Chifa (from the Mandarin words 吃飯 "chi1 fan4", meaning "to eat rice") is the Peruvian term for Chinese food (or for a Chinese restaurant). Because many Chinese ingredients are hard to find in Peru, the Chinese modified their cuisine and incorporated many Peruvian elements (mainly Spanish, native and African) into their cuisine. Even today, it is difficult to find authentic Chinese cuisine in Peru. This is mainly due to popularity of the hybridization of Chinese food, which is commonly called "Chifa," and a lack of many Chinese ingredients.
In downtown Lima, on Capón Street, is the barrio chino (Chinatown). This is the main area in Peru where one can find a limited selection of authentic Chinese ingredients imported from China. Even in this area, however, it is very difficult to find a restaurant that serves authentic Chinese dishes such as Mapo doufu.
Some creole dishes such as lomo saltado and arroz chaufa were influenced by the Chinese and are commonly served at Chifa restaurants.
Read more about this topic: Peruvian Cuisine