Enjoying an Espresso and a ‘Rakija’ shot at Pula’s Central Market (Croatia)

The first thing I saw when I arrived in Pula was the beautiful ancient Roman Arena when I circled the city looking for a parking space. The arean reminded me of the Colosseum in Rome. This was perhaps what you can call a mini Colosseum. And the second thing I saw was the Pula Central Market located in the heart of this Istrian city.

Pula Central Market

I was lucky enough to visit when the outdoor market was open. I am always curious about what people eat in other countries and the best way to find this is by visiting the local marketplace.

Pula’s central market is very easy to find as it is the most dominating structure standing on the main square. The market hall is a two-storey cast iron framed building that was opened to the public in 1903. It has a vintage baroque feel to it which I really liked. The tint of history is very obvious which gives charm and character to the building.

Fish and meat are sold on the ground floor of the market hall. Upstairs are reserved for traditional gourmet and dairy shops, bakeries and a number of bar cafes and eateries.

Fresh produce such as vegetables and fruits, as well as local gourmet products were vended outside in the alfresco covered roof stalls. Honey, lavender and olive oil were popular items reminding me of France and Italy.

Some pictures below of the outdoor market and the ground floor of the market hall:

These are flower-based honey.

The covered market part is reserved for local gourmet products and souvenirs.

Beside the covered market stalls are the fresh produce vendors.

They have very thin green asparagus here and the salad leaves are cut off from the bunch which I noticed is consistent all throughout Croatia. In the Dolac Market in Zagreb as well as the little farmer's market in Rovinj, they sell these green leafy vegetables in stalks, cut out from its bunch.

Lavender and olive oil are popular local products in Istria region. The Istrian countryside is similar to Italy with fields and valleys cultivated to grow olives and lavender. Also truffles.

The ground floor of the central market hall is reserved for fish and meat. Here, you can buy the fresh catch of the day.

 

Ugor fish are eels. In the Netherlands smoked eels are very popular, we call them paling here.

These crabs were alive and were trying to climb on top of each other. This example is how we came up with the term, 'crab mentality' (the one-upmanship or in worse situations, putting the other person down).

Local cream cheese and dried meat and sausages.

A shot of Rakija

After a little bit of strolling around the market, I went upstairs to where the bar cafes are and quickly found a table I like.

One of the bartenders was quite friendly and engaged in a tête-à-tête with me. When he found out that I am eyeing a rakija shot with my espresso, he right away brought out all the rakija bottles on the bar counter for me. Oh dear me, haha. Now this only adds to the difficult phase of choosing which rakija fruit flavour to taste, so I ended up taking the original instead. Just playing safe here!

Rakija (Rakia) is a local Croatian fruit brandy. This is a very popular strong alcoholic drink in Eastern Europe, especially in the Balkan region (also Hungary) where each country has their own approved by the masses version.

When in Pula, check out the outdoor market and the pretty market hall, but of course, do not forget the bar café scene upstairs as well =)

Here are some photos of the bar scene in the market:

The upper floor of the central market hall.

A rakija (rakia) shot for me. I chose the original flavour.

Perhaps a good combination, a shot of rakija and an espresso. A friendly dove came by at the table and stayed for a while letting me capture the pretty thing with my camera. 

Bakery and cheese shops in the upper floor.

I did not expect to find bar cafes at the upper floor of the market hall so this was a nice surprise for me.

Travel Period: March 2014
Destination: Pula (Istria), Croatia

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