Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the world. In 2004, a leading world cuisine organization declared that, "Peru can lay claim to one of the world's dozen or so great cuisines". In 2006, the fourth International Summit of Gastronomy, Madrid Fusion, was held in Spain. This gathering is regarded as the world's most important gastronomic forum. At the forum, Lima was once again recognized by the attendees as the "Gastronomic capital of the Americas".

Thanks to the Pre-Inca and Inca heritage and to Spanish, Basque, African, Sino-Cantonese, Japanese, Italian, French and British immigration and influence, Peruvian cuisine combines the flavor of four continents with the eclectic variety of traditional dishes into a unique and exquisite array of gastronomic pleasures.

The Peruvian culinary arts are in constant evolution, and are impossible to list in their entirety. Suffice it to mention that along the Peruvian coast alone there are more that two thousand different types of soups and more than 250 traditional desserts. There are many restaurants specializing in Peruvian cuisine in many different cities throughout the world including New York and Miami.

Papa a la Huancaina The great variety in Peruvian cuisine stems from three major influences, namely:
- Peru's unique geography including 84 of 104 possible life zones as listed by Holdrege.
- Peru's openness and blending of distinct races, peoples and cultures.
- Peru's incorporation and blending of ancient and modern cuisines.

The Peruvian national drink is pisco, a brandy most commonly drank as a cocktail in pisco sours (lemon juice, egg whites, sugar, and ice are mixed in an and topped with bitter or cinnamon). Peru is also famous for its Cartavio rum, Tacama and Ocucaje wines, and Pilsen, Cristal, Arequipeña, and Cusqueña beer. A popular drink is chicha morada, which is prepared from purple corn. Mate de coca is a tea brewed from coca leaves and is drank as an antidote to altitude sickness. Camomile tea (manzanilla) is also popular.

Peru produces fine coffee, with the Chanchamayo brand being considered the best. In 2007, Peru won a prize in Europe for having the best coffee in the world and the former United Nations Secretary, Mr. Perez de Cuellar, granted this prize. Sodas are known as gaseosas, and the most popular in Peru is the bright yellow Inka Kola. We also have a great variety of fruit juices and excellent lemonades.