After breakfast, we decided to go back to Mercado Ignacio Ramirez.
Ignacio Ramirez was a famous poet from Mexico and this market is named after him. When you walk past the cathedral and the gardens and navigate through some busy areas, you come to this market. There were some celebrations happening at the cathedral so I decided to not go inside. There were some vendors selling small craft items, young kids were also helping their parents, but I decided to keep focus on the market :), I get distracted very easily.
This place is full of all kinds of things, fresh fruits and vegetables, groceries like beans and rice, flowers, shoes, clothes and so much more.
We landed so early in the morning and were super hungry, when we saw Tortas being served with eggs, salsa and some tempting looking chilies, we decided to enjoy that with a glass of fresh juice. The Torta was not to die for but it was perfect for us, because we were starved. We also ordered some fresh juice and that was ok as well. We saw people around us eating seafood cocktails as well.
When we came back the second time, we decided to explore the market more. You can see that there are different sections of this market. As you enter the market you see many stalls that sell fresh fruits and vegetables, and also some other things like dry chilies etc. You can get pre-made packets of spices and nuts needed to make the mole. I loved seeing the different types of dried chilies that were in the market. You can also buy rice and beans, a staple in Mexican cuisine.
Check out a video of the market walk below.
As you go deeper you also see stores that sell other household items along with things like shoes, bags etc.
I thought the market ended there but it was like a never ending treasure. I went further in to find many cool things. There was a whole market where you could buy vegetables, fruits, juices, cheese etc. They were also selling prepared food like Tacos, Tlayudas. They had such interesting toppings or fillings, it was super cool. Zucchini blossoms, Nopales and even purslane.
We were hungry and decided to give the Mexican breakfast food ‘Atoles’ a try. I had been reading signs for Tamales y Atoles, I knew about Tamales but had no clue what Atoles were. Atole is a drink made with masa, cooked with water to make a porridge enjoyed at breakfast. I tasted 4-5 different varieties like guava, cacao, coconut but my favorite was the one that was flavored like Arroz con Leche, touch of cinnamon and dulce de Leche.
I enjoyed a roasted ear of corn with some chili and lime, its not one of the hybrid super sweet corn, it was earthy, you had to chew a little but well worth that effort.
I continued going through the market and talking to people to learn and understand more about the food, culture, customs, its always so fascinating.
My walk was filled with interesting spices, some herbal medicines and so much more. I had a chance to taste the fresh cheese they were selling, and it was so delicious.
This lady was so helpful and explained not just what she was selling but how it was to be used. I was curious about some green balls that looked like spinach, she explained that it was purslane and often used in soups with potato.
I even tasted fruit of nopal, it’s called tuna (like the fish), an interesting tasting fruit. I would love to cook with it when I get back to California. This is the best part about traveling, meeting new people and learning something new about culture and food expands your horizons.
It seemed like that the Ignacio Ramirez market was never ending. As we made our way through the area where they were selling these vegetables, we could see some stores selling jewelry but also some clay pots and other crafts items. As we made our way towards those shops we saw a banner that said ‘Welcome to the Artisan Market’, there was a huge unending lane full of all kinds of artisanal things in Mercado Artesanias, we will take that tour in a different post
But for now if you want to go back to my original post on San Miguel de Allende, click here 🙂 .
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