There are many good reasons to visit Peru, but one of the chief ones is to eat very, very well. As a diverse country, however, Peru has a number of regional cuisines, which means that a trip beyond Lima can reveal a number of unique dishes. Here are five destinations in Peru for foodies.

Ayacucho
Ayacucho is littlee-visited by tourists, but as a city that preserves its cultural heritage with great devotion, it is one of the best places to sample traditional Andean dishes. The region’s star dish is puca picante, which sees local potatoes smothered in a spicy peanut sauce, served alongside chicharrón. Another unique dish is qapchi, which combines Andean cheese with hot peppers and scallions.

Pachamanca (Manchamanteles/PromPerú)

Ayacucho is also a great place to sample cuy- guinea pig- and pachamanca, in which meats, potatoes, lima beans and sweet potatoes are mixed with Andean herbs and cooked in an earthen oven. If you need a sweet bite, try the muyuchi, the local ice cream. The name means “stirring” in Quechua, and when you see the old women stirring it in copper pots in Ayacucho’s plaza, you’ll understand why.

Arequipa
Located in a rich valley at the country’s southern end, Arequipa developed its cuisine separately from the rest of Peru. Perhaps influenced by the volcanoes looming over the city, Arequipa’s cooks have given many of the city’s unique dishes a fiery touch with local rocoto peppers.

Rocoto relleno (Enrique Castro-Mendívil/PromPerú)

One local favorite is solterito, a refreshing salad made from potatoes, corn, cheese, tomato, onion, rocoto, lima beans, oil, vinegar and herbs. Another winning appetizer is ocopa, in which boiled potatoes are covered by a sauce seasoned heavily with the local black mint, called huacatay. The most famous of all Arequipeño appetizers is the rocoto relleno, in which a rocoto pepper is stuffed with ground beef and other ingredients, and served alongside potato and cheese.

Arequipa is a great place to get river shrimp, which are served in a number of ways, most famously in a chowder called chupe de camarones. On Sunday, don’t miss the famed adobo, a spicy pork stew which serves as an excellent hangover cure.

Pucallpa
Pucallpa is one of several places to sample the unique cuisine of Peru’s jungle. There are a number of delicious offerings, including juanes, which wrap rice, chicken and other spices inside a leaf before being cooked; tocacho, a ball of plantain and other ingredients; and cecina, a kind of cured ham.

Tacacho with cecina (Carlos Ibarra/PromPerú)

One special dish is patarashca, in which a river fish is seasoned with jungle fruits, wrapped in a bijao leaf, and cooked over a flame. Many of the dishes in Pucallpa are served with a delicious salsa made from the cocona fruit, and are washed down with a refreshing glass of camu camu juice.

Chiclayo
Surrounded by productive farms and rich seas, it is little wonder that the biggest city in Lambayeque is a food-lover’s dream. One unique twist to cuisine in this region is the heavy use of duck, as in the emblematic arroz con pato.

Tortilla de raya (Manchamanteles/PromPerú)

Lovers of seafood will not be disappointed, either. Chiringuito takes a traditional ceviche and gives it a unique spin, replacing the normal raw fish with dried and salted guitar fish. You should also try the tortilla de raya, an omelette made with dried ray meat. As a dessert, you can eat the famed King Kong, which earn their name from their immense size.

Cusco
Some people consider Cusco the birthplace of chicharrón, but what puts it on the foodie map is its unique Novo Andina cuisine. Starting with traditional local ingredients like quinoa, trout and alpaca, innovative chefs have incorporated ingredients and techniques from Europe and Asia to create a modern, unique cuisine.

Trout ceviche (Juan Puelles/PromPerú)

This list is hardly exhaustive; a true foodie exploration of Peru would have to include the black conch ceviche of Tumbes, the rich stews of Trujillo, the duck ceviche in the Norte Chico and a hundred other delicious plates. For food lovers, it’s time to hit the road and discover all that Peru has to offer.