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Dish · Arequipa
Chupe de camarones
Thick river shrimp soup with potato, egg, milk and cheese. It is called the ambassador of traditional Arequipa cuisine and is served as a main course in the picanterías.
Flavors · Trujillo
Shambar
Thick wheat soup with beans, chickpeas, peas and fava beans, with pork cuts and ham, scented with mint. It is the Monday dish in Trujillo.
Traditional dish from Trujillo, La Libertad
Also known as: shambar trujillano
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Shambar — Trujillo, Peru
Shambar is a thick soup of hulled wheat with several legumes: beans, chickpeas, peas, fava beans and lentils, depending on the recipe. It also includes meats, especially pork—such as skin and ham—and sometimes other meats. Seasoning includes ají panca, garlic and cumin, and the mint, added at the end, gives the aroma that identifies the dish.
Shambar is considered Trujillo’s signature dish and it has a set day: Monday. On that day it appears on the menus of restaurants and markets in the city and across northern Peru. The most common explanation for the custom is that the hearty soup provided energy to start the week, a habit attributed to workers on the region’s former estates.
The recipe combines Andean and Spanish ingredients: wheat and legumes brought from Europe together with ají seasoning and pork from the criollo kitchen. Some sources link the dish’s origin to the highlands of La Libertad.
It is usually served with cancha (toasted corn) and ají on the side so each person can adjust the spiciness.
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Where it comes from
Trujillo , La Libertad
Trujillo’s signature dish, traditionally served on Mondays.
Ingredients
Hulled wheat, beans, chickpeas, peas, fava beans and lentils; pork skin and ham; ají panca, garlic, cumin and mint.
How it is eaten
Hot, in a deep bowl, with cancha and ají on the side.
When it is eaten
Mondays, in Trujillo and in northern Peru.
Your questions
Questions about Shambar
Why is shambar eaten on Mondays?
It is the custom of Trujillo and northern Peru. The most common explanation is that the hearty soup provided energy to start the week, a habit attributed to workers on the region’s estates.
What does shambar contain?
Hulled wheat, beans, chickpeas, peas and fava beans; pork meats such as skin and ham; ají panca and mint.
Is shambar spicy?
Moderately. The ají is usually served on the side so each person can adjust the heat.
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