We ate several new-to-us foods that are unique to Peru or specifically to Arequipa. 

Chirimoya, also called a custard apple, is often cut in half to and then the white flesh is spooned out. The flavor is sort of a cross between a pineapple, apple, and banana.  Our first experience with chirimoya was as a cupcake flavor. And a few days later the owner of one of our favorite Arequipa restaurants encouraged us to try the fruit by itself.

Chirimoya is also called ice cream fruit because when served chilled it reminds some folks of ice cream. And in Peru it is a popular flavor of yogurt and ice cream.  Though not common in the US, Mark Twain was even a fan of this fruit and described it as “the most delicious fruit known to men.”  The large, black seeds, however, are not safe for humans to chew and swallow. They are poisonous when crushed open and some folks believe the crushed seeds can be used to kill lice. 

Chicha morada is a juice made from a special variety of purple corn grown in southern Peru, pineapple, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and lemon juice. It looks like grape juice, has a sweet taste, and is high in calories and vitamin C. The popular beverage originated during the Inca Empire in 3,000 B.C. This drink, which tastes very similar to grape juice, is much tastier when served cold. It seems to be the most popular beverage option at lunch time (main meal of the day) in restaurants. Some local heladerias even sell a chicha morada flavor of ice cream. 

Queso frito, unique to Arequipa, consists of cheese that is breaded and then deep fried. The cheese for this dish is white, salty, and has a high melting point. We enjoyed this tasty (but not low calorie or overly healthful) treat for lunch at a local outdoor restaurant. The garlic sauce made the queso frito even tastier. 

Typical escribano includes boiled potatoes with a bit of red pepper and tomato and is unique to Arequipa. Escribano means notary or court clerk in Spanish. Legend has it that this dish was inspired by Arequipa’s judges, lawyers, and clerks who would become engrossed in their conversations about work and then accidentally mix the potatoes, tomatoes and red peppers typically served as hors d’oeuvres at the time.The variation we consumed included toasted garlic which added great flavor and texture.  This is one of our favorite Peruvian foods.

Soltero de queso is a salad with cheese and chopped vegetables such as lima beans, onion, corn, potatoes, olives, and tomatoes. This is a tasty, crunchy side dish, unique to Arequipa, has with subtle reminders of potato salad. 

The name queso helado means iced cheese even though there is no cheese in this dessert, which resembles ice milk. It is made from evaporated and sweetened condensed milks, egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and coconut and is quite unique to Arequipa. We enjoyed this treat several times in the plaza at Mirador de Yanahuarra. We tried both fruit flavor and the original version. We preferred the original flavor best, especially when generously topped with ground cinnamon.