Another of Eiffel’s iron structures that today has become a food market, El Mercado de La Paz is situated in the exclusive Salamanca neighbourhood of Madrid where chic and elegance are paramount and you can buy tapas to die for. Stalls display gorgeously ripe fruits and vegetables in abundance as well as oils, breads, pastries and fish. At the heart of the market is ‘La Boulette’ which sells over a hundred varieties of European cheeses (even English ones) as well as more typical Spanish varieties such as the pungent Asturian Cabrales. This treasure trove of dairy products also sells mountain hams, gourmet pâtés, preserves and smoked fish. It’s the ideal place to construct a high spec picnic or to grab some tapas underneath the glass roof. Munch on a pepino relleno (pickle stuffed with pimiento and anchovy) or some fried asparagus, dare to nibble on a slab of bacalao or another preserved fish or just graze on the baby anchovies and elver eels in oil, chorizo, jamon serrano and Iberico and empanadas (pies). Other cooked specialities that the market has to offer are criadillas (bull’s testicles), tripe stew and salt cod, all of which you can get at the small cafe inside the market where the bar will be full from around ten in the morning.

Written by  Alessia Horwich.

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