Market to Pantry #17: Benissa Market, Benissa, Spain

From Melissa (Flying Ready), in Spain:

Here are some photos of my favorite market that's held in the town of Benissa on Saturdays. Benissa is in the Alicante province of Spain. I love this market especially because of a particular charcuteria vendor.

There's always a load of banter between him and the old ladies and a lot of laughter. I have no idea what they're saying, because sometimes the chat is in rapid-fire Spanish or in the local dialect of Valenciano. But I can't help but laugh along all the same, just because everyone is having such a good time hamming it up while buying their hams! Besides he always calls me chica (girl), even though I'm in my early forties. Bless him. 

On Saturdays, for more than three years, we've been peeking into Other People's Pantries all around the world.

*There are only two more pantries to share. If you'd like this feature to continue -- if you've been meaning to send your photos but haven't gotten around to it -- please send in your pantry photos. Here's how.

And, please put your camera to work on Market to Pantry, alternating on Saturdays with Other People's Pantries.

*There is just one more market to share. Show us your favorite supermarket, farmers' market, ethnic market, big box store or roadside stand. We'd love to see where you shop for food.  Here's how.

Comments

Come to PP and learn something new everyday......had to goog charcuteria to find out what exactly that was :)

I'm curious to know if your 'guy' does all his own, or if he just sells the product. Here in the east coast of USA its practically impossible to find a *real* charcutier

Anyway, thanks for sharing your wonderful market with us

As I have never been there I love seeing photos, esp food photos of other parts of the world. Thanks for sharing!

Oh my, how I would love to visit a market like this in Spain.

Thanks for sharing, it sounds like a lot of fun as well as good food!

Okay, I'll try and get some market pictures this week! Though mine doesn't look nearly as good as this!

Be still my heart!!! Cheese and cured meat are my first love!! (don't tell my husband!) oh I long to live a life of open air marketing, local made goods and great wine!

Hey PP friends - Just got back from a short trip to Granada, so sorry for not responding sooner.

Milton - My favorite vendor just sells the products, which include items made a bit closer - like a Queso Murcia Al Vino, a goat's cheese soaked in wine and flavored with herbs and packets of salt cod - and items made from farther afield like Mahon - a cheese from Mallorca. Don't quote me on this, but I suspect quite a lot of the specialty foodstuffs are made only in the region to which their native. The to die for cured hams made from the black-footed pigs, for example, are probably only made in Extremedura or parts of Andalucia. Along those lines, most of the vegetable sellers don't grow their stock or even buy them from farmers they know. The veg vendors get their produce from local distributors. It's a bit of a bubble burst, I know, but luckily Spain is called the garden of Europe, so most of the produce we buy is in country.

Maris - It's my pleasure, and you're very welcome.

Kalyn - The markets of Spain await you. Spanish agriculture is undergoing hard times, because of the false allegations about its cucumbers. Tons and tons of perfectly good produce have had to be destroyed. A boost in tourism would be welcome.

Lyndsey - It is fun to buy food this way! If it weren't, I'd stick with the supermarkets of which there are plenty.

Pam - We are our own worst photo critics. Look forward to seeing pics of your market.

Carol - a woman after my own cheesy, hammy heart. Oh, and a wine-y heart, too.