Every time I go to the Municipal Market, whether or not it’s a “market day” (Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays), I always return home with a bag full of goodies. The mercado is one of my favorite places, and whenever I have visitors from out of town, I make sure to take them on an exhilarating tour through it, because it’s a place where you can learn more about how things are done in La Antigua.
Almost everywhere you look there are lots of marchantas (women who sell produce at the market) organizing their fruits and vegetables, sprinkling them with water to keep them fresh, and ensuring that their products look good enough for export, because that’s the level of quality that their suppliers have promised.
You may have noticed that in mid-March one of the most fantastic fruit-buying seasons of the year began. Although you can find pineapples, papayas, watermelons, and bananas (and many other fruits, of course) throughout the year, it’s at this time of year that the mighty mango makes its triumphal entry to the mercado.
There are a little more than 500 varieties of mango – some of them more well-known than others – and although you won’t find them all in Guatemala, you’ll find enough to return from the market with a new love for this delicious fruit.
As far as mangoes are concerned, just one way of enjoying them is simply not enough. One of the favorite ways that kids enjoy them is to eat them green with salt, lime juice, pepitoria (a spice made of toasted and ground pumpkin seeds), and possibly some hot sauce. And of course, what adult would refuse an original and refreshing mango margarita?
Mangoes: delicious and good for you, too. And now available at the mercado in La Antigua.
