Magical Madeira: tour around Mercado dos Lavradores
Hey there my Hive friends and followers!
It has already been some 7 months since we visited the spectacular Portuguese island called Madeira but so far, for a variety of reasons, I have only managed to publish a handful of posts about this extraordinary place. I can see that my last Madeira post is more than 2 months old now so it´s high time to roll out another one.
For many years, our dear American friend @dswigle was hosting a weekly series that became one of the most popular and iconic regular initiatives on this blockchain. Yes, I´m talking about Market Friday and I´m really sorry that Denise had to take a break from Hive and paused her amazing series as this post would be a great contribution to it. Why? Well, because this post will be about what most probably is the largest and most famous market on Madeira!
Known as Mercado dos Lavradores (which means Farmers´ Market in English), this iconic place can be found near the historic center of Funchal, the capital city of Madeira. Opened since as early as 1940, Mercado dos Lavradores is a huge market that offers an incredible range of local fruits, vegetables, flowers and sea food. But don´t get me wrong. This place is not your regular street market. It literally feels like a giant museum of wonderful fresh colors, shapes, smells and flavors. Words really cannot do much justice to the ambiance of this unique place so let me show you around through some pictures that I took there. We will start out in the fruit, veggie & flower sections and then, we will move to the fish market aka Praca do Peixe in the local language ;)
As you can see in the pictures, the market is always full of people. The locals usually go there to buy fresh food but there is also a lot of tourists who appear to just roam around like Alice in Wonderland, trying to absorb all those lovely colors, smells and flavors. The vendors willingly let you taste their products first but trust me, once you taste, there is now way you could leave without buying. Everything in there is just so irresistibly fresh and delicious!
As for the fish market, I think I know what fish caught your attention. Oh yeah, I was also like "What the fuck is this?!" when I saw those scary black monsters with giant teeth and burst eyes for the first time :D It´s the Black Scabbardfish, a curious species of the Cutlassfish that is found deep in the North Atlantic Ocean. These creatures live as deep as in 1,700 m (5,600 ft) below the sea level and that´s actually also the reason why their eyes burst when the fishermen catch them and bring them up to the surface. The sudden air pressure reduction simply cause their eyes to explode. The Black Scabbardfish is a very typical and traditional fish on Madeira but they are sometimes also caught on the Canary Islands, France, Ireland and even Iceland. The flash of this fish is of exceptional quality, making the Scabbardfish a very popular seafood, although it sometimes contains dangerous amounts of some toxic metals.
So yeah, that was a little tour around the famous Mercado dos Lavradores. I hope that you enjoyed this post and maybe even learned something new :) Also, I hope that my next Madeira post will show up here on my blog sooner than in two months like it happened with this one :D :/
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What intense photos! Fish teeth are scary)))
They are! Fortunately, these creatures live deep in the sea so you cannot meet them when swimming :D But in fact, barracudas look similar and they do occur near the beaches too :D I saw some big ones in the Caribbean and almost pooped my swim shorts :D
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When we went to Madeira in 2018 it was an All Inclusive package. A wander round this market made me determined to go self catering next time.
thanks for some great pics
Haha I hear you! Visiting this market makes everyone want to go self catering :D Probably a stupid question but... did you enjoy your time on Madeira? :)
we did!
we should have been back there last year, but an unexpected house move in 2022 chewed up the savings.
I'm hoping to take us back next year.
We stayed in Calheta last time, but have my eye on a couple of self catering properties in Funchal down near the sea front, and easy walk from the market.
I see. Well, we were planning to visit Madeira for quite some time already (before actually going) so I checked Airbnb offers on the island a couple of times and there were always some really cool deals so I´m sure you will find something nice. And Funchal (and its surroundings) seems to be a great base to explore the island from ;)
All I can say is that it looks like a fruitful island ;)
When describing Madeira, "fruitful" would definitely be one of the appropriate adjectives :) Thanks for stopping by mate!
Interesting market my friend and nice pictures. Wuao it's been 7 months since you went there mmmm well yes, Olivia is almost 5 months old now. Time is certainly flying by!
Time flies indeed! Greetings to you and your lovely family! :)
Hello @phortun friend!!!... Excellent report... Awwww... I loved seeing those photos of fruits!... I would like to have a place to take those types of photos here near me, but our local fruit stores are very small and with little variety... ;)
Greetings and blessings to you and your beautiful family! ;)
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@phortun! Your Content Is Awesome so I just sent 1 $BBH (Bitcoin Backed Hive) to your account on behalf of @jlinaresp. (2/5)
Hola amigo! Thanks for your kind feedback and generous support as always! Oh really? In all the places that I visited in Latin America, the markets looked very similar, a lot of colors, nice smellls and flavors. Maybe it´s because you live in a very little town / village where the variety of products offered on the market is not so wide? Because I´m sure that Venezuelan farmers also grow many amazing types of fruits and vegetables :)
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Thanks mate! I thought the creature from the thumbnail would be a cool subject for your series about weird animals :D
Peixe espada negro! always a favourite!
