Can anyone go to Peru without visiting a local market? Luckily during my time in Peru, I had the chance to visit one of the largest, freshest and most amazing local markets in the city, Agroferias campesinas. The tour was very enlightening specially that it was led by Andrew Gibbon, a former host of a culinary TV program and renowned chef at Cordon Bleu.
I had a great time discovering a local market in Lima!
Agroferias Campesinas Local Market
Agroferias campesinas is an open local market where citizens of Lima can buy products directly from the farmers and producers from almost all over the country. Everyday, farmers from all over Lima gather in the market and provide their fresh organic products. You can find any type of fruit or vegetable you would like. Some of which I never knew existed, like purple potatoes!
Andrew did an amazing job walking us through the different stands in the market. He explained the way fruits and vegetables were farmed as well as made me try some of the sweetest and most delicious products I’ve ever tasted: potatoes of all colors (yellow, orange, blue and purple), palmito (hearts of palm), olives, tomatoes, raspberries, pineapple, corn, chocolate, bread and chips and many more.
Peru agriculture richness
When walking around the local market, I learned that the reason why Peru is very rich in agricultural products is due to its landscape. In fact, Peru presents a remarkable diversity of landscapes: the coastal lowlands, the Andes and the Amazon forest (from left to right). This variety in land provides a lot of water and a variety of soil that contributes to the diversity in agriculture such as the different colors and tastes of fruits and vegetables. Imagine, there are more than 3,000 variety of potatoes in Peru, and more than 40 different kinds of corn! And that’s only corn and potatoes..
By the end of the tour, my brain was full of new information, my stomach full of fresh food but my plate was definitely empty! I would definitely recommend a local market tour anytime you are in Peru.
