La Boqueria

Barcelona has certainly many sides to it, the architecture for one can be anything from super modern to super gothic as well as encompassing everything in between. I understand why the locals have fought so much for their independence because it genuinely feels very different from Seville and other parts of Spain. As if the people here really were sealed off for many centuries and isolated from the developments elsewhere.

One thing I like to do to get a feel for this unique culture and tradition of locals is to visit the markets for locals. These tend to be where the earliest forms of commerce and trade began and serve as the foundations for further developments in the city.

One example of such a market with an inherent cultural prompt is "La Boqueria". In Spanish, it is called "Mercat de Sant Josep dee la Boqueria" but it is most commonly known as just "La Boqueria". This large public market is situated in the Ciudad Vieja district of Barcelona and has today become one of the most visited tourist landmarks. Though it boasts the highest foot traffic of tourists, it is still one of the most authentic farmers markets I have ever seen, the sheer selection of goods attest to why it remains such a popular place to visit not just for the locals but also the tourists looking for some quality produce.

Colourful is the first thing that pops into my head when I try to describe the market. It is as if the rainbow had descended here and painted it's colours on everything it touches. The fruits and vegetables do so much for the aesthetic of the market, no wonder Sony loves to film here to show off the colour reproduction on their TVs. It's unreal!

Not only are the fruits and vegetables plenty colourful, they are also very large in range. You'll find all sorts of exotic fruits and vegetables here only possible in a Mediterranean location such as here. I was surprised to find lychee, dragon fruit and all sorts of juicy melons for sale, all of which I associate with tropical places in China and yet, here they are, displayed in all their colourful glory.

But it isn't just the fruits and vegetables that "pop". It's also the candies and other dry produce which can be found all along the stalls lining either side of the expansive network of streets.

Salad's and crepes? Yes please! Too much sugar can mean a hard hitting sugar rush, so don't get carried away with the juicy fruits and candies. Balance it with some savoury foods too.

But of course, as soon as I say that, I stumble across some of the most amazing cup cake and dessert stalls I have ever seen. They are so cute and function more like little collectables instead of consumable desserts.

For people looking for the more traditional farmers market produce, there's also plenty of that here too. Here is one stall with a wide selection of naturally farmed eggs from ducks, geese and of course chickens. Something about their size tells me they taste good, it's such a shame I don't have cooking facilities to make an Omelette.

Being close to the coast means seafood is common here and will be amongst the best you'll find in all of Spain. Actually, all of the fish have high turn over because of the big demand here. People tend to live where the food pleases them the most, and so there is a large inherent demand for fish. This stall only has catches of the day to offer, and I'm told that by midday, most of it is gone. You'll have to be like a local and come in the early hours of the morning if you want the best picks of the catches of the day.

This reminds me a lot of the fish markets in China, but the vibrancy in colours here some how make it even more alluring. I'm a big fan of shell fish and Shrimp in general so seeing all these different kinds of Prawns for sale made me salivate for the rest of the day. I need to come back for a few days just to eat all this food. Visiting and being denied tasting is one of the worse decision I ever made on my travels.