Mercado Da Ribeira (Lisbon): Fruit and Veg market

Every fruit and veg market says a lot about the cuisine of the country in which it is located. Immediately I saw castanhas (chestnuts) on sale at the Mercado da Ribeira I knew I was in Lisbon. Castanhas had been my favourite street food as I explored Lisbon. Traditional Portuguese soups like caldo verde which is made from potatoes, plantain, ginger, okra and kale were all well represented. It was amusing to see cocoyam, a traditional West African staple here as well.

The Portuguese made Peri Peri sauce famous, a sauce that is credited to the popularity of Nandos restaurant worldwide. I was, therefore, not the least bit surprised when hot peri peri chillies and other chillies started appearing on most stalls.

My first port of call enroute to the Mercado da Ribeira fish market and the trendy and  uber cool Mercado da Ribeira food court had been the fruit and veg market. It met my expectations and certainly got my brain ticking fast as I tried to identify some of the more unfamiliar fruits and vegetables. Overall this is a must do if you happen to be in the Mercado da Ribeira anyway.