Cusco Food Walk: San Pedro Market, Chicharron & Andean Corn
Day tour
Food tour
Standard
Departure point
→
Destination
Cusco, Peru
Cusco
1N (Participation Duration)
Walking (Transportation)
English (Language)
Number of participants 0/8
0 booked
Tour description
Cusco was the capital of the Inca empire and the market at San Pedro still sells the ingredients that fed it: freeze-dried chuño potatoes, quinoa, kiwicha, giant white corn, and a wall of medicinal herbs.
We walk it slowly, because Cusco sits at three thousand four hundred metres and pace matters more than distance here. Your guide starts with the juice row, where a dozen women will make you anything from papaya to a blend involving a whole frog, which you do not have to order.
We eat caldo de gallina, hen broth with noodles and a boiled egg that locals drink for breakfast and for altitude; chicharron cusqueño, pork belly simmered then fried, served with mote, mint and onion salsa; choclo con queso, the enormous-kernelled corn of the Sacred Valley with a slab of fresh cheese; and empanadas from a wood-fired oven at a charity bakery on the San Blas hill.
Your guide explains the chicha culture - the fermented corn beer that predates the Spanish and is still brewed in houses that hang a red plastic bag outside to show it is ready - and finishes with a cacao tasting and a coca or muña tea.
Small group, maximum 8 guests.
We walk it slowly, because Cusco sits at three thousand four hundred metres and pace matters more than distance here. Your guide starts with the juice row, where a dozen women will make you anything from papaya to a blend involving a whole frog, which you do not have to order.
We eat caldo de gallina, hen broth with noodles and a boiled egg that locals drink for breakfast and for altitude; chicharron cusqueño, pork belly simmered then fried, served with mote, mint and onion salsa; choclo con queso, the enormous-kernelled corn of the Sacred Valley with a slab of fresh cheese; and empanadas from a wood-fired oven at a charity bakery on the San Blas hill.
Your guide explains the chicha culture - the fermented corn beer that predates the Spanish and is still brewed in houses that hang a red plastic bag outside to show it is ready - and finishes with a cacao tasting and a coca or muña tea.
Small group, maximum 8 guests.
Meeting point:
View on map
Mercado San Pedro, main entrance, Cusco
We meet at the main entrance to Mercado San Pedro, about five minutes downhill from the Plaza de Armas. Your guide will have a small sign with your name.
Detailed itinerary
Stop 1 - Mercado San Pedro: The city's central market, opened in 1925. Chuño, quinoa, kiwicha, giant corn and the herb wall, explained by your guide.
Stop 2 - The juice row: A dozen counters making blended juices to order. Your guide will translate the menu, including the parts you may wish to skip.
Stop 3 - Caldo de gallina: Hen broth with noodles, potato and a boiled egg. Cusco drinks it for breakfast and for altitude, and it works for both.
Stop 4 - Chicharron cusqueño: Pork belly simmered in its own fat then fried, served with mote hominy, fried mint and onion salsa.
Stop 5 - Choclo con queso: The enormous-kernelled white corn of the Sacred Valley with a slab of fresh cheese, eaten with your hands.
Stop 6 - Chicha and San Blas: A walk up towards San Blas at an altitude-friendly pace, with your guide on chicha, the fermented corn beer, and the red bags that mark the houses that brew it.
Stop 7 - Cacao and empanadas: Peruvian cacao tasted properly, an empanada from a wood-fired oven at a charity bakery, and a cup of muña or coca tea.
Stop 2 - The juice row: A dozen counters making blended juices to order. Your guide will translate the menu, including the parts you may wish to skip.
Stop 3 - Caldo de gallina: Hen broth with noodles, potato and a boiled egg. Cusco drinks it for breakfast and for altitude, and it works for both.
Stop 4 - Chicharron cusqueño: Pork belly simmered in its own fat then fried, served with mote hominy, fried mint and onion salsa.
Stop 5 - Choclo con queso: The enormous-kernelled white corn of the Sacred Valley with a slab of fresh cheese, eaten with your hands.
Stop 6 - Chicha and San Blas: A walk up towards San Blas at an altitude-friendly pace, with your guide on chicha, the fermented corn beer, and the red bags that mark the houses that brew it.
Stop 7 - Cacao and empanadas: Peruvian cacao tasted properly, an empanada from a wood-fired oven at a charity bakery, and a cup of muña or coca tea.
Tour price includes
• Small-group English-speaking local food guide
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• One local drink at the final stop
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the walk
• All taxes and service fees
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• One local drink at the final stop
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the walk
• All taxes and service fees
Tour price excludes
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off unless stated
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide (appreciated but never expected)
• Meals and purchases outside the programme
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide (appreciated but never expected)
• Meals and purchases outside the programme
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours are non-refundable. Tours run rain or shine; the rainy season runs October to March.
Other notes
Runs Sunday and Tuesday to Saturday at 10:00. We do not run on Mondays, when several of the quintas and kitchens on this route close.
Altitude is the single most important thing about this tour. Cusco sits at 3,400 metres. We strongly recommend you do not book this for your arrival day - give yourself at least twenty-four hours in the city first. Our route is deliberately short, we sit down every twenty to thirty minutes, and we go up the San Blas hill slowly. If you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or have had recent surgery, speak to your doctor about altitude before you travel. Your guide is trained to recognise altitude sickness and we have a taxi and a named clinic on call.
We do not serve alcohol on this tour. At this altitude, and especially in your first days, it is a bad idea.
Safety: Peru is rated Level 2 and Cusco has seen protest activity that periodically suspends the Machu Picchu trains. A city food walk is largely insulated from that, but if you are stranded by a strike, tell us and we will move your booking.
Water: tap water is not drinkable. We provide bottled water and use high-turnover juice counters.
Cash: San Pedro is cash only in soles.
Rainy season runs October to March, heaviest in January and February.
Dietary needs: tell us at least 48 hours ahead. Vegetarian is genuinely good here - the Andes are a vegetable civilisation.
About 1.5 km of walking with a climb, at 3,400 metres.
Altitude is the single most important thing about this tour. Cusco sits at 3,400 metres. We strongly recommend you do not book this for your arrival day - give yourself at least twenty-four hours in the city first. Our route is deliberately short, we sit down every twenty to thirty minutes, and we go up the San Blas hill slowly. If you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or have had recent surgery, speak to your doctor about altitude before you travel. Your guide is trained to recognise altitude sickness and we have a taxi and a named clinic on call.
We do not serve alcohol on this tour. At this altitude, and especially in your first days, it is a bad idea.
Safety: Peru is rated Level 2 and Cusco has seen protest activity that periodically suspends the Machu Picchu trains. A city food walk is largely insulated from that, but if you are stranded by a strike, tell us and we will move your booking.
Water: tap water is not drinkable. We provide bottled water and use high-turnover juice counters.
Cash: San Pedro is cash only in soles.
Rainy season runs October to March, heaviest in January and February.
Dietary needs: tell us at least 48 hours ahead. Vegetarian is genuinely good here - the Andes are a vegetable civilisation.
About 1.5 km of walking with a climb, at 3,400 metres.
Detailed price list
| Guest type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults | $55 |
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