Boqueria Market
30 minutes, 2006
Ref: 499

The Boqueria market in Barcelona is one of the city's most popular tourist sights, outstripping even Gaudí's Sagrada Família (Church of the Holy Family). The busy food market reflects the rich blend found in the city's old quarter and in Catalan society in general. This report interviews stall-holders and customers and looks at the way the market's products reflect the great changes that have taken place in Catalonia over the last decade or so. The program shows how mass immigration is having an impact on the market's products. In addition, we look at the growth of the fresh-food cult among young people, which is driven by social factors and a popular TV cooking program for singles with a hectic lifestyle. The Boqueria has recently been modernized and provides a model for markets in other cities and countries. This year, the Boqueria won a US award for the world's best market. It also leads the European Association of Markets, which was recently founded in Barcelona. Although the Boqueria has changed with the times to meet the challenge posed by hypermarkets, it still retains its uniquely Mediterranean flavor.