ají: Peruvian word for chili peppers.

ceviche: A fish dish made by marinating fish in lime juice. (Also spelled cebiche or seviche.)

chancaca: A type of brown sugar.

chifa: Peruvian-Chinese style of cooking.

choclo: Peruvian word for corn.

chuño: Freeze-dried potatoes.

conquistador: A Spanish explorer who came to the Americas seeking gold and riches.

cuy: Peruvian word for guinea pig.

Inca: A group of native South American people who ruled a large empire from the 12th to the mid-16th centuries, whose capital was in Cusco, Peru.

llama: A domesticated South American animal re- lated to camels with a wooly coat.

lúcumas: Tropical fruit native to Peru.

manjar blanco: Caramel cream popular in Peru.

nougat: A chewy sweet made with sugar or honey, nuts or seeds, and/or dried fruit.

panettóne: A tall sweet bread similar to fruitcake.

pre-Columbian: Time before the arrival of Christo- pher Columbus to the Americas.

puree: To turn solid food into a soft moist paste.

salsa: Spicy sauce usually made of peppers, onions, and spices.