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.

Huancayo is the capital of Peru’s Junín region and one of the most tourist friendly Andean towns in Peru. It is best known for the Maté Burrilado, a hand carved gourd found sold all across Peru, and for the spicy potato dish, Papas a la Huancaina.

A historic biscuit factory turned sleek foodie hangout with high priced epicurean treats, big name eateries, and tasteful shops and cafes. It’s a convenient Westside stop for the gourmand, but not a must see New York attraction by any means.

In attraction-starved San Pedro Sula, Honduras, you have better luck finding an air-conditioned mall and an Applebee’s then anything of real culinary interest. That is if you don’t know where to look.

In downtown Santiago, Chile there sits an always crowded market known as Mercado Central. On tours of downtown its a standard tourist stop, though it has yet to lose it’s authenticity as this photo reveals. Seafood is the draw, either from the overpriced eateries in the center where old school… Read More →