No stay at my mother-in-law’s house in the huge city of São Paulo, Brazil, is complete without a visit to the lovely neighborhood market. It is one of many authentic experiences in this city that is full of traditions despite its ever-increasing size.
This market happens every Wednesday morning on a hilly street about 3 blocks from her house. My husband says that he has been going there since childhood.
Our first stop was for a taste of real Brazilian street food and drink:
Truck selling coconut water and sugar cane juice (you can see the sugar cane lying in the truck)
My son eating pastel, a light, fluffy fried dough with your choice of filling. His was cheese, tomatoes, and oregano.
Yum!
Of course, being in Brazil means there is a ton of tasty fruit available.
Papayas
I love how fruit is arranged in bowls and cut to show off the inside of the fruit. Each bowl of guavas cost 3 reais, about $1.50.
Guavas
Atemoya (delicious!) and mangoes and melon
Several varieties of banana
I was surprised at how carefully everything was displayed and how almost every stall used colorful striped table covers. It showed pride in their work and love for what they were selling.
Starfruit (carambola)
Passionfruit
There was other stuff for sale, too:
Brazilians LOVE beans!
Displayed with such care!
And of course lots of beautiful veggies
It’s these glimpses into everyday life that I love about traveling in Brazil.
What are some of your favorite markets or other travel experiences that show the ordinary yet beautiful?
(I submitted this post as part of Laurel’s Food Friday series. If you enjoy food like I do, click on over and check out more food-related posts.)
I love pictures of food and travel! I like going to the Flea Market to buy fruit! It sounds odd because you can find people selling vases next to people selling their fresh fruit, but their local farmers and they just go where the people are. Nothing’s wrong with that!
- Kristina
http://www.reserve123.com
I agree, I love pictures of the food people see when traveling. Thanks for stopping by!
One of my favourite things to do in Rio de Janeiro was going to the weekend market. Mmm, pastel and sugar cane juice
I haven’t been to a market in Rio (when I was there, it rained almost the whole time). I’m sure the markets there are awesome.
I love the colors of this market Jenna! Gorgeous. I love to go to local food markets in Italy, especially when I lived in Sicily. It really is such a great cultural experience.
I love the markets in Florence. I can imagine the ones in Sicily must be amazing, and I agree, it’s a wonderful cultural experience.
Oh look at the amazing fruit and veg! I’m jealous you can shop there
I love outdoor markets. All that fresh fruit and vegetables look delicious!
Beautiful colors and those flowers look so pretty!!
Ana, Danielle, and Jade: Thanks for your comments and for stopping by!
Markets are my favorite!
I plan to vist both this city and rio when i get a chance to travel to brazil
Sao Paulo probably won’t measure up to Rio, but there is plenty of good stuff to do and experience there. Definitely check out the markets, museums, and samba restaurants! Have fun in Brazil!
Love a good market! The best way to discover what and how people eat. I haven’t been to Sao Paolo in, sheesh, almost 18 years, but I do remember stumbling across a market slapbang in the centre of that crazy concrete jungle. It came as a real surprise. Eager to return – I imagine it’s a very different city now.
The first time I went to SP was 11 years ago, and I am not sure it has changed much since then. Luckily, things in Brazil in general are improving, but I think SP has just gotten more crowded! Anyway, I love a good market, too, and there are plenty of good ones in SP.
I love the idea of exploring markets to try local food and now I’m dying to try a pastel, they look really good and it sounds like your son has excellent taste when it comes to choosing a filling
I’m sure you will love pastel! There are so many options for fillings, and they are sold all over, so when you go to Brazil, you will be able to try many