Photos: Amazonian Street Food

One of my great discoveries during this recent trip to Peru was the Amazon region. Despite my family connections to Peru, and being a frequent visitor, I had never gone to the Amazon. Although I was only there a few days, I was smitten and can't wait to go back. The exuberant landscape, the unique culture, and the friendly and easy-going nature of the people have made it my new favorite part of Peru. Here are some pictures of some local street food.

This guy is selling icy cold tropical fruit drinks, perfect for the hot and humid Amazonian climate. The pink drink is made from a local fruit, camu camu, (Myrciaria dubia) and is delicious and refreshing. The yellow drink is made from the fruit of the aguaje palm, known in English as the Moriche palm (Mauritia flexuosa). I loved the tangy flavor of camu camu and had it in different ways: as a cold drink, as an ice cream, and as a sorbet.



This lady is selling aguaje fruit, peeled and ready to eat. It has a tart flavor and is quite popular. The aguaje, or Moriche palm, thrives in the lush wetlands of the region, known as aguajales, and is one of the symbols of the Amazon.

Juanes are one of the more popular foods eaten in the Amazon. Rolled in the leaf of the bijao plant, they contain rice with spices and pieces of chicken. I have a previous post about juanes, perhaps the quintessential Amazonian dish. At that post, there is also a good link to more information about the bijao plant.



The owner of this stand at a lagoon beach that was packed with local daytrippers swimming, playing soccer, and lounging about on a steamy Sunday has a good selection of snacks: juanes, fruit, cold fruit drinks, and small bags of fried yucca chips.




Peru.Food@gmail.com
.
.
.

Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana