The setting

In Manosque a small city in the Provence / France has two locations for the Saturday market: one is a the Hotel de Ville (city hall)  the other one this post is about, is to be found in a short distance at the Place du Terreau in the heart of the old city. This square in the heart of the city is a parking lot on other days of the week.

The market is a mix of flea and food market. Cheap clothes and items are available. The other half of the market is focused on food, be it produce or ready made meals like paella. The crowd is more touristic in summer times and in the other seasons the multi-ethnicity of the area can easily be observed.

It is quite different to the one at the city hall, less romantic, but with more food choices, except oysters and organic produce.

What to get there

Of course all the products which should be on a (French) market are available: vegetables and fruits of the season, great cheeses (there are 2 stalls at least), dried sausages, artisan bread and others. There are also less common produce like lavender honey, Mediterranean pickle mixes, and a fish monger despite the distance to the sea.

When it comes to the cheeses it is worth looking at whole ones as they will resist pressure and temperature when bringing them back home via plane or so. I took a Tome de Pays which was about a kilogram. Since the prices are moderate it is a great culinary souvenir. There is of course also very great dried sausages which somehow found their way into my suitcase.

Anything special?

The choice of ready made meals from food carts and stalls is very convenient and appealing. Starting from roasted poultry in many variations, paella, shrimp dishes, stuffed calamari in tomato sauce, pizza, Vietnamese specialities, Moroccan couscous or tajine,  and a few other things are available. The offering changes over the seasons. In autumn and winter there will be more hearty meals available like sauerkraut and sausages.
This market will not leave you hungry. As an alternative buy some bread and cheese from the market and enjoy this satisfying pleasure.

What do the vendors say?

Well they talk quite a lot when you have time and are interested in their life and work. I immediately was presented to visitors and other vendors as an English journalist. Something I would appreciate being, but reality is different, also when it comes to my accent. But all kinds of fun was very welcomed and political correctness not taken too seriously. And they seem to appreciate tourists as well, expressing that in a friendly service and a gentle willingness to allow pictures being taken.

One vendor had a selling tactic, which was different to the other ones. The tomatoes or other vegetables, probably a kilogram or two, were already filled in open plastic bags (see picture in the gallery). Each bag was then placed in a bowl for the clientele to immediately see the volume of the merchandise. The lady owning the stall presented this as a solution allowing her to offer cheaper prices due to the quantities and it helped her to serve the clientele in  a very fast way as well. I saw this method a day before at a market in Marseille, but did not get the same explanation. In many African markets this is a standard method.

All in all: It is a nice market with good products – not a surprise in France though – worth to be visited when being nearby & hungry.

A little link list:

• What to do in Manosque
• Other markets in the area by weekday (pdf)

The post Saturday market in Manosque / France appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.

A perfect, romantic setting for a market: a town square surrounded by Provencal buildings, cafes, restaurants and a church. Large enough sycamore trees to give decent shade while having a drink and watching the market scenery. Very relaxing and taking away all worries.

Manosque is a town in the middle of the Provence not so far away from well known Aix-en-Provence. Tourists do not come in large quantities which allows for a true local flavour. And the market offers it as well.

All the produce of the region are available: wonderful dried sausages, goat cheeses, colourful vegetables & fruit, artisan bread, and much more. The black radishes were rather new to me. Pumpkin were in season as well as some other vegetables like celery roots which announced the upcoming colder season.

And again I could not resist the oysters. And it was easy to eat them on site: the vendor opened them right away even before taking the money – relaxing market. And they tasted great, even better than those of the fish market in Marseille.

And we should not forget the organic stall handled by a very friendly lady, who also offered purslane, and explained how to use in salads or stir fry it etc.

Well as the market day is Saturday, we chose to have a coffee in the shade, overlooking the market and talking about life and other things. There was no envy anymore to look at our smartphones. Great time!

All in all: A very nice example of a Provencal market, not too big, not too small in perfect surroundings.

A little link list:

• What to do in Manosque

The post Town square market in Manosque, Provence / France appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.