Your Cart is Empty
October 15, 2022 7 min read
Peruvian cuisine is one of the most mesmerising and celebrated around the world, and this is no accident. Aside from the many cultural contributions, Peru has an enormous variety of native food that you can’t find anywhere else. Discover the most delicious, juicy and even rare Peruvian fruits and add them to your “to try” list.
In Peru and other countries abundant in delicious fruits, the mature seed-bearing structure of plants plays a significant part in sauces, desserts, and even savory meals.
Peruvian fruit is as varied and exotic as they come, yet they are yet to be recognized on the global culinary scene.
In this article, I hope to provide several of South America's more fascinating fruits and demonstrate why fruit like Cherimoya, Peruvian passion fruit, and Peruvian cherry should be included on your ingredients list.
Because of its wide array of natural ecosystems, Peruvian Fruits boast a fantastic variety of delicious fruits which are (literally) perfect for picking. We've picked twenty of the nation's most unique fruits.
Certain of them are eaten regularly across the globe, while some are mainly consumed in their home countries. So, how many of them have you tried?
In the swamps of the south tropic, we find one of the most succulentPeruvian fruits. The Aguaje grows from a palm type of tree and resembles a small pineapple. It has a flavor similar to carrots and it’s eaten raw, in jams, juices and ice creams, it’s even fermented and drunk as palm wine.
ThisPeruvian fruit grows in the mountain area of the Andes, and it looks like a round avocado with a hard shell but with yellow, soft pulp that surrounds a large pit. The Lucuma was considered by the Incas as sacred and very cherished, it’s even called by some people as “the last gold of the Incas”. Because of its sweet taste like maple syrup and sweet potato, it’s a very popular ice cream flavor.
Aguaymanto is a sort of berry fruit very popular in Peru since ancient times. This fruit is full of vitamins and it shares family with the green tomatoes, you can even see the resemblance in its paper-like wrapping that protects the fruit from bruising.
Aguaymanto is known by numerous names. Peruvian cherry cape gooseberry, golden berry ground berry, and even gooseberry depending on the person you inquire. The species is indigenous to the high-altitude areas of Peru, where it thrives in the wild; Aguaymanto has been cultivated for hundreds of years.
Aguaymanto's flesh is concealed within the skin of a paper-like. Fruit in good condition has a yellow-orange hue and an appealing sweet and bitter taste.
It is often used in traditional Peruvian food; Aguaymanto is an excellent complement to savory Red meat and food items made from fish. And it is delicious when served in Ice cream, jams, liquors, and fermented drinks. It's so versatile!
Aguaymanto is very nutritious and is high in amounts of beneficial vitamins such as vitamins A, B, and C. For example, it is a source of about 20 times more Vitamin C than an orange.
You can say Chirimoya is aPeruvian fruit very similar to apples, only that Chirimoya has a very hard custard. It is very easy to eat due to its soft texture and sweet taste. Chirimoya is without a doubt, very popular both inside and outside Perú. This fruit has strong antioxidant properties.
Caigua is a fruit from the family of the pumpkin, it looks like a cross between a cucumber and a green chili. This is one of manyPeruvian fruitsthat feature several delicious dishes such as the Caigua rellena, stuffed with beef, raisins and olives.
Caigua is ideal for raw and cooked recipes such as sauteing, frying, baking, stewing, and boiling. If it is cooked, Caigua can be eaten in a fresh state, without a spoon, just like a cucumber. It can be cut and added to salads, sliced, and served with dips, as well as blended and juiced to make a soft drink.
It can also be fried, breaded, and cooked, helping to replace fresh green peppers when making recipes or for a dish to serve as a side dish or picked for use over a long time. It is also a popular side dish in Peru.
Peru, Caigua is commonly cooked into a stew or sofrito dish and blended with potatoes. Alongside the fruits, as well as leaves and young shoots, are delicious and are also sauteed or mixed into salads to provide additional nutrients. Caigua is an excellent choice for meats like pork, beef, poultry, eggs, fish, red onion, parsley and cumin, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, raisins, and black olives.
Fresh fruits last between 1 and 2 weeks if kept whole and not washed inside the drawer for crispers in the refrigerator.
Pacay is certainly a very rarePeruvian fruit admired around the world. It looks like a giant pod, like the ones that contain green peas. When you open said pod you’ll find big, black seeds surrounded by a white juicy pulp that resembles in taste a tasty vanilla ice cream. What’s better than eating a fruit that tastes like dessert, right?
Often referred to as the ice cream plant, the Pacay's edible cotton fibers taste extremely sweet. Pacay can be described as a legume that has a delightful flavor. It is a sweet-tasting legume.
