One of the interesting aspects of the culture and cuisine of Peru is that there is a distinct blending of the Peruvian cuisine and the Chinese food served in restaurants that have opened in the country.

It is believed that there are over 6,000 Chifa restaurants in Lima alone, while the majority of these restaurants outside of Lima are located in the coastal areas of the country, with a smaller Chinese population found in the inland areas of the country.

This is a very interesting development as in most cases Chinese cuisine in other countries will usually remain very similar to that which is served in China itself, but due to the variety of ingredients and the typical food available in Peru, the Chinese chefs were forced to adapt.

The Chinese Food On Offer In Peru

The key difference between Chifa and other Chinese food served elsewhere is the ingredients, as the style of cooking is similar to that seen in China itself, but it is the ingredients that are traditionally Peruvian, adapting dishes to match the ingredients available.

Indeed, in many parts of Lima, it appears that Chifa food is more popular than the indigenous cuisine of the city, and the Chinatown of Lima is a particularly popular place to enjoy these dishes. The cuisine has also influenced local foods, with many Peruvian chefs now making use of Chinese ingredients and flavors such as ginger and soy sauce.

Typical Chifa Dishes

One good example of where the cuisine has adapted to use the ingredients available is in the arroz chaufa, which still retains some of the essence of fried rice, but depending on what is available can include beef tongue or even alligator where traditional meat is too expensive or unavailable.

Another popular dish is a Peruvian version of chow mein, known locally as tallarin saltado, adding tomatoes, onions and peppers to the traditional ingredients of the dish. Another interesting blend is lomo saltado, which is a stir fry that includes potato fries as a part of the mix.

The History Of Chinese Immigration To Peru

There have been people of Asian origin brought to Peru for centuries, and because of the colonial influence in the far east many of the ancestors of the current Chinese population came over as workers to replace the previous workforce following the abolition of slavery.

The real growth of Chifa food in the country began in the 1920s, when a trend developed of the wealthy of Lima enjoying the Chifa blend of Chinese and Peruvian cuisine. There have been several more recent waves of Chinese immigration to Peru, particularly after World War II and the foundation of a Communist Republic in China.

The Present Chinese Population In Peru

Many of the Chinese immigrants who came to Peru early in the twentieth century left for the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, but estimates suggest that around two per cent, or 1.3 million people currently living in Peru are of Chinese descent. 

The most recent wave of immigration came in the late 1990s when the threat of Communism lay over the colonial outposts in China, Hong Kong and Macau. There is a strong tradition of intermarriage between the Chinese population and the local Peruvians, and many of the Chinese population in the country also adopted Spanish surnames after their working contracts in the country ended.

Other Influences On Peruvian Culture

While the Chinese influence on Peruvian culture is found throughout the country, it is certainly in the Chinatown in Lima where this influence is most visible, with a high density of restaurants, temples and other signs of Chinese culture.

Most Chinese people in Peru will speak several languages, including Spanish and at least one Chinese dialect, with Cantonese being the most common. For several decades at the end of the twentieth century Chinese immigration was prohibited, which meant that much of the Chinese population intermarried and became more involved in the local population, which is also seen in some parts of the local culture.