The foods of St. Josep La Bouqeria in Barcelona, Spain

Calling all foodies!

Welcome to La Bouqueria food market in Barcelona, Spain.

Tucked behind the buildings of Barcelona's busy shopping street, Las Ramblas, you will find the most famous food market in the city, La Bouqueria. This market has been part of Barcelona for nearly 800 years and still continues to be the main hub for tourists and locals alike.

With hints of inspiration from the famous Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi, the colorful mosaic, stained-glass sign towers above you. This food market has something for everyone, and I mean everyone. An assortment of cheese, meat, eggs, oils, nuts, fruits, vegetables, smoothies, tapas bars, seafood, and more. You'll find everything under the sun, from Catalan-inspired dishes to Spanish delicacies to fresh produce and seafood.

In 2019, I went to France to be a private English tutor for a family in southern France. The town I lived in was about a 30-minute drive to the border to Spain and about 2 hours to Barcelona. One weekend, I joined my host family on a 4-day trip to Barcelona. On the day we arrived, that evening we went to La Bouqueria, and my relationship with food was forever changed. I enter the market and immediately my senses are overwhelmed with incredible sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. The chatter of merchants, the hustle of the crowd, the slippery floor with melted ice and fruit peels, the sizzle of a grill, the whirring sound of a blender, the lingering aroma of freshly-caught fish. I had never seen so many different foods all in one place. There were greengrocers, butchers, poultryman, restaurateurs, and fishmongers with their daily catch. It was all here!

It was magnificent! In fact, it was so magnificent that I came to La Bouqueria every day for the next 3 days. And to this day, I can still remember the first ice-cold sip of my freshly squeezed coconut and pineapple smoothie. It was so good, that once it was gone I had another...and another... and another!

After my visit to La Bouqueria, when I returned home I became a supporter of farmer's markets, eating local, and supporting local businesses. No food in that market was processed, it was all fresh, and how delicious it all was. But no matter how many times I try I cannot recreate my favorite coconut and pineapple smoothie.

I wanted to share my foodie experience at La Bouqueria, so here are pictures of one of the most famous food markets in Europe. Please, if you ever visit Barcelona, trust me, you will have the best food of your life!

Warning: Some of these pictures are not for those with a queasy stomach.

Smoothies, smoothies, and more smoothies! Over 20 flavors of smoothies were lined on piles of ice and I'm not going to lie, each time I visited the market I had 3 smoothies each day. Any combination of fruits you could think of, they had. My personal favorites were anything with mango and coconut. Something about the vibrant colors, the piles of ice, the choices, fruity taste could not be ignored. And to top it off chocolate-covered strawberry skewers made this smoothie stand even more delectable.

Welcome to fruit cups galore! Pomegranate seeds... check. Cup of figs... check. Fresh-cut coconut... check. Papaya pieces... check. This sure beats Dole's peach and pineapple cups found on the shelf of the grocery store that's for sure!

Fruit cups galore part II!

Figs and pears and coconuts- oh my! Delicious mixed fruit cups with mini forks make these an irresistible to-go snack, perfect for wandering around food markets.

If fruit cups aren't your thing, what about fruit popsicles, or maybe a macaron ice cream sandwich?

Nuts, dates, raisins, and marzipan fruits.

This stand took the phrase "presentation matters" to a whole new level. Beautifully arranged fruits and nuts on beds on leaves, put the fruit section of my local grocery store to shame. The pile of cherries, figs, mangoes, apples, apricots, dragonfruits, avocados, melons, squash, and hazelnuts is nothing like I've seen before. Even the fruits with spikes and bumps look appealing.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

I didn't realize how many different types of eggs there were until I came to this stand. White, brown, tan, speckled all perfectly stacked on piles of hay are just so much more attractive than the carton I buy at the store. I do always wonder if some poor customer accidentally knocked a bottom egg off the pile once?

My lunch for the day. I still dream of the meat, peppers, onion, and spices that made my chimichanga the best I've ever had.

Jamón Ibérico or Iberian ham, is a cured leg of pork that is a delicacy in Spain and Portugal.

Jamón Ibérico leg quarters. The butchers will shave the ham right off the hind legs.

The result! Iberian ham, crunchy breadsticks, and white cheese. These ham-shaved cones are the most popular food in La Bouqueria, and are incredibly tasty after a day of walking the streets of Barcelona.

Is there anything this market doesn't have?

A fishmonger's dream.

I can almost smell this picture, and not in a good way. The aroma from freshly cut fish, lobsters, crabs, shrimp, and everything else that lives under the sea, all together under one roof, is not one I fantasize about.

In case you couldn’t guess from the picture, pulpo=octopus in Spanish.

Oysters. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I just can't get past the salty and slimy taste as it goes down my throat, so it's a no from me.

I am Mr. Bean, Mr. Bean is me. If I could find a gif that would sum up my reaction to walking around the seafood section at La Bouqueria here it is.

The seafood market in La Bouqueria has taught me how many different species of crabs there are. I'm still trying to figure out how someone would cook a crab that big?

If you prefer to skin and pluck your own dinner, there's a stand for that too. You can buy rabbits, ducks, and pheasants with their fur and feathers still on. And yes, that is a pigeon.