Piurana gastronomy: discover which dishes you cannot miss on your next visit

The City of eternal heat witnessed one of the most ambitious gastronomic events, the Somos Piura festival. Thousands of people, more than 20 restaurants and a varied cultural proposal gathered for three days to celebrate the region on the occasion of its anniversary, which is celebrated every August 15. Advantage traveled to the event and, during the visit, we were able to learn more about the traditional gastronomy of the area. Thus, we present 5 succulent stews that are part of Piura’s cuisine and that you must try.

Dry of chavelo

One of the most classic dishes of Piurana gastronomy is the seco de chavelo, in which one of the most beloved ingredients of northern cuisine is used: the plantain. This preparation consists of a Creole base stew that includes onion and pieces of minced meat. It is combined with pieces of fried plantain and then mashed. Thus, a succulent stew is created that is usually served with chifles and an onion sarsa to add even more flavor.

The best thing about the version from the D’Lirios restaurant -who also won the Best Cebiche award at the Somos Piura festival- was the combination of textures. Between the softness of the banana combined with the stew, the crispiness of the chifles, the flavor of the meat and the freshness of the sarsa, each bite was better than the previous one and it was one of the dishes that we enjoyed the most.

Cebiche

One of the perfect foods to deal with the extreme temperatures in Piura is cebiche. Nothing better than a fresh preparation with acid touches to appease the heat. On this occasion, we tried the mixed cebiche of ‘On the Duck! which includes generous pieces of fish, shrimp and octopus. It is essential to serve it with sweet potato, cancha and, of course, zarandaja (a common type of legume in the area). The fish and shellfish had the perfect temperature, the sweet potato was sweet and perfect to balance the spiciness and the fresh and sour taste of the region’s lemon was felt.

copus

Peruvian cuisine stands out, among other things, for its cooking techniques. One of the most beloved is the pachamanca, which makes use of the land as a space to cook various meats, vegetables and other ingredients. In the north, specifically in Piura, there is copús, a version of the aforementioned cooking method. In this case, a clay pot is buried, a classic of picantería cuisine, with pork and kid meat, accompanied by sweet potato and plantain. You cannot miss a portion of chifles to accompany and, at Juanjo’s Restaurant, they serve it with onion and chili sauce.

This dish is a delicacy that perhaps little is known about, but it is definitely worth trying. It is not accompanied with any type of seasoning, so the flavor of the meat prevails, which combines very well with the sweet and smoky flavor of the plantain and sweet potato.

kid to the north

As its name indicates, a protein that is usually consumed in the region is used and combined with a green stew, which includes coriander. Don Juan’s version, a new restaurant that specializes in wood-fired cooking, is accompanied with a delicious stew, its generous portion of white rice, and a green tamale topped with onion sarsa.

The meat was so tender that it was broken with a spoon, the stew was seasoned in the right proportion, so as not to overshadow the other flavors and what to say about the tamale, soft and with the incomparable taste that green tamales from Piura usually have.

noodle with turkey

This is probably my favorite dish and the one I religiously look for every time I travel to Piura. In the province, turkey consumption is considerable and there are paverías, spaces specialized in offering this bird in sandwiches or with noodles. During the festival we visited La Martita, a family restaurant that includes this dish on its menu.

It consists of a juicy noodle that is served with pieces of turkey and chifles. The combination may sound curious, but the flavor that surrounds the noodles (taken from the cooking of the bird), gives it the Creole touch that cannot be missed. This, added to the contrast of textures provided by the chifle, makes this dish a stew that you must try.