Unless you live on Prana, that universal sea of energy that is said to infuse and vitalise all matter, then you eat food and drink fluids; I'd say living on Prana alone may end up with you good and dead pretty quickly. So, I guess that, like Faith and I, most of you eat and drink like normal people right?
It doesn't matter if one is vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan, flexitarian, a raw-food eater, macrobiotic, carnivore or even cannibal (don't be this last one) I'd take a guess that most people would prefer to eat fresh produce, sourced responsibly, non-genetically modified and of a good quality. I can't speak for y'all, but certainly for Faith and myself, that's how we would prefer to eat and so we shop extensively at produce markets rather than supermarkets.
It is one such market I wish to showcase today and below you'll see some photos from our visit last night.
Adelaide Central Market
As the name suggests this produce market is centrally located in the central business district of Adelaide, just behind the courts district. For over one hundred and fifty years The Markets, as the locals call it, has been providing a huge range of fresh food including fruits and vegetables, seafood, meat, smallgoods and poultry plus a vast array of cheeses, coffee and cakes just to name a few things. It's dotted with cafe's and eateries and boasting foods from all over the world and hosts some nine million people every year.
If you're looking for a culturally diverse range of food, amazing quality and an enjoyable atmosphere to shop in this is it!
The Central Markets are situated between Grote and Gouger Streets in a vibrant part of the city, is an easy walk from most of the inner city's hotels and is easily accessible by public transport. We drove and grabbed a park in one of the many parking buildings around the area and for the three hours we were there it cost only ten dollars.
On arrival we decided to have dinner at Sushi Train because who doesn't like trains and Sushi? If you don't know what this is I'll explain...It's a restaurant where the sushi is put on little covered plates and moves around the place on a conveyor-belt thing which comes right by the tables and booths. One just takes a plate and eats then the workers tally the plates and you pay. A simple concept that works well.
From there we hit the market itself wandering about soaking in the sights, smells and sounds of this nifty little spot.
The market is very culturally diverse with many nationalities represented; I would say back in 1856 when it first began this would not have been the case, but considering the diverse cultural population Australia has we're fortunate to have a lot of choice in this country.
We could have eaten dinner inside the markets and would have had a lot to choose from as you can see just from the few I show above. Some of Adelaide's most popular eateries are within the markets including Lucia's, Adelaide's first pizza and spaghetti bar established in 1957! Trust me...Do it. I mean it. Get ye there good folk of hive!
There's other places to eat though and even some of the produce stalls will prepare their produce for you to walk around and eat, such as the seafood operators, but you're welcome to buy pretty much anything and munch on it as you wander about.
Speaking of seafood the choices are amazing and pretty much all local. Thanks to the Chinese not wanting to import our crayfish it's fairly well priced. You can see in that image above, $89.99/ kilogram for cooked crayfish. Not too bad. There's all manner of seafood and meat though, much of it locally sourced and organic which is awesome.
Above you can see one of the smallgoods shops and a try it if you dare mettwurst they make; The infamous bum burner; I've tried it and it is...HOT! Very tasty though so worth the aftermath.
The cool thing about the Central Market is that the stall holders are so passionate; Not just business owners and foodies, but cooks also. They're happy to talk about preparation of their products, what will go well with the cut of meat or the wine you're buying. It's all very happy and comforting to shop here, like one big culturally-diverse family.
It pays to be organised though, when you're shopping and browsing I mean, as it gets quite busy, not that you'd tell from my photos. Nine million people come through here per year meaning some 24,600 people per day on average.
As I said above, pretty much everything is represented with a focus on local produce and Australian produce. Above you can see Kangaroo Island produce featured, the image with Faith in it. That doesn't mean some of the products aren't imported as some are, but a strong focus is put on local which helps our economy.
I'm sorry my photos are all in collage format here but there were just too many to string them out one by one. I think you get the idea though; It's a diverse place to shop.
As one wanders the streets of the market, which is fully under cover so is open year round, there seems to be a new surprise around every turn and most of the vendors are more than happy to let you try their produce before you buy. In fact one could probably get quite full and not buy a thing; But trust me, you'll buy stuff, so bring your wallet or purse and plenty of money.
Here above you can see the flower stall, one of the several book stalls selling second hand books, one of the streets and some vendors. In the top right that vendor specialises in artisan products and has a focus on the best of British which is all locally made; It's like travelling without leaving home at the Central Market.
