Peru has qualified for the semi-finals of the Food World Cup organized by Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos after its national dish ceviche defeated Guatemala's pepián de pollo in a close quarter-final vote.
The South American nation will now face Argentina in the next round for a spot in the grand final of the online culinary tournament.
Llanos announced the quarter-final results following a week of public voting across social media channels. The Spanish content creator highlighted the high level of audience participation throughout this stage, revealing that a total of 12,700,000 votes were registered across the matchups.
The quarter-final showdown between Peru and Guatemala ended as one of the most competitive ties of the round. Peruvian ceviche earned 2,747,000 votes, while Guatemalan pepián de pollo achieved 2,372,000 votes. With that vote margin, Peru managed to overturn an early deficit and advance to the semi-finals.
Before announcing the final winner, Llanos commented on the excitement surrounding the matchup, describing the clash between Peru and Guatemala as complete history. Following the confirmation of the final tally, Llanos celebrated Peru's progress, stating that the country had mounted a comeback to advance to the semi-finals.
Ceviche, a dish of fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices and seasoned with chili peppers and red onions, is considered Peru's flagship national dish and a cornerstone of South American gastronomy. Guatemala's competing dish, pepián de pollo, is a traditional Guatemalan chicken stew simmered in a spiced sauce made from toasted seeds and peppers, recognized as part of Guatemala's cultural heritage.
Semi-final clash against Argentina
Following its victory over Guatemala, Peru will compete against Argentina for a place in the grand final. Argentina secured its semi-final berth after its entry, asado, defeated Uruguay's chivito in their quarter-final tie.
Argentina's traditional grilled meat dish received approximately 1,000,000 votes, compared to 338,000 votes recorded for the Uruguayan steak sandwich. Llanos confirmed Argentina's qualification by announcing that Argentina had won and progressed to the semi-finals.
Asado is a traditional Argentine barbecue technique where beef and other meats are slow-cooked over open embers, representing a major cultural tradition in Argentina. Uruguay's chivito is a classic Uruguayan sandwich stacked with thin beef steak, ham, cheese, and vegetables.
Second semi-final between Venezuela and Ecuador
The second semi-final matchup will feature Venezuela competing against Ecuador. Venezuela reached the final four after its national dish pabellón criollo defeated Colombia's entry by 2,600,000 votes to 1,100,000.
Confirming Venezuela's victory, Llanos noted that Venezuela, a returning finalist from the previous edition of the competition, had successfully advanced to the next round of the tournament. Pabellón criollo is Venezuela's traditional national dish, featuring shredded beef, white rice, black beans, and fried plantains.
Ecuador earned the remaining semi-final place with its entry encebollado, a fish soup prepared with albacore tuna, cassava, and pickled red onions. Encebollado defeated Bolivia's pique macho, receiving around 1,400,000 votes against 1,180,000 votes for the Bolivian dish of chopped beef, hot dogs, and french fries.
Organized by Llanos, a prominent Spanish online personality and content creator based in Spain, the Food World Cup is a digital tournament where international dishes compete in head-to-head voting rounds on social media. Voting for the semi-final stage will begin in the coming days.
