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Fast Food Favorites
The Peruvian Loaded Fries You Didn’t Really Know About
Meet Salchipapa, a Peruvian staple from the 1950s
We all know and love bacon and cheese-loaded fries. Some of us are also familiar with poutine, or Canadian fries topped with cheese curds and brown gravy.
And yet, in discussions with my followers, I’ve found that salchipapa — Peruvian fries loaded with hot dog sausages and finished with ketchup, mustard, and mayo — continues to be a secret within Latin America, Portugal, and Spain.
Peruvian investigative writer Jorge Yeshayahu Gonzales-Lara, as reported by local newspaper La República, has traced salchipapa’s history back to Tip Top, the first fast food restaurant ever to open in Lima, the capital of Peru, in the year 1953.
The dish didn’t take long to become a bonafide favorite for kids and grown-ups alike. It should come as no surprise, then, that when Piano Bar Munich, another iconic Lima restaurant, opened its doors, it also featured its own take on salchipapa on the menu.
According to Mudo Social, a Peruvian online periodical, salchipapa only truly became a hit in the 1970’s, when street carts selling the fast food item became a common sight in Lima and throughout the rest of the country. Word about…