Pacay Tree is native to the coastal valleys of Peru. The fruit pods are generally small, straight, and more prominent than the average human forearm. If they are ripe, the fruits are brightly green.
The pulp is sweet and is similar to cotton candy. The seeds can be cooked and served with a veggie or bean or be baked to serve as snacks.
Although the seeds are widely grown by indigenous Amazonians, this plant is used to make food, shade, timber, medicine, and the brewing of alcohol-based drinks.
While the passion fruit or Maracuyá is a very popular food all around the world, not many people know it has a yummy relative called Tumbo, also known as the banana passion fruit. ThisPeruvian fruit resembles in shape a small, fat banana, but with very “gooey” insides and edible seeds. Although it can be eaten raw it’s not uncommon to find it in juices and cocktails.
If you thought oranges contain the largest amount of vitamin C, think again. Camu camu is thePeruvian fruit with the world’s largest vitamin C concentration. These tiny berries range from purple to red and yellow and you can find them growing in bushes near the Amazon.
Camu originates from Camu Camu is native to the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest in Peru, where it is found in the bushes and appears like an apple. Although it is yellow and blue on its exterior and conceals a couple of large seeds, the camu pulp is sour and tastes like a combination of lime, a cherry, and grapefruit. The inside is white, and the strong sour taste is why it's utilized in ice creams, juices, and pies.
Vibrant levels of Vitamin C it has antioxidant properties. One portion of Camu Camu has sixty times more Vitamin C than an orange serving. In addition, it is a rich source of Valine.
This amino acid helps prevent muscle breakdown, Potassium that the body requires for proper kidney and heart function, and ellagic acid, which has anti-fungal properties.
AnotherPeruvian fruit that grows in the depths of the Amazonian jungle is the Cocona. With its body that resembles a little pepper, Cocona can be found in colors ranging from reddish yellow to purple. In flavor, it is said to taste like a mix of tomato and lemon.
The fruit Cocona is an exotic citrus fruit that is native to the Amazon. Cocona is a shrub and has twigs with white hairs. It smells similar to tomatoes. However, it tastes more like lemon. Cocona's tiny seeds are edible.
There are four kinds of Cocona found in Peru: large yellow and medium red-purple, the shape of a pear, and circular yellow. They are usually found in bell peppers and are often used in hot sauces, spicy condiments, empanadas, and salads.
The fruit can also be used in jams and juices, desserts, ice creams and paletas, and even meat and fish dishes.
You’ve probably heard this one before, Pitahaya is one of the most exoticPeruvian fruits you can find. From the inside it looks like a white kiwi because of the seeds and juicy texture, but on the outside it’s hard, kind of prickly and bright pink colored. Also known as the dragon fruit, the Pitahaya grows from a very rare night- blooming cactus.
Pitaya, also known as dragon fruit, has a bright pink exterior with tips of green. Inside it's clear white, with black edible seeds. Pitaya is a native of some Central American and Southern American countries and is considered a delicious delicacy.
In addition to the standard color of pink on the outside and white inside, Pitaya also grows in two different colors, i.e., the flesh is white with yellow or yellow. Despite being the Cactus's fruit, it is moderately sweet and recalls something like the melon and the Kiwi.
Pitaya is generally eaten by eating the fleshy meaty inside. It is best to chill it in the refrigerator before eating. Then, it can be cut into slices, chopped, and put into smoothies.
And I suggest eating the fruit with lime. Typical sweet dishes include Pitaya parfait (dragon fruit parfait) and pitaya pancakes. If you'd prefer to avoid long-winded preparation, simply cut, slice, and mix it into the salad and have fun.
With 63 percent of the country covered in the Amazon Rainforest and vast coastal and highland regions, There is a wide assortment of fruits to choose from throughout the year. Lima Lima, Peru's capital, is among the best spots to taste all the delicious Peruvian fruits you can imagine.
Most people don't travel, which means going to the country may be the only opportunity to try some of these tasty dishes. It's not an issue. It is our top list of Peru's thoroughly underrated and under-appreciated fruits that we believe need to be highlighted and enjoyed. In recipes and eat them raw. You can also make ice-creams with them and sorbets.
As you can see, berries and cherries are very commonPeruvian fruits. Capulin is a juicy, aromatic red cherry that is enjoyed in several desserts and also in natural syrups to treat respiratory diseases.
There are plenty morePeruvian fruits yet to be talked about, these are just some of the most popular and recognized in other countries. Now that you see the diversity of plant-based food this country has you can understand a bit more of how they cook such balanced recipes.
Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more…
Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more…