Tuesday Morning Market in Calabria: Part I
Every Tuesday morning, vendors of fruit,
vegetables,
herbs,
meats and cheese,
(especially local cheese)
hold a mercatino in the main square of the village.
And when I say morning, if you’re not there before 10 a.m., well, you’ll just have to wait until next week.
Speaking of which, be sure come back next Tuesday for Part II of Tuesday Morning Market in Calabria for a lesson from a pro in how to get a good deal and lots more photos!
What would you buy at the weekly mercatino in my village?
38 Beans of Wisdom to “Tuesday Morning Market in Calabria: Part I”
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
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Everything looks so colorful and fresh!!
Marie’s last blog post..ROSEMARY LEMONADE (SPIKED!!)
Indeed Marie–it’s such a lovely sight in the morning 🙂
Michelle..I’m addicted to cheese, if I could grow it I would! 🙂
Ciao Bella!
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I hear you Laurie. Cheese is one of my weaknesses as well.
Too bad they don’t have evening markets. You couldn’t get fruit and produce that beautiful if you grew it yourself around here at this time of the year.
Evening markets are solely non-food around here, but they’re still quite fun 🙂
That’s a difficult question. It would have to be the fruit, the vegetables, the herbs, the meat and cheese (and especially the local cheese).
Hee hee….
The cheese for sure, the herbs, the tomatoes, heck probably a little of everything. It all looks so fresh!
The vendors would *love* you 🙂
Since I get to go to my very own market I can tell you what I DO get lol I absolutely love the markets here and I will surely miss them once we are gone, but until then I will keep buying super fresh veggies & fruits as well as some of the tastiest cheeses I’ve ever had.
Lucky you Christina! Isn’t the produce just amazing? And the cheese…oh the cheese….
oh yes, definitely I’d shop there 🙂 Gotta love the markets! Especially with cheese at that price!
erin’s last blog post..a weekend in the country
You’ve intrigued me about cheese prices…we may have to do a market compare one of these days 😉
I love markets, but I hardly ever get to go during the week.
The pit falls of a 9 to 5 job.
I like getting seasonal stuff and local *prodotti tipici*
Pick up some cheese for me 😉
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Depending on your commute time, if you’re around at 7 am here, you could get quite a lot of shopping done 😉 Don’t worry–I’ve got the cheese covered for you 🙂
That pecorino looked good to me. That’s what I’d have bought! 🙂
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I always buy pecorino 🙂
Awesome looking market.
Looking at that I would have bought some fresh eggplant and zucchini, some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, some nice cheese and bread, grilled the veggies and made me a sandwich.
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Sounds *fabulous* to me!
Now you’ve found my addiction, the markets. Yum, does that Pecorino look good or what? That’s what I would have bought and probably started eating it in the car on the way home! Do you get the Porchetta van at the markets in Calabria? Here there is always a guy in a van selling roasted pig, it’s stuffed with garlic and fennel and is the most glorious, intense, savoury hit. The smell is so enticing that nearly everyone you see is gorging on it. Boy, do I love a good market.
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Amanda, we don’t get the porchetta van up here in the village, but the market in the Marina (on Mondays) and the big one in a nearby town (Fridays) has much more of a selection. The chicken/meat van is the one on the left in the wide shot of the market–there was a line because he had the nerve to arrive late that morning!
This is Life, my dear…Enjoy!
And thank you for sharing.
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Thank you for stopping by Irene 🙂
How unkind of me not to answer your question! Got carried away by the deepest feelings…
Well, DH would certainly go for the meat and cheese, bless him. But we would thankfully not leave the mercatino without some potted herbs. There, you’ve got my button of least resistance!
Irene’s last blog post..Over the weekend
Not unkind at all Irene…and I love those herbs too 🙂
Wow!!! Hmmm, I would have bought a little of everything. I am a *sucker* for fresh food, especially at an authentic Italian Mercato!!! Everything looks so great! I can just smell that cheese…..
