The foodie set in Lima, particularly Gaston Acurio, has been pushing for special status of this market in Surquillo, a few blocks from Parque Kennedy in Miraflores. Products from around the country can be found here: fruits from the Amazon, chiles and potatoes and buckets of quinoa from the Andes, fresh seafood from the coast. You can buy kitchen utensils. I spent the equivalent of $10 a year ago on wooden spoons and other handmade tools. If I picked up the same items in the States, I would have spent $100 easily. Other things I’ve found here include a beautiful 2kg octopus for a backyard grilling, a bottle of cumari peppers from the jungle, and Andean potatoes that are far too rare for the Supermarkets. The market is expected to eventually undergo a massive renovation, spearheaded by Acurio, which will keep the produce on the ground floor, but add a food court and cooking school on the second and third floors.
While every neighborhood in Lima has its small version of a market with fresh meat and produce, this is the only market of this size anywhere in Lima with such a range of ingredients. Wong is OK too, but if you want the real farm to table experience in Lima this is it.
Mercado de Surquillo
Paseo de la Republica
Writer and photographer Nicholas Gill is the editor/publisher of New World Review. He lives in Lima, Peru and Brooklyn, New York. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CondeNast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, and Penthouse. Visit his personal website (nicholas-gill.com) for more information.
3 Comments
Hi!
I am very glad to have found New World Review! I’ve only had a chance to browse but I am looking forward to reading in detail. I have fairly young blog about food in Bogota, Colombia, and anything else interesting that I find.
I’m adding you to my blogroll and I hope to learn a lot from you about the very rich culinary traditions of Latam!
Cheers,
Diana
Thanks Diana. Thsi blog/ezine just launched in mid-2009. I’m actually headed to Bogota in a few weeks. Any recommendations for new restaurants?
An important piece of information that is missing: Days and Hours when the market is open.