having visiting the old central market hall in Alicante i just had to make a post here in market friday. it's been a while since my last post but this market hall was particularly impressive. i don't know how well supermarket chains are established around the whole of Spain but in the parts of Alicante we wandered to us outsiders there were surprisingly few. i presume the experience of shopping in this hall is something a supermarket simply cannot achieve, especially because this market is anchored in tradition and locally produced food,
the architecture of the more than 100 year old building is interesting in itself. in addition the market has evolved with the times so there are now bars and restaurants inside. but here i will limit my focus on the more traditional selection of foods locally produced
i am accustomed to tremendous colorful variety of fruits and vegetables in India but the displays here are exceptional. hanging the myriad of wares creatively from above fills the entire space giving the palpable effect of abundance and joyous well being
the market is on two levels, with ample space for fruits and veggies, meats, fish and much more
i guess these Lactarius mushrooms are cultivated. the climate is so dry i can't imagine them growing in large numbers in the wild
of course there are oranges but we were told there was a problem with the crop so there were fewer than expected
there was no lack of meats at the butcher's stall and a bounty of eggs, cheeses and dairy products
but we were captivated with the fish section of the market. we live by the sea both in Norway and India and each place has their own variety of kinds of fish. but here on the Mediterranean coast of Spain we were introduced to some new ones we had never seen let alone tasted
and then there were stalls with all kinds of dry goods
olives, jams, oils, preserves
tomatoes, canned fish and so much more. i didn't even cover the bakeries, cheeses and wine shops. maybe in another post.
so if you are ever in Alicante make sure you visit this astounding market.