I love my markets, I think we can all agree on that! 😊 Walking around old town I found the Green Market in Split. There is saw covered stalls with seasonal fruits & vegetables, honey and nuts. Off to one side was a section of second-hand items and flowers. Surrounding the food stalls, were small shops such as butchers and bakers.
Location
Just east of Diocletian’s Palace, is where this market is located. If you have found yourself on the waterfront esplanade, and are facing the sea, walk to your left. Where the ancient palace wall ends, you will see a series of white tents, those form part of the market. It is open every day of the week from 6am to 2pm.
Food
What grabbed my attention right away were the colourful fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Long concrete tables are permanently set up in the centre of a square. It almost looks like anyone who wants to sell their goods, can come down, pick a table, and set up shop. Most vendors are simply there to sell their products and unlike Italy for example, produce is not arranged to perfection. It is simply placed on the table and sold.
Some vendors only had a few things, seemingly picked from their gardens, and occupied maybe a few feet at the end of a table. Other vendors covered the entire length of their tables with their products.
I could find pretty much any food item here. It was marvellous! There were snails in mesh bags and so much dried fruit, especially figs. Some vendors sold home made olive oil, sold in re-purposed soda bottles. Others had all sorts of vinegar’s, breads, and interesting goodies!
I sampled and purchased a piece of some scrumptious fresh cheese. From another vendor I bought delicious raw walnuts. They are more bitter than what I am used to back home, but the buttery insides made them taste sooooo good.
Fruits & Veg
There were many vendors selling wild asparagus that I was very curious to try. I purchased a bundle for 4 Euros. Each stem is very thin, like a little green twig and they are long, perhaps 12-14”. It was so pretty seeing them displayed with all of the artichokes and other local produce.
I also bought fresh peas, that I love to enjoy raw right out of the pods. And baby carrots that were so sweet and crispy. The strawberries also had to be purchased after being offered one to taste. Wow, so much sweeter than back home even though quite light in colour.
Flowers
Oh the flowers! So interesting to see how different cultures create floral bouquets. And the variety was enormous! I was in heaven looking at all of the blossoms and inhaling the delicate fragrances.
These stalls were all on one edge and covered with bright red and blue umbrellas.
The Stores
Surrounding all of this bustling activity, were small shops that were mostly butchers and bakers. It is super interesting to see how meat is handled and sold in other countries compared to Canada. The window of one shop had hanging, beef carcasses, sheep with the head still attached and whole pigs! Amazing!
One particular bakery had a long line which I did not wait in this day, but will be back to explore for sure.
Other Goods
Besides the second-hand clothing and goods, there are souvenir tents open as well. This really is a one stop shopping experience no matter what you are looking for.
Anyone who loves to see a local market with really enjoy the Split Green Market. It is completely accessible both with location and the frequency with which it operates. I had a grand time exploring this area and will visit regularly.
