As we can guess from reading or hearing its name, it is a dish made of rice and duck, with a flavor that is between sour and spicy, due to its mixture with yellow chili, cilantro, and a marinade of garlic with vinegar.
That's why it acquires its characteristic coloring, blending yellow and green; although this greatly depends on the use of cilantro, which can be replaced with parsley to avoid the green color.
Fun Facts about Arroz con Pato
This dish, created during the 19th century, specifically in 1821, but with records dating back to 1860, is considered a typical dish from the Peruvian Lambayeque region. It is quite similar to another popular local dish: Chicken rice.
Earlier, it was known by other names; you could find it called "Pato con arroz a la chiclayana," "Lambayeque duck with rice," or simply "Duck with rice." These are still the terms you might find online today.
The Chiclayo Version
In fact, in the Chiclayo region, where it is also quite renowned, they used specifically rice harvested from local farms, along with peas, cilantro leaves, and a female duck. They never used the stems or male ducks. Why? Ancient beliefs related to flavor.
Peruvians of that time were very keen on preparing dishes made with ducks and always looked for ways to include them in recipes. Therefore, with the arrival of rice and cilantro to the country, the perfect environment was created for the dish to be born—just as it was meant to be.
