view

view
Along the Natchez Trace

Saturday, February 9, 2013

To Market To Market Jiggedy Jig

We had such a great day that it's hard to know where to start.  So I think we'll go to the market today and save the churros, chocolate, street fair and meeting up with Mitchell and Jerry for tomorrow.

The markets open here around 8am....  Bill & I did walk to the supermercado early because I needed to buy some unscented laundry detergent.  Rosa, our host here at the B&B does our laundry once a week.  Because I have many allergies...  especially with scents...  I looked for... and found...  some unscented stuff at the grocery and we bought that early this morning.  By the way, Rosa has an automatic washer but no dryer.  She hangs the laundry out on a clothesline up on the roof.  Kinda reminds me of the life Bill & I had on the farm a few years ago.  

Anyway....  after we got back from the supermercado, we walked to the central market in Triano.  Triano is a region of Sevilla...  kind of a local neighborhood.  We have learned that we have been placed (by the school) in a very trendy neighborhood.  The pedestrian plaza is just a couple of blocks from our house and that's just at the edge of the Isabella II (Triano) Bridge.  There's always something going on there and tomorrow I'll write about the street fair.

So...  around 10am we headed over to the market...
It's an indoor market...  I neglected to take a picture of the outside, but it's like a huge warehouse with rows and rows of vendors.  Most are permanent vendors - above their stalls there are specially made tiles stating what they sell.  The pescadaria sells fish and other seafood.  That corner market is also a pescadaria, but it also sells mariscos...  or seafood (shrimp, octopus etc)

No problem understanding what they sell...  fruits and vegetables.

This vendor has a particularly ornate sign...  all specially made tiles to tell about the area and the market.  That plaque is made up of tiles (about 5"X5" square)

Another seafood vendor.  There are every size shrimp you might want...  from very tiny, to grande.  And octopus, shellfish, snails and on and on.

These are hams....  not exactly like we have in the State.
In fact, I believe that "leg" I pictured a couple of blogs ago was NOT a goat leg, but was a pig's leg.  

Having sold fowls and rabbits at our local market (in Ohio), I'm not squeamish about seeing these hares and quail hanging in the carne market.  I will say that Bill & I dressed (well, heck, it was more like "undressed" since we skinned or plucked all we sold) our market meat.  There were even rock doves (yes... those pigeons you see walking about the sidewalks) for sale here.

Olives!
All kinds...  marinated in various oils.  You can tell what I love best!  
Yeah...  we bought 1/2 kilo of these.


Do you know what these are?
Maybe you don't want to know....
Okay...  they're testicles of something....  they were in the fish stall, but looked like the bull huevos we are used to seeing in Mexico.
I didn't ask....  I'll figure it out one of these days....

There are vegetable that look SO fresh...
And dates from ????.....  herbs, fruits......  it makes me want to buy it all and make some wonderful meal....

Even the lowly bean has a place here.
Rosa, our host, made a delicious lentil curry the other day for lunch.  I know that when I return to the States I'll try to duplicate some of these dishes.

I can't remember what this is called...  it's a brassica...  closely related to cauliflower.  Isn't it beautiful?

There was only one flower stall today...
I'm sure as it gets warmer there'll be many more flowers sold...  not only in the market, but along the streets.
I'm looking forward to that.

Cheeses and sausages!
More kinds than I even knew existed.

These cakes were not in the market, but in a bakery along the street.  I had to include them even though they are so exquisite I'd hate to be the first person to cut into them.

There are several cafes or bars in the market.  Places to sit down and have lunch or just relax a few minutes.  Along one wall were several (taxidermy) famous bulls from the bullfights...
Here's one of them...  his pedigree and claim to fame is on the plaque below.  
The bullfight season begins in April.  That is not something I want to see and am not at all disappointed that we'll be gone by then.  But I respect others traditions - I am the guest in this country.

It's been a very busy day....  going to the market was just a part of it.  Tomorrow I'll write about some of the sight-seeing that we are doing.  
There is SO much to see!

That's All For Today!





15 comments:

  1. What a market! I'd be hard pressed not to buy way too much. Except may rock doves. That got me laughing. Imressive huevos, by the way, but don't tell me what/where they originate.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That vegetable should be called a Fibonacci! It looks like a fractal. Those huevos can sit there and hatch, as far as I'm concerned. *blerg*

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sharon, I think those are fish eggs instead of huevos!!! Let me know...Carolyn

    ReplyDelete
  4. Carolyn... the placard stuck on them say "huevos"... and they look just like what we've seen in the markets of Mexico.... about 5" or so long... maybe an inch or so wide... I suppose they could be from a big fish :-)????

    ReplyDelete
  5. I enjoyed your day very much ... had to bypass the animal thises and thats ... man ~ don't wanna know what they are. poor ol pigs and such

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sometimes I think not knowing what something is is worse than knowing what it is. My mind can imagine all kinds of things.
    Teri

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love markets! Our grocery storesare so boreing by comparison. Everything is boxed and processed! Love to see the real thing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The green intriguing vegetable is Romanesco Broccoli see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesco_broccoli

    I've tried to grow it without success. I love the lime green colour and by far prefer the lime green cauliflower which has a milder flavour than either white cauliflower or broccoli.

    I tend to prefer European style cooking and envy you your 2 months in Spain.

    Blessings

    ReplyDelete
  9. You had me drooling in those market shops. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a great market! Just to experience all the colors and textures would be fantastic. Although I too would never attend a bull fight, you are quite right in respecting the traditions of the country you are visiting. You are a good guest!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Whenever I have visited other countries I always beat foot to their markets and grocery stores to get a feel of the local life. The colors and photo's are fantastic. Thanks for letting us ride along with you.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am enjoying your posts about Spain, reminds me of my trip there a long time ago.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The markets there sure take " going to the store" to a whole new level. What an experience. I'm sure Rosa is an excellent cook and you are enjoying your lunches. Can't wait for our adventure tomorrow! Have a great Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I think I would have found that market overwhelming!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Reminds me of La Boqueria off Las Ramblas in Barcelona. There were so many stalls it was overwhelming ... but lots of fun to wander around and see everything they had for sale. Locals were buying a loaf of this, a few grams of that, etc. to take home for a meal made from fresh ingredients. We were getting on a ship for a TransAtlantic crossing, so we made do with window shopping (although there were no windows to speak of ... everything was in the open).

    ReplyDelete