Athens Central Market Photos

One thing I love about staying at the Attalos Hotel is its proximity to the Central Market, where Athenians come to do their food shopping. There is nothing more invigorating then to start the day (after coffee of course) with a walk through the covered streets that house the meat and fish market. Just the sound of the voices alone is fascinating as the merchants call out their prices in a variety of voices that can sound like a musical composition by John Cage. Of course the sights can get a little weird and there is some blood and guts as some of the pictures towards the bottom of the page will show (consider this a warning). But for me anyway, the Athens Central market is the most alive place in the city and I never get tired of it.

I even come here for breakfast sometimes.

The entrance to the fish market

Bakaliaro is dried salted cod eaten mostly in the winter, deep-fried and delicious with skordalia(garlic sauce)

Nothing like the head of a wild boar to get your appetite going

Nuts and dried fruit. I like the salted peanuts with the red skin on them. They are way too salty but go great with beer and ouzo.

Feta Cheese is less than $2 a pound

Fish is plentiful

The fruit and vegetable market gets less hectic by the afternoon

Herbs

Braiding Garlic 

Bacon

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For some reason this picture makes me think of Hugh Hefner

Sausage heaven

Fresh pig (made in Greece)

Pigs feet and other nameless treats

With the merchants all dressed in white it looks like some kind of hospital during WWI

I took this photo from the Ipirus Restaurant which is a lot closer to raw meat than most people want to be at breakfast.

Athenian shoppers in the fruit and vegetable market

When the shopping is over at the end of the day it looks like this

Shopping in Athens

2013 Central Market Photos