How to visit Riga Central Market, the largest farmer's market in Europe?

Many people say that churches, squares and museums are the "three big things" when traveling in Europe, but for me, it should be four big things, plus the market.

Walking in the European market, you will never feel the same way. There are large and small markets, ordinary markets, characteristic markets, open-air markets, indoor markets, casually displayed in squares, and the fish market in Hamburg, which has a history of hundreds of years, makes me happy, and the market in Munster, Germany, shows me the beauty of a livable city. The suburban market Jill met in Hungary was simple and messy, but it made me feel the real life of the local people. The excitement and grandeur of Budapest's central market made me almost dizzy. The awning market in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, is full of the creative beauty of modern architecture, and its value is scary. The old market in Nancy, France, gave me a hearty meal in the morning ... I have been to so many markets, never disappointed, and always keep surprises.

This time, it is the central market in Riga, the capital of Latvia.

In the old town of Riga, the building where the central market is located is four round sheds, actually five round sheds and one independent building. All the photos in this article were taken by Ye Kefei.

There is also a bridge in the city, which draws lessons from the shape of the central market.

One of the largest markets in Europe was a hangar in its early years.

Standing on the tower of St. Peter's Church in Riga, you can see the whole ancient city. On the other side of the river, there is a large dense forest. Latvia, with a forest coverage rate of 44%, is no exception, even in the capital center.

But even more amazing is the old city. I have climbed many church towers, which are the commanding heights of the city, and there are always different scenery. In all fairness, the old town of Riga has a high evaluation, but in my mind, its "roof value" is far less than Prague, Bruges, Krakow and Strasbourg ... But if you stroll through the old town, you will know what a wonderful city it is under this slightly mediocre roof. It has an antique ancient town with lasting charm and an amazing art nouveau building. Looking further away, you can see the central market composed of five big round sheds.

It only takes ten minutes to drive from St. Peter's church to the central market, even if it takes twenty minutes to walk. The reason why I want to emphasize this point is that a few years ago, I read the travel notes of an author in Taiwan Province Province. The author who loves to get sick on the road called the trip to the central market an adventure, because it was "far away from the urban area, with complicated products and dilapidated buildings, which was daunting", but I "courageously embarked on a journey, went deep into the lives of local people and felt a different world", and then I said.

Although the old town of Riga is small, it is definitely not a ten-minute drive away from the city, let alone "far from the city". The building is not shabby either. Because the area is close to the railway, it used to be a warehouse city. These brick buildings are monotonous and a little old-fashioned, but they are common sights in European cities near railways and ports. Moreover, although the central market is a favorite place for local people, just like the central market in Budapest and the Victualian market in Munich, it has already carried the function of sightseeing and is not an adventure at all.

Visit the fish market

Riga Central Market is the largest market in Europe. It is planned to be completed on 1922 and 1930. Initially, it was not a market, but a hangar for parking in led zeppelin.

At that time, led zeppelin was very famous. 1900, German Earl West Berlin made the first rigid airship. It uses a keel with complete structure to keep the shape of the airbag, and uses a piston engine as the power, which has good performance and large loading capacity. Thus, led zeppelin Company came into being. Airships are not only used for civilian use, but also for military use.

During World War I, it became the main force of reconnaissance, search and rescue of the German Air Force. Because the plane just appeared at that time, the load was small, and there was little threat to ground bombing. So before 19 17, Germany had been bombing Britain, Belgium and France with a huge led zeppelin. Faced with this behemoth, the plane at that time was at a loss. It was not until 19 16 several new types of aviation machine gun bullets came out that the British army changed this situation.

After World War I, led zeppelin remained an important choice in the field of civil aviation, but it declined with the gradual maturity of aircraft. 1937, the air crash of the Hindenburg in Germany occurred, and people gradually lost confidence in the airship and abandoned it.

Riga Central Market consists of five sheds, which was the hangar of that year. The total area has reached an astonishing 70,000 square meters, and there are more than 3,000 stalls, including specialized fish markets, vegetable markets and meat markets.