Here's a cool little donut place...I may have spent a little too long here. They make sugared donuts all using Bundaberg sugar from Queensland but with some very cool things. I'll list some for you:
- Fresh raspberries, cacao, coconut milk, Himalayan salt
- Fresh oranges, cinnamon
- Granny Smith, Red Delicious & Pink Lady apples, nutmeg
- Ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, coconut milk
- Fresh strawberries, vanilla bean
I think I've made my point. Again I say, get yourself here because you have to try these! You can see the prices in the image starting at $3.50 for one, $18 for six and so on.
It doesn't matter what you want as far as fresh produce goes, you'll find it here. Sure, there's things that are not represented of course, it would be a big marketplace that had literally everything, but in the main if you cannot find what you're looking for, or a substitute, then you're being too fussy.
Everything here is top quality with no big supermarket chain rubbish in sight! It's fresh, diverse and reasonably priced. Add to that the event-like feel shopping here has and you're on a winner. If you eat in a restaurant in Adelaide it is highly likely the produce came from The Markets, but don't just do that, visit yourself!
Faith and I had date night there last night. I had to make amends for some foolish nutbagery I'd perpetrated the day before which you can read about here if you're keen. We had a nice time at dinner, wandering the markets talking with vendors and trying things out; Yeah, we ate some stuff and drank some coffee too. No visit to The Markets is complete for me without a vanilla custard filled almond croissant.
I can't recommend this place enough if you happen to be in Adelaide; It's simply an enjoyable and a culturally diverse destination to visit for a day of just a few hours. A person doesn't have to live on Prana alone when in Adelaide, and nor could they...That's where this place comes into play!
Oh before I go...If you decide to go there give me a holler, I'll tag along and eat with you!
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised.
Be well
Discord: galenkp#9209
From the smile on her face, I think Faith might be placated! Looks like a lovely thing to do. Makes me want to go up to the Melbourne markets - haven't been in ages due to lockdown. I love the multiculturalism of our capital cities, and the hustle and bustle of these markets reminds me of Europe. I love going to the Footscray markets in Melbourne as they are so multicultural.
Love the collages by the way, they are a great way to display photos in a post!
Yeah, the old G-dog managed to placate Faithy and is back in the good-books for sure! A good thing too, just in time for a date! I'd say I just wanted a vanilla custard-filled almond croissant and had to tame the wild beast to make it happen...But she may read this and so I best not. (She won't actually read this, but one has to play it safe).
The Central Markets are very cool and last night weren't too busy so even more enjoyable than normal. I know there's some good markets around Melbourne and even here there's some really nice smaller farmers markets that we hit every now and then. Just better produce than the supermarkets by far.
The collages...Yeah, it's a bit easier when there's many photos but it cuts them off as well so I don't do it too much. I used it on my *Northern Rivers post last week to good effect, or so I think.
Thanks for commenting, it's much appreciated as always.
\o\ guess this place is not for me then, I'm craving for a piece of human leg (kidding).
I love trains, but @riverflows knows well my experience with sushi
That Paella killed me, I had to stop looking.
Haha, yeah I had to throw in a little disclaimer in case people actually thought...Hmm, cannibal, sounds like a good idea...I'm sick of being vegan anyway! 😄
Thanks for stopping by my post and I hope someday you may get to the Central Market, or one like it. If you make it here then make sure you look me up, I'll be happy to come and eat some
peoplefood with you. 😆!ENGAGE 25
I was just commenting with dad when I read your post. We have central markets here, but they not as organized as this one; nor do they serve people \o\
Hi there @mrprofessor thanks for looking at my post and taking the time to comment; I'm very grateful.
I've been to markets all over the world and always find them interesting, and the differences between them are huge...Of course, some are similar, but markets in Europe or the UK are so different to those in Asia for instance. I've been to Many countries but one of the coolest things was the markets I saw in Vietnam set up on railway tracks! When a train comes along everyone scrambles to move the stalls, food produce and goods then press themselves against the walls of their houses to let the train pass...When it's gone they set up again and resume business. It's cool, and just an example of how humans adapt.
I love markets and whether it's the Central Market in Adelaide, a small weekend or farmers market in a small rural town somewhere in Australia to swanky markets in Antibes, France or London, England I always find some value.
Thanks for your comment.
It's a pleasure to comment, especially when the post is interesting and so well-written. Now... a market on a railroad is something that miiiiight result is in a leg or something chopped off--scary stuff. I believe there's a similar market in Bolivia or Peru.
