Farmer’s Market, Huy, Belgium – Greca M Durant
by Greca Durant
Belgian Market Tops in Organic Food Products, Bread, Cheeses and Meat. Wednesday in Huy, a quaint little town in the Wallon region of Belgium, Western Europe, is Farmer’s Market day, best choice for organic fresh vegetables, fruits & dairy.
Preparations for Farmer’s Market day in Huy, Belgium begin way before sunrise or even the day before, when large transporters arrive and consigned goods are unloaded. Vans that serve as mobile shops are also regular features of the Wednesday market. Stalls along the River Meuse Quay: Garments, Sweets, Pets and Jewellery
Stalls are set up on streets that run alongside the River Meuse quay and the area that borders Main Street. The clothes stalls cluster around the theater area, where one may buy women’s cotton blouses, skirts, dresses, trousers and lace undergarments; men’s socks, belts and shirts; and children’s apparel from baby clothes to older children’s sizes. Prices vary ranging from €5-20.
Other stalls found near the theater carry various items like a mini-hardware, spice collection, music CDs, tablecloths; hard candies, toffees and gummies; caged birds, mice and other small animals sold as pets; watches, jewellery, bags and shoes. Prices vary ranging from €1-26.
Huy Market Treats of French Fries, Fried Bacon and Sausages, Chinese and Vietnamese Cuisine As one moves along, she may get whiffs of cooking aromas from stalls offering snack or lunch items like grilled thick slices of bacon and fat sausages with sauerkraut, pommes frites, sautéed button mushrooms and Chinese or Vietnamese deep-fried concoctions. Prices from €3.
Stalls fronting Le Mirage Casino: Ethnic Bags, Ladies Stockings and Cut Flowers
Further along the street, by Le Mirage, the town’s casino, one finds multihued knitted shoulder bags, and more socks and women’s nylon stockings. More stalls await shoppers as they approach the Main Street. Here a variety of goods compete for buyers’ attention such as brightly-colored artificial tropical flowers, real flower bouquets, rubber flip-flops, leather belts, T-shirts and jewellery. Prices from €5.
Foodies Paradise of Assorted Cheeses, Sausages, Quiches, Breads and Salads
Foodies will definitely have a hard time choosing from a mouthwatering assortment of French and Italian ham and salami; Belgian, Dutch, French, German and Italian cheeses; pickled chilies and green and black olives prepared Provençal style; oven-ready lasagna, creamy vegetarian quiches and the more well-known Quiche Lorraine with pieces of ham; steamed lobsters, prawns in mayonnaise, mixed
seafood salad, rollmops, anchovy fillets in olive oil, smoked salmon and mackerel; several varieties of fruit tarts and freshly-baked breads; whole roast chickens, crispy wings and succulent drumsticks. Prices from €3.
Stalls along Huy’s Main Street: Organic Fresh Vegetables and Fruits
Berries and cherries in intense red and blue and crisp vegetables add more vibrancy to an already vibrant environment. Music is provided by a Breton seaman-attired man playing an old-fashioned organ called orgue du Barbary. And if shoppers find themselves wanting for a drink after plying the market stalls, they may then sit in the lovely Grand Place, where an Irish pub and the café-restaurants are. A glass of beer from €1,70.
The Wednesday Farmer’s Market in Huy, Belgium is a veritable feast, not only for the eyes, but for all man’s senses. Farmer’s Market, every Wednesday at 7:30 A.M. to 1 P.M., Huy, Belgium