I can see you are from Portugal, I guess continental Portugal :) Is this fish common there too?
Yes even in some interior places you will always find on local gastronomy the bacalhau and many times trouts like in the Fundão region, a mountain isolated place, but even there they grow trouts and all that. In most big cities yuo get fresh fish from the sea everyday almost. Figueira da foz also is a favourite of mine great place to have some fish.
Excellent, thanks for sharing this info with us :) Portugal is a great place for life. I know your islands (Azores, Madeira) better than your continental area but I´m sure it´s amazing there too :)
Yup, that's exactly what I thought before reading
I know how to pick a clickbait thumbnail haha! :D
Damn!
The face of those black and big fishes look very scary
Wow
Right. If you wonder what caused their eyes to look like this, you can read the post.
Tak se ta hodinka našla, koukám :) A i když mě pohled na soukmenovce moc netěší, tečou mi sliny :))
Jo, našla :) I s úpravou a přípravou fotek to nakonec zabralo o fous víc. Ale odezva potěšila a dokonce to stačilo i na Mention u Pinmapple, s čímž jsem u tak krátkého článku ani nepočítal.
Zrovna ty teď slintat nemusíš, v Malaze budou podobné trhy taky, ne? ;)
Byl, ale byl natřískanej, i na španělský standart. A tak jsme se šli najíst jinam. Navíc jsme měli ubytování se snídaní, a tak jsme nenakupovali :)
Tam to teda muselo vypadat :D
I was looking forward to your next post about Madeira and for the reason! Amazing photographs!!! Markets in other countries are my weakness and my must-see. To be honest, I love markets even in small Ukrainian towns, and never miss our local Saturday market.
Your post revived so many memories of my trips! Ah... Unknown fruits, new flavors. Once, long ago, when my hubby and I visited a fish market in Split, Croatia, there was one fish, it was very popular, every seller had it and it was cheap. We had a barbeque in the yard of our apartments and were going to cook some fish. So we risked to buy it. Now I have no clue what we were thinking about. How to cook a fish that you even don't know the name? We did as usual - a little lemon juice, a little olive oil, and salt. It was tasty, to our surprise. 😊😊😊
Sorry to hear about the terrible death of Black Scabbardfish though. And particularly my attention was caught by the tuna 😍
Thanks for this lovely feedback my friend! Honestly, I always prefer natural sites to urban locations when exploring foreign countries but I totally agree that street markets are a great place to learn about the local culture, traditions and cuisine ;) I can also relate to your memory. It was in Split, many many years ago, where I saw the sea for the first time in my life and that moment will never be forgotten :) I remember we visited a fish market there too so it´s possible that I saw the same fish that you guys picked for your adventurous barbecue haha :D The way you prepared it though is definitely the safest and most reliable way to tackle a fish meal so I´m sure it was delicious ;)
I just imagine how great it would be to met with our spouses all together ... )) Maybe one day?
That would be epic! Hopefully one day, for sure :)
!BEER 😉
Visiting local markets is so great! All those colors make me happy! Do they grow the Dragon Fruit on Madeira?
Only this monsterous fish could better be left in the deep deep ocean
Yes, they do! Everything you can see in the pictures was grown on Madeira. The island has a very specific climate and fertile volcanic soil, which makes it possible for the local farmers to grow everything from tropical and subtropical fruits to crops that we grow here in Central Europe. Very special place :)
I totally hear you on the comment about the fish. It´s usually me who writes comments like this one to other people´s posts who write about visiting animal circuses, (some) zoos, dolphinariums and other facilities that are based on profiting from keeping wild creatures in captivity. Honestly, it was sad to see so many dead fishes and other marine creatures in one place but on the other hand, people have been fishing to feed themselves for millennia so I guess we should respect this way of making living. At least until the mankind goes fully vegan but I don´t see this happening any time soon.
I didn't know they grow so much there! Madeira sounds to me like the most beautiful place in Europe.
And about the fish.. I totally agree on that. I am honestly still confused if I should eat fish or not as it is Totally not necessary to eat it, but it is part of live so I eat it maximum once a month and I eat Tuna which is not catched with nets but with the fishing stick. All this farmed Salmon is even worse.
If I get back to Asia I will probably eat a bit more fish from the Small markets, but there is also a chance that I fully quit fish by then. You see, still confused.
Well, I haven´t seen all Europe so I cannot say but it definitely feels like Madeira is one of the most beautiful places ;) So many beauties of all kinds on such a small island, very impressive indeed.
