Mercado Central

A Coruña is a port city on the Atlantic coast of Galicia, and its markets are the best place to see why the city's cooking is built on the sea. The Mercado Central, as listed here, is the city's covered food market, a place where people from the surrounding neighbourhoods shop each morning for fresh fish, shellfish, meat, vegetables and bread. Galicia is famous for the quality of its seafood, and the market shows the full range of what arrives from the boats in the harbour, from the rías and from the Atlantic fishing grounds. Exact details of the building and its hours vary by market, so it is wise to check locally which hall you are visiting.

The fish stalls are the main sight. Counters are covered in crushed ice and loaded with hake, monkfish, sea bass, turbot, sardines and squid, often still glistening. Next to them are the shellfish for which the region is known: mussels, clams, cockles, razor clams, scallops, spider crabs, lobsters and the barnacles called percebes, which are collected from wave-battered rocks and command high prices. Octopus, the basis of the classic dish pulpo á feira, is sold ready cooked in some stalls. Fishmongers are happy to explain what is in season and how to cook it, and they often clean the fish for you.

Other sections show the land side of Galician food. Butchers sell veal, pork and local sausages. Greengrocers offer potatoes, cabbages, turnip greens and the small green peppers from Padrón, some mild and some hot, which are fried in oil and salted. Cheese stalls sell the cone-shaped tetilla cheese, soft and creamy, and in bakeries, empanada, a pie filled with tuna, cod or meat, sits beside round loaves of crusty bread. A glass of Albariño, the crisp white wine of the Rías Baixas, is the usual accompaniment, and some markets have small bars where you can try produce on the spot.

Visiting a market like this helps you to understand the rhythm of daily life in the city. Shoppers know the stallholders by name, and the conversation is in Galician as much as Spanish. The market is at its best in the morning, since many stalls close for the afternoon, and the freshest selection is available early. It suits food lovers and photographers, and it makes a good stop before or after a walk through the old town, the Plaza de María Pita and the Paseo Marítimo. For a seafood lunch, many restaurants nearby serve the same produce.