This morning as I've done every week since we arrived, I walked two blocks to our neighborhood Feira Livre, or street market which assembles on Thursdays between the hours of 6AM and 2PM.
Visiting
this market always cheers me up, I thrive on the many colors, textures, shapes
and the abundant array of produce, fruit, fresh fish, cheeses, local honey,
artisan breads, flowers of all types, smells and colors –you name it- plus
innumerable other products. I know that in the future, I will be able to rely
on my memories of colorful markets such as this one, from all my years lived
abroad.
This feira reminds me of those in Southern
France, even the souqs of the Middle
East or Asia, where I often felt the urge to stroll and live the clamor and
confusion of colors, smells, and people going to and fro.
Aubergines, peppers and locally-made farm
sausages tempt me from near and far, the ambiance already etched in my mind --
sugar cane drinks and pasteis vendors
(savory fried or baked meat or chicken turnovers), violin and guitar players,
spices, and herbs; a delight for my eyes; a visual 'great escape' for the
senses.
Walking
around, buying a few things, and always enjoying pastéis de carne (beef turnovers), I make my way back home, my senses
filled with color and wonder at the gaiety of this marketplace.
Brazil
-as Thailand- is one of the countries with the most variety of tropical fruits.
The display of pineapples, mangosteen,
mangos, noni, acai berries, lychees, guavas, quince, pitanga, graviola, cashew, maracuja,
sapoti, acerola, passion fruit, papayas -just to name a few- is
outstanding! All of these grow
abundantly in this land as do many varieties of apples, oranges and tiny sweet
bananas.
I am
generally most impressed with spices and herbs -as I lived in the Middle East-
but also with the array of refrigerated stands with excellent fish of all kinds
from the nearby south Atlantic as well as the Amazon River to the north.
In
'my' street market as in most, one can also find varieties of olives, and
pickled vegetables, different types of nut butters, sun-dried tomatoes,
excellent homemade sauces, jams and preserves of all kinds. Some items are
imported, but most are made and grown right here in Brazil.
As I
mentioned flowers before, I must say that the variations are far-fetched and of
innumerable colors and hues; delightfully fragrant and so very reasonably
priced (!) that I've been buying and
replacing bouquets weekly in our apartment.
I
briefly mentioned the artisan breads at the feiras but in Brazil as in Spain, Portugal or France, freshly baked
bread is a must. Bakeries have two main output cycles per day: early morning
and early evening -when most people descend to the wonderfully smelling bake
shops to wait in line and be the first getting breads and rolls steaming out of
the oven .There are several ‘padarias’
(bakeries) near our place offering yummy rolls, baguettes, and round and square
peasant type breads. We've tried them all and love them all. I'm glad we only
drive on weekends when we go to the beaches as walking long distances on week
days makes up for the extra calories consuming bread!