Markets here in southern Brazil are very Portuguese-like. If I go by there I'll take some pictures and make a post.
Yeah I know right? Who knew produce markets could be so dangerous! 🤣 It's something to see for sure though.
I'd be keen to see a post about your Brazilian markets...If you don't dont forget to tag me.
ENGAGEtokens.Love the Central Markets; it's been too long. I was just thinking how much I enjoyed the photo collages when you mentioned it. They look great.
Me at that donut place.
Matty and G-dog at that donut place...I reckon we'd clean them out!
Dude, it was a really nice time last night...The markets looked stunning and there was not too many people there either. The food man, the food! So fresh and great quality. You should take the fam sometime.
This really seems like a wonderful place to visit. I know that I would not have the time to taste everything. But even just wandering around surrounded by all those smells would be quite nice.
,,Nine million people come through here per year meaning some 24,600 people per day on average.''
However this I don't like at all. Way too many people for my...taste.😜
It's really an excellent place to spend some time, taste a few things and get some goodies to take home. There's a lot of people there usually, but last night it was really quite empty so no lines, no jostling and no stress. One has to pick the time is all. Saturday morning are mental there so best avoided.
Do y have anything like this up your way? I'd imagine there would be fresh produce markets in your city. We visited many in our travels in Europe over the years with so many amazing ones I wouldn't know where to start to list them.
,,Do y have anything like this up your way?''
A huge place that is not a supermarket and sells fresh products as well as makes food? I don't think so. We have a few tiny markets that sells things like: meat, dairy, or fish... But I think those places only sells products and don't make any food themselves. Besides even though I live quite close to the city of Kaunas I come rarely. Most of the time to watch a basketball game. At least back in times when watching basketball games live was allowed.
Ah ok, I had thought that they were everywhere, on some scale at least. I think they are becoming more and more popular although back in the day they would have been quite common; That's how people would get stuff before supermarkets started.
What else one would need !! Here we struggle to go to various places to get things.
You're right, everything is here and a person should be able to find contentment. Of course society wants more, more, more and so more is provided...And more goes to waste.
You should go to prison for this.
This is not a market. This is torture
What a beauty. SUch an amazing variety and the aesthetics of it
I am impresed about the doughnuts. I can't believe there can be a healthy version of them! I see they are expensive too. I remember eating under-$1-doughnuts 13 years ago in the States. I guess those are also more expensive now, but I am also guessing the clientele of these markets havea certain income.
This is the way all markets of the world should look like. The hell with the romantic notions of exoticism and local flavor. People here insist on making an ode to anti-imperialist notions of beauty out of our mess. There's nothing appealing about it, I can tell you that much.
It is a really nice place, just a simple covered structure behind building facade's build in the mid 1800's, but a place of diversity of food and culture as I said. I love it there.
It's not overly expensive there to be honest. In fact take those donuts. $3.50 for one is what I'd pay, or less in fact, anywhere else, at a local bakery for instance where a donut could be $3.50-$4.50 for one. Yes, there are expensive items there but in the main it is all well priced and far better produce than the supermarkets. The customers here are from all walks of life; Yes, rich ones, but also so many normal every day people like me. Many go there after work to grab a few items on the way home, or make a trip on Friday night and Saturday morning to grab their weekly produce and restaurants and cafes from the best to the smallest shop their to. It's a place for the people, all people.
Having said that, yes there will be a particular group, the lower socio-economic demographic, who do not shop here although you'll find them at McDonalds and at take-away shops. It's funny you know, those with lower incomes here tend to consume the worst food, cook and prepare for themselves the least and use fast-food chains the most. It's odd considering the cost of those take-away food places.
Thanks for commenting Hennry, as always, I appreciate it.
Thanks for the explanation
We had a similar situation here years ago when there were more option for shopping. Fast-food restaurants have been a fascination for Latin Americans in general, here it was not the exception. However, it was hard for them to keep the interantional prices at the current exchange rate. Eventually it became unviable for them to keep operating here.
There used to be a McDonalds here
Vacant and boarded up like many other buildings I guess; This is an increasingly common sight here too Henrry. As a person who works in the property industry, commercial and residential sectors, I see so many stressed tenants and property owners each week and the list seems to grow. It's such a shame but a sign of the times I guess.
What a shop to visit; my city keeps mentioning the creation of more markets like this, but nothing seems to stick and plans fail/fall apart at the last minute. We have a giant shell of a shopping mall that has sat 80% unoccupied for the past two years, and no progress seems to be made to convert the space into a multimarket. That seafood looks amazing, by the way...man, I need to get to a coast this year. I miss my fresh seafood so much...
