cast iron pan, 25-30 cm across, weighing 1.5-2.5 kg. Once preheated, the thick mass holds 230°C+ even when a cold steak hits the surface — that's the secret to a deep crust. A well-seasoned skillet (multiple thin layers of polymerized oil baked into the iron) is essentially nonstick, gets better with use, and lasts a century. Lodge skillets from Tennessee have been in continuous production since 1896.

Roasting Boiling