You smell it before you see it: that unmistakable, mouthwatering smell of sizzling
anticuchos, Peru’s famous offal kebabs, sizzling on outdoor braziers,
lomo saltado, stir fried beef and
polla a la brasa, tender roast chicken marinated in soy sauce and Peruvian peppers. Mingled with these smells are those of empanadas with every imaginable kind of filling and
salchipapas, Peru’s ubiquitous fried sausages and potatoes. And then the eyes and ears take over as you are plunged into a riot of color and sound. This is Cuzco’s famous San Pedro market, known to the locals merely as “the central market.”
San Pedro Market has been a Cuzco institution since the eighteenth century, and today consists of hundreds of small stalls under a large corrugated iron roof, where insistent vendors vie for your attention and custom. In addition to the traditional Peruvian food staples such as fish, meat, fruit, potatoes, and alpaca wool products, the vendors at San Pedro have kept pace with the emergence of Peruvian cuisine on the international culinary scene. Fresh juice bars - the
sector de juguerias - line the market, as do small stalls selling local delicacies such as
buttifaras, delectable ham sandwiches, and Peru’s famous soft and creamy Andean cheese, and
chicha, a strong fermented beverage made from maize is sold by the glassful from buckets.
San Pedro is a must for foodies and photographers. Revel in the vibrant colors of fresh strawberries; mangos, foraged herbs, and the multi-colored dried corncobs, as well as the smiling faces of the vendors of freshly baked bread and pasties. Be aware that San Pedro also does a brisk trade in some odd meats, including horse heads and hooves, as well as many stalls proudly selling cuy, the infamous Peruvian snack of a whole fried guinea pig.
San Pedro Market is open daily from 9:00 - 6:00 pm and is best visited in the morning.
Join Alexander + Roberts on our popular
Grandeur of Peru, which includes a special visit to San Pedro Market with a local chef to shop for Andean ingredients, which you will then use in a private roof-top cooking class. Speak to one of our experienced reservation agents about this, and other unforgettable trips to Peru and beyond.