page_title: Peruvian cuisine
section_title: Crops
hierarchical_section_title: Peruvian cuisine / Crops
caption_attribution_description: English: Different potato varieties. – The potato is the vegetable of choice in the United States. On average, Americans devour about 65 kg of them per year. New potato releases by ARS scientists give us even more choices of potatoes to eat. Deutsch: Verschiedene Kartoffelsorten
context_page_description: This article is part of a series on theCulture of Peru
  Norte Chico civilization 3500 BC-1800 BC
  Chavín culture 900 BC-200 BC
  Moche culture 100-700
  Tiwanaku empire 550-1000
  Wari Empire 6th century-1438
  Kingdom of Cusco 1197-1438
  Inca Empire 1438-1572
  Viceroyalty of Peru 1542-1821
  Republic of Peru 1821-present
context_section_description: Peru is considered an important center for the genetic diversity of the world's crops:
  Potatoes, many varieties of potato are native to the Andes mountains. Over 99% of all cultivated potatoes worldwide are descendants of a single subspecies, namely Solanum tuberosum. This subspecies has developed into thousands of varieties that vary by size, shape, color, and other sensory characteristics.
  Quinoa ("Indian" rice), three varieties
  Kaniwa
  Tarwi, a legume native to the Andes which is similar to the lupin bean
  Lima bean
  Maca
  Oca, a potato-like tuber
  Mashua, a potato-like tuber
  Ulluco, a potato-like tuber
  Caigua, a vegetable with a cucumber-like taste
  Capsicum baccatum chile peppers, including ají amarillo and ají limón
  Capsicum pubescens, rocoto chile
  Capsicum chinense, ají panca and ají mochero/limo
  Fruits—Peru has about 20 native fruits that are used in cooking or eaten fresh
  The sweet potato is native to the Americas and was domesticated there at least 5,000 years ago. The much lower molecular diversity found in Peru and Ecuador. Only two varieties of sweet potato are commonly available for sale in the markets, but there are more varieties around the country. One has dry orange flesh and light tan skin and tastes sweet. The other has purple skin, is white and brown inside, and is only moderately sweet. Occasionally another variety, characterized by small tubers and dark skin, is available. Peru has around more than 5000 varieties of potatoes, the biggest in the world. The two most common potatoes are a white-flesh type and a more expensive yellow-flesh type. The only commercially available native fruits native to the Andes region in general (Peru, Bolivia) are lucuma, camu camu, prickly pear, cape gooseberry, cocona, pacay (technically a legume but used as a fruit), guanabana, dragon fruit, pepino, papaya, ciruela, mammee apple, banana passionfruit, cherimoya, granadilla, moriche palm fruit, and tamarillo. Yacon, although an underground tuber, is also used as a fruit. None of the other native fruits are commercially available.
  From Peru, the Spanish brought back to Europe several foods that would become staples for many peoples around the world.
  Potatoes: Potatoes were introduced to Europe from Latin America. They were considered livestock feed in Europe until French chemist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier began serving dishes made from the tubers at his lavish banquets. His guests were immediately convinced that potatoes were fit for human consumption. The varieties used in Europe and most of the world, however, derive from a subspecies indigenous to Peruvian andes, namely Solanum tuberosum.
  Beans: Several varieties of the common bean are native to Latin America including the lima bean.
  The varieties of chili peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and maize that the Spanish brought back to Europe, however, were native to Peru:
  Peppers: Chili peppers are native to America. The varieties most commonly used around the world, however, derive from Mexico and Central America. Sweet Peppers are native to Mexico and Central America. Peruvian Ají peppers are virtually unknown outside of the Andean region of South America.
  Maize: Maize ("Indian" corn), is native to Mesoamerica and Peru; the varieties used in Europe and most of the world are from Central America. The corn grown in Peru is sweet and has large kernels. However, it is not widely consumed outside of Peru.
  Tomatoes: The tomato is native to Peru. This is proven by the great number of varieties available in that region. In contrast, Mesoamerica only has two varieties that are currently available commercially, namely the Common Globe and Plum Tomato.
  Many foods from Spain are now considered Peruvian staples, including wheat, barley, oats, rice, lentils, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), broad beans, garlic, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, celery, lettuce, eggplant, wine, vinegar, olives, beef, pork, chicken, numerous spices (including coriander, cumin, parsley, cilantro (green coriander), laurel, mint, thyme, marjoram, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg
caption: Peruvian potatoes
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