Peruvian Fruits and Vegetables
Monday, January 8
Since Christoph and I have many friends in Lima and like the city very much, we wanted to stay in Lima for a bit longer. We had rented a lovely apartment in the Barranco district and felt right at home. On the first day we explored our quarter and of course also needed to do some grocery shopping. Usually we prefer buying at the local market but on our first day in Peru we didn’t have Peruvian cash and needed to do our shopping at the Peruvian supermarket "Tottus" where we were able to pay with card.
The "Tottus" supermarket has a bright green logo, which means that the Tottus supermarkets can usually be seen from afar. As in many other South American countries, most people in Lima buy their food on the local market and not in the supermarket. Fruit and vegetables are often fresher, riper and cheaper on the market than in the large supermarket chains like „Tottus“. For tourists who visit South America for the first time and don’t speak Spanish, the city's large supermarkets are a good and safe starting point to familiarize yourself with the country's products and prices. Also as I mentioned before most vendors of the small local markets only accept cash.
You can learn a lot about the Peruvian culture and gastronomy both on the market and in the supermarkets. The fruit and vegetable department is particularly exciting for this. There you can find the typical Peruvian fruits (such as chirimoya and granadilla) and vegetables (such as Peruvian purple corn and the orange chili peppers Aji Amarillo). Another important component of Peruvian cuisine are the small, green-yellowish limes that are sold in huge sacks. And of course you will find a large selection of different types of potatoes on both the market and here in the supermarket. The potato originally is from Peru and in South America there are around 5000 different types of potatoes today, of which you can find a small selection in Peruvian markets and in supermarkets. Anyone who speaks Spanish should definitely buy potatoes on the local market though as the market sellers know their produce pretty well and can help you out when it comes to choosing the right type of potato for your dinner.