Your approach towards diet is amazing. If everyone was like you, our planet would be in a much better condition. Thank you for being so thoughtful and respectful!
I love a good market especially one where the colourful fresh produce are on display, it makes me want to buy everything!
Haha that´s exactly how we felt in the fruit section! :D
Hoping to see Denise back soon too. It's such a loss that we don't have the Market Friday anymore. So many amazing posts lost on the way, without a proper home for them, including your post! 💞
I won't lie, I don't know how much I'd enjoy being there due to having some serious problem with fish and it's smell in general, but those pictures are way too interesting and some of them scary at the same time, lol!
Yes, I sometimes check out her blog and her comments to see if there are some updates but no, still nothing :( I hope she is alright, Hive has been missing her so much!
Totally understandable. Many people cannot stand that characteristic fish smell. In my case though, it was rather the presence of so many dead fish, blood, knives etc. what made me a bit uncomfortable in there. But that´s what fish market looks like everywhere I guess. Fortunately, the super nice, sweet and colorful fruit section was there too to make up for it ;)
Thanks for stopping by my friend!
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Mám z toho hlad! A to jsem právě dovečeřel... :D
...a to se jen díváš na fotky. Kdybys ochutnal, tak už se toho hladu (nebo spíš chutě) nikdy nezbavíš :D
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The fish eyes freak me out haha!
That's a large market but so colorful with all the fruits, I wish ours looked like that. I mean we do have farmers market in the summer but yours is way better and more playful for photography. Thanks for sharing your colorful display. xox
Those eyes freaked me out too, I don´t think I would be able to enjoy this fish on my plate :D
Well, the closer to the equator you go, the more colorful everything is. But seriously, tropical places are truly colorful. From animals and vegetation to architecture, clothes, food etc. People living there might often be poor by our standards but the climate, sea and all the colors around make them happier than many people from rich countries ;) My experience...
Actually, you are probably right on the equator, color and overall mood regardless of money. We absorb vitamins from the sun. On our short days, that's when depression tends to rise. We call it winter blues as a joke but it's a real thing.
Glad to know that there is some actual science behind this theory! :) After spending a couple of winters in the evergreen tropics and subtropics, I have a really hard time coping with winter back here in Central Europe that I come from. Here, the winter blues is as real as it gets.
I bet, the more north you get the worse it gets. If you have been used to equator time then I see why you would prefer it without knowing fully why just on avoiding the mood disruptions and lethargy from unstable sunlight hours. I would probably prefer something like that too if they had the rockies.
Not where I live but further north, it's like forever days and forever nights in 6 months cycle. In the North-West Territories, in the summer, the sun goes down for like 1 hour if any. In the winter, that's how long the day is...can you imagine!!
I know. It´s crazy. We have something similar here in Europe in Northern Norway and other nearby areas. A half of the year is day and the other half is night. Total madness. I don´t know how anyone can live in such places...
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You're welcome friends, I'm glad I could help.
It is always a great feeling whenever we have time to visit and explore the local market
Is it? What do street markets look like in your place?
Wow how beautiful are your pictures, more I like the color palette formed by these fruits (honestly many of them I don't even know what they are called, here in Romania we don't have so much variety of exotic fruits).
Btw I wouldn't want to get into the water I know those fish live in, hehe.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks for your kind comment my friend! Well, Madeira has a very specific climate and fertile volcanic soil, which makes it possible for the local farmers to grow everything from tropical and subtropical fruits to crops that we grow here in Central Europe so the markets are extremely rich, diverse and colorful ;)
Haha I hear you but no need to be afraid of this fish, it lives deep in the ocean. The poor thing is so used to and adapted to living in the depth that bringing it up to the surface actually kills it :( But in fact, barracudas look similar and they do occur near the beaches too :D I saw some big ones in the Caribbean and almost pooped my swim shorts :D
You're welcome, mate!
I really need to get to Madeira to experience local life and all that it encompasses.
I follow your posts with great interest (here I clearly mean all of them), but the ones from Madeira, Czech Republic and Zanzibar (with these posts I felt a certain connection, I don't know how to explain this feeling) were amazing.
Thank you very much for your kind words my friend :) I think you would enjoy my posts from Latin America (mostly Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and Cuba) as well but I posted them all long time ago already :D :/ And honestly, with our little Florecita, I don´t know when we will be able to travel again...
You're welcome.
Yes, I haven't checked these posts of yours yet, but I will definitely check them(you made me curious).
Very kind of you but that would take you ages my friend :) We lived in Latin America for 2 years and visited many interesting places down there so I have probably published hundreds of posts from those locations :) Moreover, I posted most of them years ago so just scrolling down my blog to find them would take you long hours :) But if you ever plan to visit these countries, let me know and I will give you some tips ;) Cheers!
