Nov 5, 2010
Barcelona, Spain
Elevation: 6km
Barcelona, a beautiful first class city where food is a important part of the national psyche. I am really curious to see how the city and its citizens handle its markets and how connected they are to what ends up on these delicious plates of tapas.
I went to a couple of different markets through out the day. Some are closed for renovation, some are super quiet and sleepy while others are enjoying their mid-day break and could not be bothered with me. Mercat Boqueria ended up being my best bet. The central section of the market is set up for the fish vendors and it spirals out from there with alternating butchers, produce, cheese, olives, salted cod and of course the famous cured meats of Spain.
The fish and seafood are all on ice and they could not be any fresher. All of them still with their heads on and guts in tact. The lobsters and crabs are still `putting up a good fight scaring an occasional surprised scream out of the tourists. The meats are all in refrigerated cases but the way they are presented and butchered hides nothing of their origin. Case in point of these rabbits that are for sale. The rabbits are whole and there is even a drawing with a sign of the rabbit before it lost its fur.
There is an element of honesty here with the way the market presents itself. It hides nothing and its patrons are not squeamish in regards to what it is purchasing. Even though this market is not quiet a edgy, dirty and traditional as many of the markets I have frequent, there is a sense of connectives that makes it unique. Mercat Boqueria is possibly the best example of a first world solution of being connected to the source of our food with all the pesky hygiene questions answered. To top it off, it still retains the small business aspect of the traditional market place, instilling a sense of pride and ownership in what each vendor has on offer.
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Charlie, it might be a “selection effect”, but I’ve seen a lot of articles (re)posted about Barcelona, a place I’d love to see next year. Your article only helps – thanks!
Nice post. Barcelona is great city with nice architecture, food, drinks and soccer. However I like Rome and Naples more <3