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Pecorino for everyone! Yum 🙂
Our market is Tuesday morning too! I love the fresh vegies and the cheese. MMMM Pecorino is my all-time favorite cheese.
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Pecorino and I have a similar relationship Mary–I can’t get enough!
Definitely fruit, cheeses and herbs…..but where are the meat guys????? Should I wait till tomorrow to say that I’d totally NOT buy the bunnies and guinea pigs???? :>) But I’ll always buy a Porchetta panino on market day.
The meat truck is in the wide shot of the market on the left, but the truck with rabbits, guinea pigs, hens, etc., is on the other side of the piazza out of the photo.
Don’t worry, P more than makes up for your non-purchases from Rocco 😉
Mmmmm….it all looks so good! I’m so excited for the market to really get going here!
BTW, if you have a few minutes, stop by and comment every day this week to help me raise money for maternal health causes over at BlogHer Acts.
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Ooh thanks for letting me know! And enjoy your market 🙂
gorgeous photos! I absolutely LOVE open markets. Those cheeses and herbs look stunning and yummy!!!
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Thanks Jane; as you know, I loved “closed” markets too, like Reading Terminal 🙂
I would buy absolutely EVERYTHING! It all looks amazing. I love outdoor markets, especially the ones in Italy. 🙂
Me too; I just love walking around and seeing all that color 🙂
Pepato Cheese, Ricotta Salata, cheese, cheese and more cheese!!!!
Then eggplant and peppi!
It’s about 11:05 am here and I’m starving now!!!
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Sorry about that Lucy…. 😉
Cheese, cheese and more cheese. And probably some grapes…love some Italian grown grapes right about now.
Lisa’s last blog post..My Little Diva
No grapes in sight right now unfortunately; the downside to seasonal markets 🙁
What would I buy? Well, a little bit of everything. Those colors on the fruits and veggies are so appealing, and the cheese? OH THE CHEESE!!! 😉
You know, I meant to pop over here and let you know I’d tagged you for that meme, but now that blogger allows you to “auto-publish” in the future, I forgot I had that ready to go. 😉 Ah, the wonders of technology!
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That’s OK, I got the message anyway…and wow, I didn’t realize Blogger had finally come around on the auto-publishing. That was one of my least favorite things about Blogger.
I am such a sucker for these… ‘farmers markets’…
I’d buy at least two of everything and then sit and have coffee as close to market as possible, to people watch (and make photos, of course)…
;o)
Thanks for the outing! It’s lovely!
Scarlett & Viaggiatore
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Lucky for you there are bars (cafes) on either side of the piazza 🙂 And I didn’t include the photos here or on Flickr yet, but I was also greeted by one of Stella’s puppies while I was up there!
Just to have a local market that you can walk to sounds like heaven. I wouldn’t need to buy anything but just soak up the atmosphere but of course i’d have to go for the veggies & cheese.
Michelle – on the pecorino locale it had a price of Euro 8.90, is that for a kilo? or am I reading that wrong.
Thanks for sharing the photos.
Linda
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Linda, yes that’s the price per kilo–it’s an amazing deal. Supermarkets can be twice that, although around the holidays, I’ve seen similar prices in the supermarkets as well.
I’ll have to buy a bit of everything, Michelle! It all looks so good. I’m not quite sure what that fruit is between the tomatoes and the melons in the first shot?
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Those are our local zucchini Maryann 🙂 Aren’t they adorable?
I go to Italy once or twice a year…Brescia. I ADORE the markets and I buy anything and everything. There are two in Brescia; one on Tuesdays close to where I go to stay and a larger one on Saturday in the city proper. Do they sell stinco di maiale there in Calabria? BTW, I read your blog every day M-F and I really enjoy it since my Father is from Falerna, Provincia di Catanzaro in Calabria :-).
I haven’t seen stinco di maiale, but perhaps I’m looking in the wrong places 😉
Thanks so much for reading–actually Cherrye’s (My Bella Vita) husband used to work in Falerna…small world 🙂
Thanks for sharing your market with us..it is delightful.
