The City Of The Kings

Lima, the capital of Peru, is the jewel in South America’s culinary crown – and shows no sign of abdicating any time soon.

- Tony Dunnell

Sitting proudly on coastal cliffs overlooking the turbulent Pacific, Lima is Peru’s largest city and its capital. With an ever-expanding population in excess of 10 million, it is Peru’s economic, political and tourism powerhouse, with almost all foreign visitors passing through the city.

But not all tourists stay in the big and boisterous City of the Kings. Many pass straight through en route to cultural sites at Cusco, Machu Picchu, the Nazca Lines and Lake Titicaca. Stick around, however, and you’ll discover a city that is both a vibrant mixture of all things Peruvian and, according to pretty much everyone, the leading culinary destination in South America.

Founded in 1535 by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, Lima soon became the most important city in Spain’s Viceroyalty of Peru. The Inca capital, Cusco, meanwhile, fell to the Spanish a year after Lima’s founding, becoming the centre for Spanish colonisation in the Andes. Over the centuries, Lima has seen a massive influx of Peruvians from the highlands, the jungle and coastal regions, making it a melting pot of distinct regional cultures. Throw in the historic Spanish influence, Asian immigration and Afro-Peruvian culture, and you have a heady mix indeed.