Valencia’s Central Market

[Xabia Jim]

Valencia is Spain’s third largest city at about 4 million people. After doing the Barcelona market I read that the Valencia Market was one of the best in Europe....had to check it out!

It is housed in an enormous metal, ceramic tile and glass Art Nouveau building built in 1928. There are about 1000 stalls filled with about everything and it even has a hardware on the street outside…how about a paella pan that serves 200?

It has the biggest seafood selection I’ve ever seen. One stall sold just chicken parts…heads, feet, wing tips…for the soup/caldo in paella! Fruits, Veg, meats, eggs, wine, spices….an endless mountain of food and culinary items…..just great to have it flow around you!

(You will see a lot of Valencia soon as the America’s cup begins next month…first time in Europe in 155 years. Port America's Cup )

XJ

[Xabia Jim]

Fish, seafood, shellfish....even live eels! ...and walls of hams and sausages!

Man, I love to eat!

[james]

XJ,
I love that market. That's where we got our paella ring and stand many years ago -- that is still in our garage and comes out for big parties. I remember all the difference sizes of gas rings and pans, from the 1-2 person up to the huge ones.

Maybe we should import paella pans.

How about the Serrano Ham? Do you have a leg in your kitchen?
James

[CanuckJim]

XJ,

What a great looking market. Thanks for the pics. As usual, though, you've tweaked my envy and jealousy, because you're there in the sun and I'm here in the (melting) snow.

Jim

[Xabia Jim]

CJ.....sorry no guilt trips......I don't miss the snow this year and I think the midwest is making up for light snowfalls the last few years.

James, I bought my first serrano ham at Christmas...it was great fun. We usually just buy a few slices at the market but slicing it off the bone was fun for everyone. We now have a jamonero so will do a whole one more often.

I think that the US now allows serrano ham imports, does anyone find it there?

[james]

Italian prosciutto was illegal in the states for a while because it is air dried and never reach a temperature that made the FDA happy, and never treated with nitrates. I don't know the whole story or the dates -- does anybody have a better version of what happened? You can find it now.

I don't know about Serrano ham in the states. Is it an FDA thing, or a marketability thinkg?
James