I would buy a bit of everything..take it back to my holiday apartment, cook and savour the tastes of Italy. 🙂
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Sounds like a lovely meal Anne 🙂
I just love the markets there…When I was in Venice, we were near the fish market and I woke to wonderful opera being sung by a vendor every morning…it was lovely!
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Ah the fish vendors are the best! I passed one on the main street on my way to take photos of the market that morning, but since all the fish was covered up, it wasn’t a great photo op…some day!
A little bit of all of it. Looks great!
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Help yourself Kelli!
I love local markets. In the town I am from we have a local market on Thursdays with all the local vendors and I miss it. Here in Perth we had a great market in Subiaco but it’s no longer. Only a few vendors left because the real estate is going to be developed.
I would love to buy some cheese at yours. Oh, I am dreaming of it right now.
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Oh that’s so sad about your market 🙁 I’ll pick up some extra cheese for you!
I’d definitely buy the local cheese. And anything fresh and seasonal. In our Farmers Market, my favorite egg seller is sold out by 8, so I’m there at 7, usually. 😉 Ours are on Wednesday and Saturday.
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I love having to know the secrets on *when* to go…enjoy your market this morning 🙂
OMG I MISS THE MARKETS SOOOO MUCH!
I’m simply in a puddle of drool over here in California. Even though they have farmers markets here the smells aren’t as good, the colors not as bright and the characters not as lively (nothing beats a fish monger yelling into your ear).
So what do I miss most right now? The cozze, the basil, the artichokes, the beans –sorry i have to stop –keyboard all wet now!
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Fresh seafood is definitely a draw, I agree…I *almost* took a video of “Pescipescipesciiiii!” as I walked up the Corso behind the car…next time 🙂
I agree with many, everything would be on the list. But the meats would be way at the top as it is so hard to get anything good around here, especially now since the one small butcher/meat market I went to for everything a few towns over is closing the end of the month. Ugh.
What?! Who’s closing?! Please don’t say Bressi’s….
Mmmmmm – it all looks so good and fresh. Is everything organic too?
Wow, those are some AWESOME pictures!! Can I visit you? 🙂
Waiting for Zufan’s last blog post..The writing on the wall
So long as you bring that adorable little one 🙂
I would love this place. I think I would look for some of the same things I had during my meals in Cosenza with family. I love those crushed green olives (olive schiacciati?) that I can’t seem to find anywhere. I would have to find rigatoni and some pork ribs to make a meaty tomato sauce. And finally some burrata cheese, another hard to find item. It’s like mozzarella with a gooey center. Oh gosh, how could I forget, my mom would be so upset if I didn’t return with some fresh ficchi.
Oh those olives are so good! You have a fabulous shopping list there Ariana…making me hungry!
{jealous}
😉
Don’t worry I always think of you when picking eggplants (lilacs=purple=eggplants). That’s supposed to be a good thing 😉
Hi Michelle. I am seeing this months after you wrote it and I am definitely salivating!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD BUY SOME OF THOSE LOVELY EGGPLANTS AND MAKE A DELICIOUS PARMIGIANA!!!!!!!!!!!!! UMMMMMMMM DELIZIOSO!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE DO HAVE AN ITALIAN MARKET O ARTHUR AVENUE IN THE BRONX THAT IS JUST LIKE THE MARKETS IN ITALY — EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE AND NOT TOO EXPENSIVE AND ABSOLUTELY FRESH!!!!!!!!!!!! I JUST NEVER GET TO GO HERE. IT IS TEN MINUES BY CAR BUT WE HAVE TO PASS OVER THE WHITESTONE BRIDGE AT $12.00 A PASSING AND I HATE TO PUT OUT THAT MONEY JUST TO SHOP THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow that is an outrageous toll! That’s too bad as any money you’d save on shopping is already gone 🙁