La Boqueria
La Boqueria is to foodies what Sagrada Familia is to Catholics. It’s a few hundred vendors under one roof, selling every kind of edible fruit, vegetable, legume, fungi, and dead animal imaginable. Rachel and I are convinced this could never exist in the States due to innumerable violations of asinine health code preventing things like fully furred rabbits hanging from hindquarters next to a juice stand.
The first mention of the Boqueria market in Barcelona dates from 1217, when tables were installed near the old city gate to sell meat. From December 1470 onwards, a pig market was held at this site… Later, the authorities decided to construct a separate market on La Rambla, housing mainly fishmongers and butchers. It was not until 1826 that the market was legally recognized, and a convention held in 1835 decided to build an official structure. Construction began on March 19, 1840… The inauguration of the structure finally took place in 1853. A new fish market opened in 1911, and the metal roof that still exists today was constructed in 1914.