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The Boqueria

The Boqueria and the markets of Barcelona

If it is true that the birthplace of every great city is in its market, for Barcelona and the Boqueria this relationship is even more evident. Few cities such as the Catalan capital made their own market and its culture a symbol, an attraction and the core of an overwhelming love and even more.

The Boqueria is a universe to immerse and lose yourself in, a priveledged place (although in danger today) where it is possible to find everything, from near and afar, sometimes very afar. The shrimps of Palamos and the percebes from Galizia, the artichokes from the vegetable gardens of Sant Boi and the exotic fruit of Central America, the onions of Figueras and the Peruvian potatoes, all converging here and here, all setting the scene, not just simply on show. However the Boqueria, besieged by hit and run tourism, is also a challenging piazza, it struggles to show its own inner self: one needs to be armed with patience, take time and follow the footsteps of those who live there and walk it everyday.

And so we can find secret maps, customary habits and the origins of the traditional gastronomy, Catalan, that has its traits sharply marketed in the combination of mar i muntanya (sea and mountain), in the culture of sofregit and its sauces (alioli, romesco and picada). The Boqueria seen from here, showcases itself as the symbolic heart of a network of markets that fills and nourishes the city: each neighourhood has its own market that is not just a place of procurement but one at the centre of the daily routine for every age of life. Well then, lets put our baskets on our arms and head off for a journey into the wonders and gastronomy of Barcelona!