If you visit Barcelona then you really
must see Boqueria market. Sure, it's not as grand as
Barcelona Cathedral or the Sagrada Familia but it is a real
view of Barcelona life. Best visited in the morning but it
is good at any time of the day. A huge variety of food is on
display and for sale. The enthusiastic crowd of shoppers
just adds to the atmosphere of this unique market.
Boqueria Market has been on its
present site in one form or another from 1217. It
originally started as simply a few market traders
selling meat. In the early 1800s a market was built
on the site although much smaller than the existing
one. The existing market structure was started on St
Joseph's Day in 1840.
A major innovation came to
Boqueria Market in 1871 with the introduction of gas
lighting. Over the years the market expanded and in
1911 a fish market was built as an extension to the
existing market. It is now the premier food market
in Barcelona and not only attracts tourists but is a
major shopping area for the locals. Not only is the
food sold for eating at home but lots of caqfes and
bars have opened up inside and outside of the market
to feed weary shoppers.
The layout of Boqueria Market may
appear at first as haphazard but nothing could be
further from the truth. The centre of the market the
majority of the fish stall with other separate areas
for fruit / vg and meat. Offal stands tend to be on
the outer edges of the market.
The quality of the
food on offer is regularly checked to be of the
highest standards. You can buy in confidence that
the produce is top quality. The market organisers
realise that not only is this a shopping market but
it is also a showcase for all that is best in food
in Barcelona.
A major principle of Spanish cooking is that all
parts of an animal are used. This is definitely not
the case in many areas of the UK, USA and Australia.
For this reason you will see cuts of meat at
Boqueria Market which you may not have seen before.
Offal is commonly on sale as are cuts such as sheep
heads on the left. Lungs, hearts, tracheas and other
cheap cuts of meat also feature in the market. They
may look gruesome to us but that is simply because
they are not part of our usual diet.