Ahh, thank you so much for kindly advising us to visit Latin America, but you see, my friend, the cost of such a holiday for me far exceeds my budget.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining that I don't have money, but you see, everyday life is getting harder and harder even here in Romania, everything has become more expensive (in fact for some products prices have doubled).
We also have the problems with the border war with Ukraine, here I am lucky to be close to the Ukrainian border where it is quiet for now, I hope.
But yes, in principle, I would be happy to visit Latin America, at least a few countries.
But, there's always a but, I've had a few dreams so far, I haven't had many as I'm not that picky, but I'm human too, hehe.
In fact, we had three, two of which have already been fulfilled and one of which remains.
My first dream was to see and touch the pyramids (Egypt), my second dream was to walk around Dubai, and my third dream is to visit New York (here I have many on my list).
I totally understand you. Holiday in the Caribbean is not the cheapest one for sure but you know what is ironic? When you actually live in these places, the expenses are (much) lower than here in Europe. Take Mexico where we lived, for example. We rented several apartments at different places during our stay. Some of them even had a pool, big terraces, some of them were literally just a few minutes walk from the beach. But they all were much cheaper than what we paid for an apartment in Prague. Same with food, transport etc. If you come to this tropical paradise as a tourist, it´s quite expensive because of the flight tickets, hotels etc. but if you come there to live, everything gets much cheaper immediately ;)
Happy to hear that you already managed to fulfill 2 of your 3 travel dreams and I´m sure that you will complete this hattrick :) New York is such a special place. I was lucky enough to visit this city a few times already. Honestly, I cannot stand all the hustle and bustle for more than a few days as my head starts to feel like exploding from all the perceptions but it´s always a very unique experience :)
I really didn't know that local life can be much cheaper in these exotic locations.
Oh, for us Romanians even entering Mexico is extremely difficult, there were many cases in which Romanian tourists were not allowed to enter Mexico, even though they had already paid vacations there.
I live with the hope that the visit to New York will be as close as possible, and here I also mean obtaining the visa for Romanians.
Only the visa for America costs $160/person, I say a rather high fee, moreover, I have to go 600 kilometers for the interview to obtain the visa.
Even if I pay the fee and go to the interview, it is still not certain that I will get the visa, you see, a very high cost for something that you do not know for sure that you will get.
Have a wonderful weekend.
I´m sorry mate, I didn´t realize that you guys in Romania have such troubles with getting visas :( I have never experienced anything like that. I hope that Romanian passports will be more powerful in future, you guys deserve to travel without stress and complications. Have a lovely Sunday!
Unfortunately, Romania is not yet part of the Schengen area in order to be able to move freely not only in the community area (EU), as I wrote to you, it is an ordeal to obtain a visa and a good amount of money spent.
At one point it was rumored that we would enter the Schengen space only in the air space and not on the ground, but honestly I no longer trust our political class that seems to be fighting against the Romanians.
Hope dies last, but the dream still remains :)
A beautiful Sunday to you too!
Man, that really sucks :( Our countries are not so far from each other, our cultures and history are similar too but when it comes to traveling, the difference seems to be really big. I don´t count it but I have probably been to 30+ countries so far and didn´t have any issues entering any of them. Are the officers basically expecting you to bribe them to give you the visas? Is it how it works in your country?
You are right, even if we are not very far apart, our countries are similar in many ways, but when it comes to certain facilities, it seems that there are certain barriers.
In terms of obtaining a visa, there can be no question of bribing someone.
It's just that the USA is very careful with Romanian citizens who want to visit America or study there or even find a job.
From what I found out from my friends who went to the interview to get the visa, they were checked including what money they have in their accounts and dozens of stupid questions, so that in the end it will be in the hand of the respective officer.
I met the case where the husband and wife applied for the visa and only the husband received the visa, the wife did not.
Honestly everything is very strange in this verification process.
Really sorry to hear that :/ Good luck with your future travels, no matter where you will go!
Yes, thank you very much.
Here in our country there are no such consolidated markets, a person can set up a shop anywhere and sell his product.
That´s interesting. If you want to sell something here in Europe, you need to deal with a shitton of red tape first :)
Thats good.
That´s actually not good :D
Markets sometimes are interesting and sometimes are sad places. So, I see you saw a lot of things but, you didn't buy anything? Didn't you try those terrifying black fish?
Well said my friend, well said. Interesting to see and smell all those exotic shapes, colors, aromas and flavors but sad when you get in the section where dead animals are sold :( Yes, we bought some things but I don´t remember what exactly, we were so overwhelmed by all those perceptions :) But no, we didn´t try the black fish. We stayed in a hotel so we didn´t have a kitchen to cook for ourselves...
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