Unoccupied shopping malls...Yep, I'm familiar. I'm an executive in a company that operates in the commercial property sector...It happens here too for sure. It's sad really but for me I'd rather be in a market like this anyway.
The seafood operators here in the market have been around for a long time and do it pretty well. We're also lucky to live in a place where seafood is abundant and of a very high quality which helps. My wife is pescatarian meaning she doesn't eat meat but eats seafood so we eat a lot of it which I'm ok with. I hope you get to find yourself some seafood soon...Seafood...And eat it. (OK, OK a bad dad joke.) 😂
Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍
Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!
Want to have your post on the map too?
Merci j'apprécie.
Looks like a great place to get awesome produce etc, I will give the Bum Burner a miss though😱
Yeah man it's a great spot. If you make it across here you should check it out. That bum burner though, you got to try it...So good. Just don't have too much.
Still think I will pass on the bum burner 😵
I don't blame you at all; It's quite sensible really. 🥴
Yum! You have been curated @bahagia-arbi on behalf of FoodiesUnite.net on #Hive. Thanks for using the #foodie tag. We are a tribe for the Foodie community with a unique approach to content and community and we are here on #Hive.
Join the foodie fun! We've given you a FOODIE boost. Come check it out at @foodiesunite for the latest community updates. Spread your gastronomic delights on and claim your tokens.
Join and Post through the Community and you can earn a FOODIE reward.
Oh my this looks so good, I could have walked around for hours in that market. The bum burner.... Sounds like a lot of aftermath hahah. I like that there is so much variety in this place
!ENGAGE 20
When you get down here look me up, I'll be your personal guide...Or should I say, personal eating and coffee-drinking machine? Variety is the spice of life, but if not then every other spice is available in the Central Markets!
Bum burner...It's hot babe, seriously hot. Bloody good though.
I would be delighted to have such a guide like you. One week would not be enough
You'd need a week to drag me away from the donut stand, and then we'd get going on the rest of it! I'll take you to the Art Gallery of South Australia too, then we'd saddle up the big dog (my 4x4) and head out to the Flinders Rangers for some camping and star watching. You'll not want to go home, I'm telling you!
Star watching? Staaaaar watching? Aaaa.... I will never leave🌟🌟🌟🤩🤩
If you stay long enough our stupid government will pay you unemployment benefits and then you'll never have to leave!
Uuuu how much a month? 😂😂
ENGAGEtokens.Next time, can you please add a warning " Do not read before mealtime" !!!
Need to go find a packet of biscuits now, dinner won't be ready for ages
Haha, like a disclaimer! Yes, this is a good idea and I see many posts where I think the same. A quick read and then I'm wandering around the house aimlessly wondering why I don't have any of that thing in the house!
Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Top 3 in Daily Travel Digest #1088.
Your post has been manually curated by the @pinmapple team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!
Become part of our travel community:
Adelaide central markets are my all time favourite markets... my extended family live in Adelaide, so I go to the markets every time I'm in town. I've prepared massive feasts for my family (feeding 120 hungry Russians is no small feat) entirely from the fresh produce I was able to buy at those markets.
They also have a pretty awesome old camera store... I could spend some serious dollars in there. Aiming to get back to Adelaide in March if the state borders are open, which is 50/50 at best at the moment.
Ah yes, one versed in the way if the Central Markets...A devotee, for lack of a better word. 🙂
It's a cool place and as one who has been there I hope you see my photos as doing it justice.
I hope the borders are open too. We're planning a bit of a camping trip to Port Lincoln on SA's west coast in April...Still in SA of course so we should be fine. We want to got to Cairns, QLD in July though so we have our fingers crossed things are open. Youre in WA right? Hopefully it's open. My wife's uncle and aunt just flew into Perth last week with no hassles. Let's hope it stays that way.
Without getting political, our premier is up for re-election in 2 months and him closing the borders plays directly into the parochial mindset of a large portion of Western Australians. It is all about the votes unfortunately.
I'm hoping things open up again soon and stay open. I need to visit with my family in SA, Vic and NSW. I also have some work in Tasmania.
I hear ya mate...This whole thing is politically motivated along with control-focused. And they say we're free. Yeah right.
You've got some travelling to do Paul and I hope you make it happen, you, (we all), deserve it I'd say.