Yesterday was all about local foods, always a favorite part of our travels…
Our guide was Reynaldo, who attended culinary school and worked in Australian restaurants before returning to Peru. We began in the San Pedro Mercado, which is a mecca for anything related to food, clothing, spices, and gifts. The covered space spans several blocks and is bustling with activity. Incidentally, the roof design was done by Gustave Eiffel of tower fame, and the steel work is intricate.
We began with fresh squeezed “jugos” or juices from local fruits grown in the Sacred Valley around Cusco, an incredibly fertile area.
We’re headed back to the Mercado today just to check out all the incredible options!
Next stop was for Inca corn, fresh picked, boiled and served with local cheese… check out the size of the kernels!
Next was Super Pollo for pollo a la brisas, rotisserie chicken done over wood coals. Chicken is the primary protein source in Peru and the potatoes served with almost every meal are local as well, since this is where potatoes originated. Can’t explain why, but they just have a better, heartier flavor than any others…
Also tried Inca Kola, bubble gum sweet, but made from lemon grass!
Already getting full, we moved on to causas, an interesting appetizer made from mashed potatoes and corn meal, with layers of avocado and fresh mayonnaise atop a chicken salad. Although tasty, it was not the crowd favorite, especially after the yummy pollo.
Next we visited Salteñas Copocabana for beef empanadas, savory but in a sweet pastry. Very tasty!
Fairly waddling now we headed to El Rey Chicharonerria for awesome chicherones, made from huge chunks of pork, not your average cracklins! We ate ALL of it!
By this point we were stuffed, but endeavoring to persevere we marched on to Fuego for chilcanos, essentially a mule made with Pisco and lime juice and Simple syrup plus alpaca burgers! Sheesh!!!
Turns out Reynaldo works at Fuego and is also an artist so we got to see some of his work, a mural that he said depicts how music is wired into humanity and performed for others…
Next stop was for dessert, but believe it or not yours truly was so full he passed on key lime pie, opting for Peruvian coffee instead…
We decided more walking was in order so we wandered into courtyard shops and around plazas trying to burn calories. Plenty of alpaca wool options and haggling is expected…
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