Supermarket sweep in Lima! Especially for backpackers…

One of the many Metro Supermarkets in Lima (Photo by Isabel Guerra)

Lima certainly does have a wide variety of resources for backpackers and travelers, and supermarkets are a very cool option: you don’t even need to deal with language barrier. You just see what you think you may like to have, pick it, pay… and enjoy.

Lima has some very nice supermarket chains; Wong, Vivanda, Plaza Vea and Metro are the most popular, and Metro offers the most affordable prices. It can get really crowded at certain moments of the day, but you will find here lots of choices for snacks, either for eating upon purchase or for caring with you on your trips and treks.

Metro Supermarkets are spread all around Lima, so it is very likely that you will find one quite easily. They offer pollo a brasa (Peruvian roasted chicked) for take away and also some Chinese snacks that they can pack for you in a little box if you ask. You may want to try the kai-pi or the siu-mai, which are really tasty.

Chinese Snacks at Metro Supermarket (Photo by Isabel Guerra)

Now, regarding things for backpacking, there is plenty of choices; but if you want to go Peruvian and try some local delicacies, here’s some hints.

Fruit: It’s hard to choose. Peru offers a great variety of fruit during all the year, but some of it is either too soft or too delicate for carrying in a backpack. We suggest trying the local pepino melón (Solanum muricatum), which comes from the Amazon jungle; sweet, hard, juicy and quite cheap.  One kilo costs less than US $1.

Beverages: You simply cannot miss the local chicha morada, made of purple corn. Traditional preparation takes some time but you can now have it the easy way. Buy the bottled version, which is as good as the homemade one, and it does need to be stored under refrigeration until you actually first open it.

Snacks: Giant corn from Urubamba, Cusco, is crossing frontiers. So now that you are in Peru you have no excuse to try it. Simply delicious, and very convenient.

Here’s a pic of all this… bon appetit!