Cusco: Eat and Drink with the Locals at San Pedro
I love food. I love local eats and where better to find it that at the local open air markets.
Mind you, I didn’t always like ‘local food’, in fact I was a real wimp when it came to eating anything out of my usual repertoire. Oh, how travel changes you. A short walk from the main plaza in Cusco we find an absolute food lover’s dream, the San Pedro market.
As my nose leads me deeper inside, nature’s colours and fresh smells rise from the heart of fruit and vegetables.
Rows of Juice Bars San Pedro Market Cusco
The wide smiles of the Quencha women draw me firstly to the juice sector of the market. Small booths occupied by women, each displaying the best fresh fruit she has obtained in order to attract clients. It is fun to watch the women trying to captivate us with their attractive and coquette-ish smiles and words.
The Butcher the Baker and the Candlestick Maker
Literally, they are all here.
Rows of Flowers San Pedro Market Cusco
The booths of freshly baked bread, the butcher carving up his meat, rows of fruits, vegetables, spices, and all types of condiments. Flowers, candles and handcrafts all compliment this colourful scene.
The meat and fish vendors are selling everything from live fish still in tanks, to whole frogs, caviar and pigs heads!
Fish Eggs at the San Pedro Market
There’s no waste either, every piece of the animal is used so plenty of offal and strange looking organs on sale too!
Offal and whatever else – nothing is wasted
There is 300 varieties of potatoes and crates of eggs stacked high.
Peru the home of the Potato
After a few laps around San Pedro we’ve picked up enough fresh food to cook up some fabulous Peruvian cuisine in our apartment. Or if you don’t fancy cooking then you can pick up a meal for dirt cheap.
Or some revitalisation after your market trip, the juice for you is one made with all the fruits, milk, and egg, a bottle of dark beer or one of malta(a non-alcoholic beer) as well as teaspoonfuls of maca, honey, and carob powder!
And there may well be no juice, fruit, meat or vegetable that you can not buy, taste or smell in the historic San Pedro Market.
Sand Pedro Market and Cusco – Indeed a feast for all the senses.
Funny! I was also amazed at the inmense variety of potatoes in Peru!
Quantity and quality… I can tell you potatoes in Europe do not taste as flavorful!
Thanks for dropping by Zara, I love the sweet young ones like yams! interesting how they grow at such altitude also.
I didn’t know potatoes were so popular there, nice post thanks for sharing.
Thanks for dropping by Carla, yes Peru is the land of the Potato!