Lewis the Lion soaks up the sun outside the famous Santiago fish market
One afternoon in Santiago, Lewis the Lion went with his friend Helen to meet his friends Helen and Mel for lunch. They were going to somewhere quite unique in Santiago; they were going to the Mercado Central near the River Mapocho. (Although Lewis the Lion thought it wasn’t much of a river as it trickled through the city!)
The trickling Mapocho River running through Santiago
As Lewis looked around as he waited to meet his friends, he was impressed by the line of the mountains that could be seen in the distance. It certainly gave Santiago character! However he was about to be even more impressed by the busy Mercado Central.
Lewis the Lion is amazed by the choice of seafood
Never before had Lewis the Lion seen such a hub of activity with stall holders calling out from behind counters which burgeoned with all different types of fish and seafood. Some of this fish, Lewis had never seen before in his life and of course it was no wonder as most of it had come from the Pacific Ocean running along the Chilean coast-line. Chile was in fact famous for its fish and as Lewis looked around this market, he could understand why.
Lewis with a fishmonger in the Mercado Central
The metal structure of the roof of the market reminded Lewis the Lion of several indoor markets from back home,
Lewis under the archway of Mercado Central
although the smell of delicious fish emanating from the many small restaurants was definitely different. Yum! Yum! Lewis the Lion licked his lips. Indeed inside this basic looking restaurant, it was packed full of people which Lewis the Lion always takes as a good sign that the food must be good. So Lewis and the three girls sat down and ordered what they thought looked interesting (as they weren’t quite 100 percent sure what all of the dishes were seeing as the menu was in Spanish and they had not heard of all of the fish before!). Lewis the Lion thought that this was part of the adventure of travelling so waited eagerly to see what the waiter would bring over! (Check out Lewis’ next blog on Chilean food to learn more about fish in Chile).
As they waited for their food, they were delighted that some traditional Chilean musicians had come into the restaurant to entertain the customers while they ate.
Lewis with the traditional Chilean folk singers
Lewis the Lion thought that he was once again a very lucky lion to have chanced upon such a great little venue. Click here to hear some of the music that Lewis listened to in the restaurant.
The food arrived and the friends enjoyed salmon, prawns and a sea-food mix – delicious!
Lewis with a seafood speciality
After lunch, the friends explored the market some more finding more fishmongers,
Lewis beside a fish stall
butchers,
Lewis finds some unusual cuts of meat inthe market
greengrocers
Lewis with a greengrocer in the Mercado Central
and delicatessens.
Lewis the Lion at the cheese and ham counters
It was certainly fun to see different food products but also comforting to see some known foods too.
Across the footbridge from the Mercado Central, Lewis the Lion discovered the biggest fruit market in Chile: La Vega Central. He was happy here to buy some cheap fruits for his dinner: some ripe, tasty avocados and some juicy, sweet tomatoes.
It was now time that he made a dash to get to his next destination before sunset: San Cristóbal Hill.
Lewis in the heart of the Mercado Central, Santiago
Have you ever been to a traditional food market?
What makes them different from supermarkets?
