If you are slightest bit interested in good food, a highlight of any city break in Barcelona will be a tour of La Boqueria, the world-famous market just off the Ramblas. The array of colours, the incredible range of quality produce and the sheer enthusiasm of vendors and customers alike will amaze. The whole experience will have you wondering why a market like La Boqueria cannot be replicated in every major city in Europe.



There are serious rivals as the best market in the world. The Cours Saleya in Nice is one of the best, and its location right next to the Mediterranean tops even La Boqueria. Many French market towns can put on a great market once or twice a week while Borough market in London is getting better and better, despite its grim location. But for sheer vitality, six days a week, Barcelona’s La Boqueria takes some beating.

The range of meat, fish, fruit and vegetables – the market is devoted only to food – is staggering with, depending on who you ask, between 20,000 and 40,000 different products under its roof. The market is so large that it can support stalls that sell nothing but items like bananas or eggs. There's even a stand for edible insects!

You can eat and drink in La Boqueria too. 'El Quim de la Boqueria' is a family business where mother, father and son serve up Catalan dishes around the bar. Open only at lunchtime, space is limited so even the regulars have to wait for a place to sit. Boquerones, chipirones, arroz negro – they are the best tapas you can find ranging from 3 to 9 Euros.

Another favourite in the market is 'Pinotxo', run by the sprghtly Joan Bayén, in his seventies. His nephews run the open-kitchen - Chef Jordi Asim and his brother grew up in the market, and the market’s merchants who eat there are treated like family. "First and most importantly, we're here for the people who work in the market., says Joan." Pinotxo opens at 6am. so the market workers can get refreshment before opening their stalls and all day La Boqueria’s butchers and fishmongers get star treatment.

Boqueria market has a long history dating back at least to 1217 when tables were installed near the old gate of the city to sell meat. From 1470, there was a market selling pigs at this site. Later, it became known as Mercat de la Palla, or Straw Market.

As the city grew, it was decided to create a separate market on La Rambla, housing mainly fishmongers and butchers. Construction began in 1840 under the direction of architect Mas Vilà. Although the market officially opened the same year, official inauguration of the structure was only in 1853. In 1911, the new fish market was opened and, in 1914, the metal roof that still exists today was constructed.

The present stallholders are mostly the third and fourth generation in the market. They supply fresh fish and seafood; salt fish, the beloved bacalao  in Spanish, or bacallà in Catalan; tinned food; butchery and offal; poultry, game and eggs; fruit and vegetables; herbs; cheese and dairy plus delicatessen products; breads and pastries; artisanal products; charcuterie, including wonderful hams, cured meats and sausages; farmers' shops; wine; and even a Greek and an Italian hand-made pasta stall.

Despite the growth of fast food restaurants in the city, with large stores like Carrefour only a metro ride away and many grocery stores throughout the city centre, the market doesn’t simply survive, it thrives. While technically known as the Mercat de Sant Josep, everybody calls it La Boqueria. It remains the heart and soul of Barcelona and of Catalan cuisine.

Local expert Pep Palau, head of the Forum Gastronomic, describes La Boqueria as "the meeting place for food professionals." He speaks of the market's important role for both chefs and home cooks. "It's authentic, it's beautiful, it's easy to get to, and it's prestigious. It's become a cult place in Spain's new gastronomy."

In 2003, the Boqueria introduced cooking classrooms within the market. "The cooking courses are a way for people to get to know the products," says Oscar Uribe, manager of La Boqueria. He says his job is to do anything he can for the market - talking to the press, organising cooking classes, even helping the vendors refurbish their stalls.

He admits the cookery courses don’t make money but says: “The students are mostly local, they come to the courses often, talk about it with their friends, and they do their shopping downstairs when class is finished.”

The world’s top three-star chef Ferran Adria keeps a laboratory in the city a stone's throw from the market's entrance. The celebrated fame of Spanish cooking - Michelin starred restaurants now abound and the country has many of the world's top restaurants, are playing their part in attracting food enthusiasts to Barcelona.

For many, La Boqueria will even be ahead of the city’s fine museums on their ‘must see’ list. Shopping there will be an experience long remembered. And when those visitors return home, perhaps to country's over-dominated by bland supermarkets, they will recall, somewhat enviously, those residents of Barcelona who can shop at La Boqueria six days a week.