Pucallpa's food is robustly Amazonian: river fish — particularly the giant paiche (also called pirarucú) and the smaller doncella and paco — fried or grilled with plantain, yuca, and rice. Juane, a chicken-and-rice bundle wrapped in bijao leaves and boiled, is the staple street snack. Tacacho con cecina — mashed plantain balls served with smoked dried beef — is the hearty breakfast. Try jungle fruits at any market stall: aguaje ice-cream, camu camu juice, copoazú mousse.
The best restaurants are the wooden palapa places along the Yarinacocha malecón, where the paiche comes from the lake itself. In town, the strip along Jirón Inmaculada around the cathedral has a clutch of mid-range chicken-and-grill places.