Open-air stalls outside the market

The most striking thing is the fish market, but the most memorable thing is the dried apples.

Park the car and walk into the market. The first greenhouse is the fish market.

China market 100, and the fish market contributed at least 70 points. When you visit the market in Europe, whether outdoors or indoors, the biggest feeling is cleanliness. Unlike the domestic fish market, which is always wet, the European market is not so fresh, so the ground is dry and always clean. Another feeling is refreshing, because they are all clearly marked.

Many people in China have an illusion that the lack of freshness means that the ingredients are not fresh. In fact, this is all wet. European ingredients are also fresh, but the process of killing fish was put forward, not completed in the market. In addition, raw fish and other ingredients that foreigners like to eat must go through the process of bloodletting, acid discharge and freezing.

Riga is not near the sea, but Latvia has a long coastline. The nearest seaside city, Giummarra, is only 20km away from Riga, so people in Riga love seafood. All kinds of fresh fish, even if I grew up by the sea, I can only recognize 35%. Because seafood is abundant and the population is small, more fish are made into smoked fish and pickled fish, large and small, smoked on the whole side, sliced and pickled, and slender fish are rolled into big balls and pickled. Although I know it's too salty to eat, my curiosity is enough to make me unable to move. Among raw fish, salmon and tuna account for a large proportion, which seems to be the first choice for buyers. Pieces of salmon meat as big as pillows are shining under the plastic wrap. What is more gorgeous than it is the salmon eggs in the big basin, which are crystal clear and red as rouge. Although these ingredients are common, once they are presented in large quantities, they are amazing.

Fresh fish stall

The raw fish sold in the market can be eaten immediately, and the hard wheat bread under the raw fish has penetrated the fish oil, which is more delicious.

If I compare the indoor markets I have been to, the central market in Budapest, Hungary is the most similar to that in Riga. However, as a landlocked country, Hungary attracts me more with meat and sausages, and of course, foie gras, which is not inferior to France in quality but only half the price of France. Cooked food can't be brought back to China, so as a can lover, I always settle for the second best, and bring back a lot of cans every time I travel to Europe. Of course, take the canned foie gras in Budapest and the canned fish in Riga as examples. There are many kinds of canned food in the fish market in Riga Central Market, which is the only thing we can take away. It is inevitable to buy a bunch.

If you want to eat and drink on the spot, there is a small shop at the connection between the fish market and the vegetable farm, and all kinds of fresh fish are filled with windows. It's delicious, but I recommend raw fish hard bread Fish oil permeates the bread, which is soft and fragrant. It's really delicious without changing money.

The food market next to it is also a favorite of Xiaoxin. Most of the photos we usually see of European food markets are red, green and green. It was pumpkin season, and a stall owner hung a row of small pumpkins above the booth. At first glance, it's just an ornament that you just look at and don't sell. It's quite interesting. Another stall owner hung a string of garlic, which was lower in value than pumpkin, but also very interesting. Instead of buying food, we were stopped by a stall owner and let us taste a bag of ugly things.

The bag is the simplest plastic bag, and its contents are irregular, but I am extremely interested in it, because it is my favorite dried apple since I was a child. At that time, logistics was not developed, and fruits were also divided into regions, which was far from today. In winter in Qingdao, the only fruit is apples, and ordinary people buy them in baskets. Fresh fruit is scarce, and dried fruit has become the choice of many people. Dried apples are the most common, but I have always liked them.

The value of food stalls is also high.

At present, this bag of dried fruits is not packaged and processed, and the entrance is sour and sweet. In autumn in Latvia and Europe, it seems that apple trees can be seen everywhere. Those fruit trees in our yard are full of small apples, and no one picks them up in the apple forest in the suburbs. These little apples are easier to eat because they are sour and dry.

Compared with the high value of the fish market, this ugly dried apple seems to better represent Latvia in my heart-a small country with few people, but it has already emerged from the shadows and moved towards prosperity. At the same time, economic growth has not made people forget the origin of life, as evidenced by the 44% forest coverage rate and various seemingly ordinary but delicious local products.