A visit to the market.

I am just back from a trip to Madeira where I stayed in Funchal. One of the places I wanted  to visit was the Mercado dos Lavradores – The Workers Market.

We entered into the lower level which was the fish market. It was only 9.30 am and there was still a lot going on. Dozens of different types of fish were for sale.

However my favourite was Espada.

The Espada, or Black scabbardfish has an elongated eel like body and the dorsal fin runs the whole length of the body. It has a protruding lower jaw and the mouth is full of sharp, fang like teeth. These together with the large bulging eyes make it a most ugly creature. But it tastes delicious.

It lives at a depth of several thousand metres and is a deep water predator.

We watched as the fishmongers prepared the fish. The first task seemed to be to knock out the teeth.

The next stage was to descale the fish.

Finally it was gutted and cut into fillets.

I was feeling hungry.

                                  

Upstairs was the flower and vegetable market which was so colourful.

The ladies selling flowers were all dressed in traditional costume which added to the atmosphere.

Upstairs on the first floor there were exotic fruits, herbs and spices. But you have to be careful. Traders would offer you samples of the fruit and then try to sell you some at extortionate prices.

The market is open every day but is busiest of a Friday or Sunday when fishermen, farmers and traders from all over the island come to sell their produce.

I have now got to try some Espada. It is served with bananas ( Espada com banana )

I will tell you about it later.