Centraltirgus....Central Market

To get a sense of the vastness of the Central Market try this link to google maps and you can see the five large pavilions each one dealing with a different product: meat, fish, produce, cheese and clothing. These pavilions in Riga were built in the 1930's and each is 12m high and covers 75,000 square meters following the design for Zeppelin hangers. Inside are the various counter areas not unlike the deli in our supermarkets. Outside the pavilions are permanent rows of stalls and open areas with benches to display products. The flower rows are extensive and the berries and mushrooms are plentiful. We were told that some of the first laborers to emigrate to Ireland from Latvia were the mushroom pickers. The indoor stands are permanent and some of the people behind the outdoor benches have only a few items. Some of the benches were empty, so we wondered if on Monday some people don't come to sell products. One elderly man had only two containers of raspberries, and several locations had a with a wide variety of mushrooms including chanterelles and morels. Some of the flower sellers had permanent stalls and other flower sellers like the two women in the photo look like they brought in flowers from their home gardens. The fish came in all combinations, salted, seasoned, frozen but mostly fresh; mostly salmon but also eels, herring, trout, cod and caviar. In the meat building everything was available from liver to chops to pig's heads. We bought a bouquet of flowers, dill and a cauliflower. I plan to return with my large cloth shopping bag for the produce looks fresh and the prices are good. It seemed many Riga citizens were doing their shopping here at the Centraltirgus.



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