Sunday at Cusco's San Pedro Market
Today, I share another small story from our recent trip to Arequipa, Puno, and Cusco. Stay tuned for a trip overview that will tie the stories together-every day was packed with adventures (and small crises).
Mariela and I found ourselves with a free day in Cusco when the rest of my family were visiting Machu Picchu. We could’ve squeezed in Rainbow Mountain, but just the thought of traveling three hours each way in the middle of an already packed trip was exhausting. Whenever we are traveling and have some free time, we head to the nearest market. (At a cruise stop in Corfu, we found ourselves with a couple of hours to spare so we headed to the seafood market to browse even though we didn’t have access to a kitchen).
Tale of Two Soups
Mariela had also been craving caldo de gallina. We asked around about where to find the best caldo de gallina in Cusco, but no strong answer emerged. We figured the market, especially on Sunday would be a good bet.
The caldo de gallina featured a generous portion of chicken. The name, “caldo de gallina” translates to “soup of hen,” but nowadays it usually is made with chicken. The soup is served with noodles and then garnished with a potato (as I’ve said previously, Peruvians like their double carbs). In a Cusco twist, the soup also had chuño (dehydrated potato that is then rehydrated in the soup). The soup also had a hard-boiled egg. I have to admit, I’m still a little hesitant to eat chicken and egg in the same meal.
The stock was light which was a good respite from the salty broth of most of the caldo de gallina that I’ve had in Lima. Even so, I prefer a little more taste which comes from simmering the chicken.
One of the pleasures of eating in the market is looking around. We couldn’t help to notice that most of the people around us were also eating soup, but they were eating a different soup—caldo de cabeza.
Caldo de cabeza is made with the head of an animal, usually lamb. I was familiar only with the soup because it is often offered to tourists as a sort of dare. But here, we were surrounded by locals enjoying this soup as a Sunday morning treat. After some deliberation, I decided to give it a try-I don’t usually eat breakfast anymore so I thought I’d make this one count.
We didn’t have to travel far to try caldo de cabeza—we simply scooched one stall over. The cooks clearly approved of our order and prepared it with great deliberation.
To be honest, it wasn’t clear what part of the animal was being served. But the idea of eating the head preoccupied my mind. I have to admit that it took me a few minutes to gather the courage for the first bite. I’m not as adventurous of an eater as it may seem.
The initial taste was strong, but either I acquired the taste over the course of finishing the bowl or it mellowed out over time. The taste is difficult to describe, but was like eating super-concentrated lamb stock. The meat was very tender, nothing too slimy. I liked it more than Mariela did. Overall, I’m glad we tried it and found it more palatable than other soups that we’ve tried at markets. However, having said that, I’ll probably go back to eating caldo de gallina or adobo next time I’m having soup at a market.
An Improved San Pedro Market?
After eating, we wandered around San Pedro market. Mariela looked for food to take back to Lima while I searched for photos.
In a past post about markets, I shared how I wasn’t a big fan of San Pedro Market, one of Peru’s most famous markets. It’s been a few years since I’ve visited San Pedro and it seems to be a bit cleaner and perhaps a little safer too. Of course, it’s very difficult to tell from one visit. The same market can feel like an entirely different place, depending on the time of year or time of day you visit. Also, I’ve found that the pandemic had lasting effects on the character of various markets throughout Peru.
The infamous butchery section seems to be more contained. You can find stalls specializing in chicken, pork, beef, and much more. You can also see all parts of the animal displayed; that is an essential part of Peruvian markets and shouldn’t ever go away. However, it felt more hygienic. The smell of the meat section was, ahem, less strong.
There were also more souvenir stands catering to tourists. As an aside, Mariela pointed out that the maras salt was a bit cheaper at San Pedro than at Maras. Finally, as a big bonus for me, people seemed more open to photos than in my past attempts.
Markets around the world are in a difficult spot. There exists a difficult balance between introducing tourists to local food traditions while continuing to provide for locals-not just food but also an essential part of the social fabric.
When we were looking for ingredients for cooking in Madrid and Florence, we sometimes found that what used to be food markets had been completely transformed into fancy food courts. Landlords eventually learn that they can make more money per square meter with a fancy food court than a fresh market. Governments have also been behind some of the push, seeing street food vendors and markets as the relics of the past standing in the way of “modernization” projects.
I apologize for ending on a negative note, but it is something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently. The good news is that for now, San Pedro market seems to be in a good place, balancing being accessible to tourists while also providing food for locals.
Absolutely loved San Pedro market when we were in Cusco -in fact, we went eating there twice!
I was there yesterday and wondered about the difference between Caldo de Gallina and Sopa de Pollo. I ultimately ate some vegetarian fried rice, because I prefer not to eat too much meat. The market was lively and lovely.