A week ago I was in Venice, Italy, for a short trip, and of course I had to check out the market while I was there! (I already showed you these artichoke bottoms, which were everywhere there.) Venice is a strange and beautiful city. There's nowhere else quite like it: a city of palaces and walkways floating on the sea. It has a tiny population — just about 90,000, if you count the surrounding islands — but it receives millions of visitors every year. So the most famous market, the Rialto, of necessity has something of a tourist flair. Take a peek!
The market, as befits Venice's ocean perch, is rich with seafood, as well as produce. Like many other tourist-driven markets, it was hard to determine what was local and what was flown in from far away for color and variety. But the stalls were laid out on the canal in cheery striped rows, and it was a pleasant way to spend a morning — browsing dates, oranges, plums, figs, and fennel, and watching the fishmongers expertly slit open big fish and serve them up to customers.
Have you ever been to Venice and the Rialto market? What did you buy there? We picked up some swordfish and the makings of a big salad, as well as some porcini (which were sadly well past their prime — I should have insisted that the stall owner let me pick them out myself).
And you really can't beat the trip down the canal to the market — have you ever ridden on a water bus? The vaporettos are one of the most fun and memorable parts of Venice, in my opinion!
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It's pretty standard procedure for customers not to be allowed to touch the produce -- at a market or in the grocery store. I believe it's that way in much of Europe. Next time, you can ask for a sample or point to the better looking options if you're concerned about freshness.
Agree, there is no way you could pick your own porcini! Customers are not allowed to touch the veggies in the most part of markets, because there are lots of persons who touch strongly and press everything in the shop and the fruits end flabby and bad looking.
In some grocery stores you are allowed to pick your fruits but need to wear disposable gloves.
We picked up salicornia (aka glasswort) at the fish market. It was delightful! Soaked it in milk to extract some of its inherent salt, then blanched it lightly and dressed it with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. It was a wonderful side dish (a vibrant green with a light crunch, slightly salty taste of the sea) that accompanied our squid ink pasta very well. We also appreciated how fastidiously the fishmongers would prepare and clean our calimari (at no charge). They even packed the squid's ink packets aside in a tidy parchment pouch!
One thing I greatly appreciated about the fish market, which is really a reflection of EU regulation, was that all seafood had to identify its place of origin.
Have we ever ridden on a vaporetto? My husband even got scolded (yelled at) once by a captain or attendant after our 8 year old got too close to the railing for their liking!
Can't wait to read more of your Venetian adventures!
I've been there with a German friend that had never tasted ripe figs. I explained that to the vendor and he opened and present one to my friend. She was very surprised by the seller friendliness and her expression while tasting it was great. ;0)
You do get figs in Germany but they are very rarely ripe and if you never tasted better, you won't know the difference.
In Italy even in supermarket you do have to wear plastic gloves to pick fruit and vegetables. That's for hygienic reasons.