From Old Town Valencia To The Freshest Produce Imaginable

This is the first blog post in a series that covers the 8-week trip to Spain. This includes a seven-week stay in El Cabanyal, a fisherman village just outside of Valencia, cooking delicious meals from the freshest product bought in the Central Market in Valencia, many weekend trips, and finally, walking the last 100 km of the Camino de Santiago (Portuguese Route).

Old Town Charm

Today, however, we walked aimlessly through the old historic district of Valencia and got lost in Central Market Valencia. Or maybe not…Johan always says that you cannot be lost if you don’t know where you are going. But let’s start at the beginning.

Our Living Quarters In the Most Perfect Location: an Apartment in El Cabanyal

We are staying in an apartment in El Cabanyal, an old fisherman’s neighborhood about 30 minutes from downtown Valencia. El Cabanyal is, for sure, Valencia’s hidden gem. I am torn between shouting about our experience in this perfect spot from the rooftops and keeping it a secret.

With no rental car, we need to walk or use public transportation where ever we go. This 7 weeks in Valencia, Spain will be trains and planes but no automobiles (if you don’t count the occasional taxi or Uber). For the most we walked, practicing for the Camino de Santiago, which is now just 3 weeks away.

It’s hard to believe that we have been in Spain for a week, and this is the first day we went to the old town.  

The Metro In Valencia

Riding the Metro in Valencia is no different than any other big city with a Metro. You look at the colors of the lines, the numbers, and the names, make sure you go in the right direction, and voila… Bob’s your uncle! The tricky part is when you need to buy the tickets and don’t read Spanish. When you take your time to try and understand the Spanish on the ticket machine, your time is over, and it slips back to the home screen. Yes, I intended to use the word “time” in the sentence many times to make up for the time the machine did not give us to complete our transaction. 😊 It’s a machine with no patience for non-Spanish readers. Very few people speak English, and asking for help was not an option. Luckily it was not peak time, or we would have heard the Spanish swear at us. We finally got our tickets, and now we know the machine’s interface, so next time, we will follow the pattern and not worry about the words.

Find The Central Market In Valencia By Chance

With the expectation of having a “full house” in our 3 bedroom apartment, we decided not to go into the museums, churches, etc., but to save that exploration for when we had visitors. For the first time, we did not have a list of the top 5 things we must see in the city. With 6 weeks in the town, we could afford to meander through the old historic district. We just walked in all the little side streets. Shopping with our eyes because we did not plan to carry shopping bags. It was fantastic. I don’t know that I will ever do it differently again.

Is that a much-welcomed photo bomb? It surely makes the old people in the photo look younger.

I think the answer is to take long vacations 😉 and to relax and enjoy without chasing to the next “best things to see.” Just go with the flow. Stop that crazy rushing that we do every day. After a lovely coffee and pastry, we walked around a corner, and guess what? There it was. The much anticipated Central Market, Valencia. Better known in Spanish as Mercado Central De Valencia.

The design for the new market was chosen from a contest. Architects Alexandre Soler March and Francesc Guàrdia won the prize, and the market construction started in 1914. What a beauty. It is an architectural masterpiece, from the use of typical Valencian tiles to the dome in the center.

The Central Market Valencia

“I loved the Central Market in downtown Valencia. It stands as Europe’s largest fresh produce market. We walked more than 2.5 km inside the market the first day. At one point, Johan claimed he thought I’d snapped a thousand photos. In reality, I captured only 151 in the market. I would have taken even more if I had not felt sorry for him. As a better alternative, Johan could have captured everything as our official photographer while I drooled down the aisles. If I were to live in this city, I’d whip up delicious meals every day. Our food blog, Chewandchatter.com, would see daily recipe updates… oh, how I wish.”

The roof was just as impressive, with colored tiles and glass panels. More than once, I bumped into people because I was looking up. It is also interesting because the view of the ceiling change depending on which aisle you are in.

Spanish Saffron At The Central Market Valencia 

If the smell of spices turns you on, this is the place for you.

Some dishes do not taste authentic if you do not use saffron, and the Central Market is the perfect place to buy saffron.

If you are the average Joe like me, you can buy a small tin of high-quality saffron threads for anything between $5 and $10. If you are a big roller, you can buy your saffron in 100g tins for 300 Euros. Make sure that you know how to look for good quality saffron.

It’s easy to test for quality saffron when you have already bought it, but harder to determine quality in the market. Buying from a reputable dealer is the best option.

Yes, it costs an arm and a leg, but it is still cheaper than the teeny tiny containers with ten stamens I buy from Amazon when I return home in Austin.  

The Coveted Carabineros –  For Sale At The Central Market in Valencia

“I could not help but smile when I saw the name of this shrimp/prawn for the first time. It reminded me so much of the Italian police; they are called Carabinieri 😊. This prawn is one of the most coveted prawns in kitchens worldwide. Chef H Delgado describes it best on his blog:”“This wonderful crustacean is highly appreciated for its flavor and texture, its shape is very similar to that of prawns, but these can reach up to 30 centimeters, and it has a beautiful dark red color. This jewel of Spanish gastronomy inhabits the sandy bottoms of temperate waters, supports cold ocean waters, and is found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. This variety of prawn is delicious, and Its head hides even more essence of its richness; it is usually used to enrich sauces, seafood stews, etc.” “I could not help but smile when I saw the name of this shrimp/prawn for the first time. It reminded me so much of the Italian police; they are called Carabinieri 😊.

This prawn is one of the most coveted prawns in kitchens worldwide. Chef H Delgado describes it best on his blog: “This wonderful crustacean is highly appreciated for its flavor and texture, its shape is very similar to that of prawns, but these can reach up to 30 centimeters, and it has a beautiful dark red color. This jewel of Spanish gastronomy inhabits the sandy bottoms of temperate waters, supports cold ocean waters, and is found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. This variety of prawn is delicious, and Its head hides even more essence of its richness; it is usually used to enrich sauces, seafood stews, etc.”

Dinner, Stock, Soup, And Compost

 I plan to buy those “red prawns,” next time we go to the Central Market in Valencia. But at 80 Euros a kg, a meager $176 a pound, we’ll have to settle for only two. One for each of us. To get the best of the yield, I’ll cook a delicious recipe from Chef Delgado’s blog. Then I’ll cook stock from the head and shells to make a delicious soup. And finally, l’ll take the shells and head and grind them up as compost for plants. No other way does it make sense to pay this amount for it.

The Fresh Produce At Central Market Valencia Is Top Quality

Walking down the aisles of fresh produce, I am at a loss for what to cook. I want to break my golden Spanish market rule. The rule says, “Only buy what you need for one day, and come back tomorrow for more.” But how to choose. Eat your heart out at the photos of some of the fresh produce. What I loved most is that there were mainly local products, all in season. It is unlike here in the USA, where produce was kept in fridges for months before it made it to the shopping shelves.

Valencia’s Medieval Wall and City Gates: Serranos and Quart

On the border of the old city is Valencia’s medieval wall. Construction on the wall began in 1392, and its towers were designed as defensive structures. Two of the towers were saved from demolition when the city walls were knocked down in 1865. As part of it’s noted history, it was also used as a prison for the nobility between 1586 and 1887. 

Reflections

What a fantastic day. First, just wandering aimlessly through the old town of Valencia, enjoying the little side streets and architecture. And then the highlight of the day. Finding the Central Market in old town Valencia. We will be back with shopping bags.