As is well known, the faithful of the Christian religion, specifically the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church, which has a large number of followers throughout Latin America, avoid consuming red meat during the Holy Week festivities, as this food represents, during these dates, the body of Christ on the cross.
Holy Week is a time for reflection, where abstinence should prevail. In the regions of Peru, it is celebrated with great gastronomic devotion, and according to tradition, the primary focus is on dishes made with fish and seafood.
For example, it is well known worldwide that in Cusco there is a tradition of consuming 12 dishes on Good Friday, and in Ayacucho, Holy Week is celebrated with chorizo. But do you know what is prepared during Holy Week in Arequipa or Piura? Or what is served beyond the Andean heights, in the Amazonian territory?
Next, we will take you on a tour through six Peruvian regions and their respective culinary traditions during these dates:
Piura: Malarrabia and Sudado
Piura is the fifth most populous city in Peru and a culinary leader in northern Peru; it is a diverse territory ranging from the high Puna of the Andes (land of shamans) to the desert coast and the Mar de Grau. This is why its gastronomic customs are so varied. The most prominent dish in Piuran cuisine during this time is Malarrabia.
Malarrabia is specially prepared in Catacaos, although it has spread throughout Piura, and combines mashed cooked plantains seasoned with chili, garlic, and onion, with diced cheese (traditionally goat cheese, though any fresh cheese can be used according to taste). All this is accompanied by salted fish or a type of sudado, and a vegetable medley, usually chickpeas, beans, or lentils.
The Northern Moche: Causa and Teológica Soup
The Moche cuisine is an outstanding example of northern Peru, including the territories of Lambayeque and La Libertad. In this land of Naylamp, Holy Week is often celebrated with two preparations: fish escabeche-laden causa and the Teológica Soup, which is more typical of Trujillo.
The Lambayeque causa is usually less elaborate than the Limean cause; it is basically cooked and mashed potatoes, seasoned with a touch of salt, pepper, lemon, and chili. This causa is served with a fish escabeche made with onion and tomato, sweet potato, corn, yuca, hard-boiled egg, and olives.
The Teológica Soup is typically consumed on Palm Sunday and consists of chicken or hen broth (though recipes with beef or pork also exist), with many vegetables, cheese, and milk.
Fish a la Chorrillana
Fish a la Chorrillana is a delicious and very simple Peruvian dish to prepare. It is ideal for serving at lunch and has an exquisite taste of the sea.
Ayacucho: Ayacucho Chorizo
Although the tradition and religious influence in Peru suggest that Holy Week is celebrated with fish, Ayacucho is an exception. In this region, while it is customary to have the Friday soup—a light broth made with tubers, milk, and herbs—the dish that distinguishes this city is Ayacucho sausage.
Ayacucho chorizo is characterized by its similarity to Waqcha sausage, prepared with pork meat seasoned with chili and vinegar.
Unlike traditional sausages, this one is not served in a sausage casing but as shredded meat.
It is a hearty dish served with boiled or fried potatoes and a salad of beetroot, lettuce, and carrot.
Arequipa: Friday and Sunday Chupe
Arequipa’s cuisine is a proud representative of Peru's culinary image worldwide. Much of Arequipa's food is closely linked to religion and its traditions, to the point that many dishes and desserts have been created in the various religious orders, resulting in a different soup or chupe for each day of the week.
On Mondays, chanque is prepared; Tuesdays, chairo; Wednesdays, chochoca broth; Thursdays, red chupe or chuño; Fridays, Friday’s chupe; Saturdays, puchero or timpusca; and Sundays, white broth or mutton pebre, especially on Easter Sunday during Holy Week.
The Friday chupe is a dish that contains fish and seafood, plenty of vegetables, as well as eggs and fish jerky. The white broth is usually simpler, but for festivities, chicken or hen is added along with the beef. This article discusses this broth extensively, as it is the base for other chupe variations.
Amazon: Patarashca
Peruvian Amazonia is a vast territory, but its culinary practices are quite similar. From the northeastern coast, passing through Loreto, the central jungle, and the southern region to Madre de Dios, you can find dishes or celebrations that are very similar.
Thus, during Holy Week, we also find a series of fish-based dishes with slight variations.
Corn Lawa
Corn lawa is a traditional Andean soup, made with ripe corn, grains, vegetables, and aromatic herbs. This delicious Cusco-style soup has a thick consistency and is perfect to enjoy on cold days.
An example is the emblematic juane, but instead of chicken, fish is used for Holy Week. Also, freshwater fish ceviche is commonly enjoyed, accompanied by chonta salad. However, the Patarashca, a fish stew cooked wrapped inside bijao leaves, might be the main dish during Holy Week festivities in our Amazon. Patarashca is a stuffed fish stew cooked with seasonings inside bijao leaves, served with yuca and ripe plantains.
The 12 Cusco Dishes
Cusco is a city in the Peruvian Andes that also displays strong religious customs in its cuisine, especially during Holy Week, when thousands of pilgrims gather, and Holy Monday is a key date, as the Lord of the Temblores procession takes place. Like Arequipa and other Andean cities, Cusco’s customs during Holy Week focus on broths, soups, and chupe.
A notable tradition in this city is the celebration of the 12 dishes. This feast occurs on Good Friday, received at noon in fasting, and includes six savory and six sweet dishes, in memory of Christ’s Last Supper.
This menu of 12 dishes varies from house to house and has evolved over time, but some of the most representative are:
Savory: choclo soup or lawa, olluco soup or lisas, machas soup and shrimp chupe, rice with seafood, and fried fish.
Sweets: Cusco empanadas, suspiros, purple mazamorra.
