As you walk through the streets of Peru, people start gathering at food stalls and fast-food restaurants as night falls. One thing you are almost guaranteed to see is “salchipapa.”
This dish is nothing more than a huge pile of French fries topped generously with sliced sausage, yet Peruvians absolutely love it. It is a beloved national junk food often enjoyed late at night.
A name with simple origins
“Salchipapa” is a combination of “salchicha (sausage)” and “papa (potato)”. In other words, it means just that: sausage and potatoes. When I first heard the name, I thought, “That’s exactly what it is!” That kind of straightforwardness feels very Peruvian to me. Peruvian cuisine also has dishes with names that literally mean things like “rice and chicken,” so if you don’t already know the dish, the name alone may not tell you what will actually be served.
Simple, yet impossible to stop eating
The charm of salchipapa starts with the freshly fried potatoes. Peruvian potatoes have a natural sweetness and are truly delicious. On top of that, people pour on generous amounts of ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, and a chili sauce known as ají. You have to forget about calories for a while if you want to keep eating.
A surprisingly Peruvian dish?
At first glance, it may look like the kind of junk food you could find in any country, but potatoes actually originated in the Andean region, including Peru. When you think about it that way, salchipapa may be more Peruvian than it first appears.
For some reason, it’s exactly what you want at night
The Peruvians around me often say, “I suddenly get a craving for salchipapa in the middle of the night.” And in every town, there is always a shop ready to satisfy that craving.
Surprisingly troublesome to make at home
For this article, I tried making salchipapa myself, even though I usually buy it. It is an extremely simple dish: peel the potatoes, cut them into long strips, and fry them in plenty of oil.
Then slice the sausages and fry them in the same oil until crisp. A single serving in Peru is about twice the size of one in Japan, so preparing a large enough batch took a fair amount of time. As I was making it, I kept thinking, “It would have been faster to just buy it.” Despite being made by a Japanese cook, my salchipapa was met with enthusiastic approval from the Peruvians, who kept saying how delicious it was. I was glad to see that. You can make it in Japan as well, so why not try it as a snack while watching sports?
If you want a taste of everyday Peru
If the ceviche I introduced in my previous post is a dish that captures the essence of Peru’s sea, then salchipapa embodies the everyday life of Peruvians. From students on their way home from school and office workers heading back after a long day to families out together, it’s a dish that anyone can enjoy with ease. If you ever visit Peru, I hope you’ll try salchipapa as well, not just the refined dishes served at upscale restaurants. Despite being nothing more than potatoes and sausage, it has a strangely irresistible quality that makes you want to eat it again and again.
Well, here’s where I say “Adios!”
