Lima has become one of the world’s great dining destinations—a national cuisine that has earned a place among the likes of Japan, Thailand, Mexico, Italy, and France. In San Pelligrino’s recent list of the world’s 50 best restaurants, Peruvian kitchens took the top spot, as well as four others.
Peruvian cuisine is among the most sophisticated and distinctive in the Americas, drawing from indigenous Andean traditions, Japanese immigration, Chinese Cantonese influence, and the extraordinary diversity of its own geography.
For kosher travelers, Lima is also, pleasantly, a city with a real Jewish community, certified kosher options, and the infrastructure to make a kosher vacation in Peru entirely viable.
Lima: The Jewish Community
Lima has a Jewish community of approximately 3,000 families—small by global standards, but highly organized and deeply connected. The Asociación Judía del Perú (AJP) operates community facilities in the Miraflores and San Isidro districts. Several certified kosher restaurants operate in Lima, serving Peruvian-influenced kosher menus—ceviche made with kosher fish, rice and legume dishes, and rotisserie chicken—alongside more traditional Ashkenazi and Sephardic fare.
PRICING NOTE
LIMA’S KOSHER RESTAURANTS TYPICALLY RANGE FROM $20 TO $60 PER PERSON FOR LUNCH OR DINNER. KOSHER CATERING CAN BE ARRANGED FOR IN-ROOM DINING THROUGH SELECT HOTEL PARTNERS.
The Sacred Valley and Cusco
Above Lima, the logistics of kosher travel in Peru require planning. Cusco and the Sacred Valley have no established kosher restaurants or certified food infrastructure.
The approach LANDED uses for observant travelers is to air-freight a supply of cold-packed and pre-packaged kosher foods from Lima to sustain kashrut through the highland portion of the journey. Several of the finest lodges in the Sacred Valley have worked with LANDED’s kosher clients and understand the requirements: use of the shipped packaged foods, designated cooking vessels and tableware, simple dairy or pareve preparation.
The Sacred Valley’s best hotels have kitchens well-equipped for flexibility. The local produce—Andean potatoes in dozens of varieties, fresh corn, quinoa grown at altitude—is pareve in its natural form and easily incorporated into simple kosher meals.
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu itself offers no kosher dining options. Aguas Calientes, the base town, has basic restaurants but no kosher certification. The practical approach is to arrive at Aguas Calientes with packed kosher meals prepared by lodges or hotels in the Cusco and Sacred Valley area. Exploration of the hilltop city is the focus; the logistics of kosher food management here are manageable with preparation.
The Amazon
The Peruvian Amazon—Iquitos, Manu, Tambopata, or the Madre de Dios watershed—adds richness and texture to a Peru itinerary. Jungle lodges are remote and have simple kitchens. LANDED arranges for kosher food supplies to be transported in advance or on the same flight as the traveler.
Many Amazon cruise and lodge kitchens can accommodate basic kosher preparation with advance notice. Kosher fish, fresh fruits, and sealed packaged foods form the basis of the kosher Amazon menu.
“Our three-week trip through Peru with three teenage children was exactly that bonding and sharing experience we had hoped for. The rhythm, the variety, and the tone of locations and activities was spot on. With effective listening and probing skills, you built a good picture of what we were looking for, which was more complicated than “just” luxury. The result was a great trip, one that felt like it was very much made just for us. Beyond the expected expertise and knowledge of the country, we liked the fact that the guides, hoteliers, and others we met in Peru all knew and liked you personally. Because of your relationships, they really gave their best in making our trip memorable.” – Gesine Holschuh, LANDED Traveler
“We’re heading home from an extraordinary adventure in Peru. Thank you for organizing such a perfect trip. We experienced the magic of these landscapes and cultures, all while relaxing in beautiful mountain resorts–a perfect mix!”– R. Rosenberg, LANDED Traveler
Peru is larger than the combined territory of France, Germany, and Italy. This land was the seat of more than a dozen ancient civilizations before the Inca, and its living cultural traditions are astonishing. I’ve spent more than 25 years exploring Peru, and feel there is still so much more to discover. – John Montgomery, Co-Founder of LANDED
“Tall city of stepped stone, home at long last of whatever earth had never hidden in her sleeping clothes. In you two lineages had run parallel met where the cradle both of man and light rocked in a wind of thorns. Mother of stone and seed of condors. High reef of the human dawn.”— Pablo Neruda