In this video I am at the Mercato di Ballarò, famous outdoor street market of Palermo. It is a part of Palermo’s historical culture for over the past 1000 years. It started when the Arabs ruled Palermo.
There are vendors here from Sicily and Northern Africa selling clothing, fruits, vegetables, meats, souvenirs and there is even a butcher shop shown in the video. As well as vendors that sell street food and items for consumption.
You can smell the fresh fruits and vegetables and even oregano as you walk by. In the video you can see a vendor selling his fresh oregano.
The vendors will yell out, in Sicilian dialect, what they are selling for the day. It is a very chaotic and bustling market full of different colors, sights, aromas, music and sounds. And of course, you can hear the voices of the vendors that advertise their goods for sale in Sicilian dialect.
Ballarò is very centrally located in the heart of Palermo’s historical district. It is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon. You can have breakfast or dine outside for lunch with some traditional Sicilian cuisine.
Ballarò is about a 10-minute walk from the main cathedral.
The other historical market in Palermo is the Vucciria, which was like this back in the day, but now that area is more of a pub and nightspot.
And finally, the other market is Il Capo.
Italian vocabulary seen in this video:
Arancini – deep fried rice ball filled with meat but some have cheese and vegetables as well.
Fruits – frutta
Vegetables – vegetali
Butcher shop – macelleria
Meats – carne
Cheese – formaggio
Pomengranate – melograno
Fresh-squeezed pomengranate juice – spremuta di melograno
Octopus – polpo
Shoes – scrape
Buon giorno – a greeting for good day
Oregano – origano
Pane con milza – bread made with animal spleen
Pani c’a meusa – Sicilian dialect but it’s also animal spleen sandwich
Pane con carne di cavallo – horse meat sandwich
Pasta related vocabulary
Pasta al nero di seppia – pasta made with cuttlefish ink (black)
Pasta alla norma – pasta with eggplant, tomato and cheese
Pasta al forno – baked pasta
Pasta sarde e finocchietti – pasta with sardines and fennel
Pasta cozze e vongole – pasta with mussels and clams
Pasta alla Grassa – pasta cooked with generous amount of fat
Pasta aglio, oglio e peperoncino – pasta with garlic, oil and chili flakes
Hope you enjoyed the video about Ballarò famous outdoor street market of Palermo.
You may be interested in:
Learn about the Quattro Canti in Palermo, the historical center of town.
My Palermo Italy Playlist on YouTube
Cavolfiore viola – pictured below is a cauliflower that is purple, abundantly found in Sicily
