TOUR OF THE MARKETS - MERCADO CENTRAL AND LOPA DE VEGA, CHILEAN FOOD

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As part of the off-beat tour we visited Mercado Central which was built in 1872, the roof was built in Scotland and it is the famous fish and seafood market of Santiago. The fresh fish comes from the coast, Valparaiso. The most famous types were ‘Congrio’ Eel, salmon (Chile is the main producer of Salmon in the world, Ceviche (raw fish.) often the fish is mixed with dairy products which come from the South. Young and mild cheese is also very popular in Santiago.

We then visited Lopa de Vega market, which sold clothes in Tirso de Molina on the top floor, pastel de choclo (the national dish) humitas which are like corn on the cob, Chilean salad and a massive variety of fresh fruit and vegetables at a very good price. The typical Chilean/Andean diet is meat, bread and potatoes but there is also a range of tropical food which has been imported to Chile. As Chile doesn’t have a tropical climate it cannot produce tropical food. La Vega is a big but poor community who are not used to tourists as it is mostly frequented by people from the neighbourhood, and as I've mentioned it is on the poorer but more bohemian side of the river, along with the cemeteries

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