"FoodMarkets" news and stories

Genoa, the culinary capital of the region of Liguria in Italy, has one of the most colorful indoor food markets that I have ever been to - Mercato Orientale. Some of the narrow cobblestone streets surrounding the market are permeated by a smell of fresh focaccia bread. As you enter the market, you'll notice various cheese stalls, meat stalls, and bakeries that border the market. In the center, there are produce stalls with some of the brightest fruits and vegetables that I have ever seen.

The produce display is gorgeous and informative. Each item has a sign explaining where in Italy it's from. The vendors are more than willing to explain what makes their produce unique and the best way to eat it. If you speak even minimal Italian, I encourage you to interact with these friendly vendors. For me the highlight of the market was the produce.

If you live in a large city in the U.S., you can find nearly any kind of produce, but often it's in questionable condition. Either it's way too under ripe or the quality is just horrendous. At the Mercato Orientale, I was overwhelmed by the incredible quality of nearly every vegetable and fruit. If you're going to be in Genoa, I highly suggest you visit this market located at the corner of Via 20 Settembre and Via Galata.

On Saturdays, when you enter the bright colored 17th-century colonial town of San Angel, a suburb of Mexico City, there is an outdoor crafts market in the Plaza San Jacinto. Not only can you find a large selection of handicrafts, but you will also see vendors selling rich sweet candied fruits and fresh fruits with chili seasonings. The highlight of any culinary trip to San Angel is the enclosed food market just around the corner from the square.

Upon entering this market, you'll notice the aroma of fresh tacos and the smell of salty pork rinds being fried and seasoned with chili pepper. Taquerias and butchers border the market. The middle is full of poultry stands, produce vendors, and incredible vendors of chilies and moles.

I highly suggest checking out Don Felix for all things related to chilies and moles. If you speak and understand Spanish, I encourage you to talk with Felix about his different products. I purchased two different kinds of chili peppers: arbol and ancho. He explained that chilies arboles are hotter while the ancho are more mild. Finally, he explained how to prepare them in making salsas and other Mexican dishes. His mole almendrado was extremely delicious cooked with chicken. Check out the gallery below and see the market for yourself.

In a move that should boost London's Borough Market plans are afoot to establish a food school, a Food Centre of Excellence.

It is planned that the Centre will promote healthy eating and offer courses for children on how to cook at home using seasonal foods. Borough Market is soon to be twinned with the wounderful La Boqueria Market in Barcelona which has its own food school. The one in Southwark would be self financing with a café and a boookshop but the Borough Market Trust, a registered charity, aims to raise £250,000 to refurbish a building occupying 1 Cathedral Street to create the Food School in.

Both the English and Spanish markets are applying for EU funding to support the twinning. They plan to mount exchange visits in which stallholders from the Catalan market would offer Spanish delicacies in Southwark and vice-versa. 

La Boqueria, is a colourful covered market which operates 6 days a week just off Las Ramblas in the heart of Barcelona. The current structure dates from 1914, but the market's history stretches back to the 13th century. 

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