Causa at Raw Café in Lima

When you search online for essential Peruvian dishes, causa is surely mentioned on any list. It is often described as a potato casserole and can be found on many menu’s in Peru. Causa is basically a cold layered potato dish. What it’s layered with varies. Often you can find mayonnaise, tuna, lemon, egg, aji amarillo (Peruvian yellow chili pepper), avocado, chicken or shellfish in it. Not necessarily at the same time though. It really depends on the version you choose. There is even a variation that combines causa with ceviche, Peru’s national dish. 

Causa is easily made gluten free, so a great option to look out for as a celiac in Peru. The causa I ate at Raw Café in Lima was not only the most beautiful, but also by far the most delicious. As someone who enjoys fish or meat in his dishes extra credits go to Raw Café as this was a fully plant-based version. To be precise, this was a causa de portobello (the price was 26 sol). It was layered with portobello, avocado, cashew cream, quinoa crisp, and rocoto jam. Of course, it also had the all-important layers of Peruvian yellow potato. It was a feast for the eyes and taste buds.

Raw Café is located in the bustling Miraflores district of Lima. Roughly a fifteen-minute walk from the popular Parque Kennedy. Their entire menu is vegan and they have a good selection of gluten free dishes. Dishes with gluten are marked on the menu. The rest should be gluten free, but of course make sure to double check as it is not a dedicated gluten free facility. That being said, Raw Café was a hit and we went there more often. So, look out for future posts on some of their other dishes.