Sights from the Market in Puebla, Mexico

To round out this day trip to Puebla, my driver took me up to the local market so that I could see what was cooking. There was so much mouth-watering stuff there, such as these gigantic pork rinds in the photo above. There were shops selling piles of bacalhau next to dried chili peppers, the aroma of which delightfully pervaded the air. Chorizo was being grilled on a fire, as were some very thin and salty brown sheets of air-dried beef that I think were called cecina. Butchers were selling all sorts of cuts of meat, including goat heads - complete with hair and teeth - and some kind of an offal meatloaf thing (no, I didn't try that one). I also saw what seemed to be prickly pear cacti (thorns removed) that one is supposed to chop up and make into a salad. And of course, all sorts of bread and tortilla, including some colored and stuffed ones, were everywhere.

A quick turn into one of the alleyways produced a number of fonda, or very casual eateries where one simply sits down at a single bench facing the proprietor and these huge bowls of rice, soup, or other goodies, including mole poblano. Outside, all sorts of other things were ready for purchase off the street, including little sopes, quesadillas, and tacos where the meat was being cut off of a Middle Eastern vertical spit (fittingly named tacos arabes). One lady was also selling little shrimp cocktails in a clear plastic cup with a squeeze of lime.

Finally, I'm never one to skip past anyone selling corn. This blue variety might not have looked visually appealing, but when I saw the lady seasoning them with hot sauce, salt, and a squeeze of lime, I had to fork over my six pesos (US$0.55). Unfortunately, the kernels were surprisingly tough and rubbery. My driver told me that this wasn't because it was blue corn, but rather that the lady had unluckily picked a bad ear for me. Oh well.