Pula Shopping

Actually this supermarket was fine but at first sight, I did not found anything more than in any other of the usual small markets or small shops in the country and the prices were almost the same. I will check more closely next time !

In Croatia as everywhere else, supermarkets are sprouting. This one, photographed in late July 2004 seemed to have opened very recently, may be a few weeks earlier. The access was still not easy to find and the parking lot not completely finished.

What to buy: Everything.

White truffle (Tuber magnatum Pico) are hunted in Istria, especially around the Mirna river, in the region of Motovun, Livade and Buzet.
Carlo Zigante sells truffles and truffle products in his shops, in Livade, Pula, Motovun, Buzet, Buje, Umag and Groznjan. On the left of the picture, Zigante's Pula shop.
For 3 years now, a truffle festival is organized in Livade, every week-end of october.
More on : Zigante tartuffi

During the whole morning, this fountain, which is at one of the extremities of the market, was assaulted by those who wanted to refresh. To take this picture, I had to wait until the market ended and that for a few minutes, there were nearly no body in the frame.

Watermelons are a big crop in Croatia and BTW everywhere in the Balkans. That reminds me of a traffic jam, in 1975, at the border between Greece and Yugoslavia with hundreds of small Zastava 500, each with several watermelons stowed on top of the car.
Now Croatia seems to be completely self-sufficient regarding watermelons !

Towards the end of the market, late morning, the smallest producers have not much left for sale. This is not a problem as they grow these vegetables not far away from here and will be here to sell what they have cropped in their garden.

Local producers gather under the plane-trees. They sell tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, egg-plants, paprikas, salads, etc.. You should find here everything you need. The onions are sweet and can be eaten raw. We always bring back 10-15 kilograms home !

Of course the banananas and pomelos are not produced locally, but it is amazing to look at the origin of the fruits that are sold. Many are local, but some come from Greece, from Italy, from Spain or even from France !