Food Tours · Tour

By Metropolitano to the Mercado Central and Chinatown

Three hours, and one of them is transport, which here is a feature rather than a cost: you take the Metropolitano, Lima's bus rapid transit, into the centre with everybody else, which is a better introduction to the city than a minibus with the windows up. It starts at Surquillo Market 1 with a tasting of native and exotic fruit, and the guide explains where each one comes from and what it is supposed to do for you, because Peruvian fruit is sold on its properties as much as its flavour. Then the Mercado Central, the largest in the city, for picarones, the sweet potato doughnuts, and anticuchos, the beef heart skewers that are the country's best-known street food. Chinatown follows, with min pao and the story of how Chinese immigration reshaped the way Peru cooks. It ends at the Alameda Chabuca Granda, near the Plaza Mayor, for arroz con leche and mazamorra morada, which are traditionally eaten together in the same bowl, half of each. Up to ten people, in English, Spanish or Portuguese, with an air-conditioned vehicle and all the tastings. Suitable for all fitness levels. Infants sit on a lap.