Words: Lavinia Ionescu
Photos: Robert Blaj
December 2024
I have always loved farmers’ markets. Something timeless, beyond memory, the city’s history, and even my own personal history, takes over me every time I come, week after week, to shop. It’s my precious talisman; a way to connect better with the city, myself, and those close to me. They remind me over and over again that food and the customs surrounding it not only fuel our bodies – they nourish them. They are rituals for our spirit.
As I write about farmers’ markets and their role in the urban environment, I am happy to rediscover some of them here, in Bucharest, my adopted city for more than two decades. I revisited just a few for this piece, though there are over 50 such markets here – some small, some large – scattered throughout every neighborhood. The joy of exploring them reminded me of the refreshing note they bring and the valuable resources they offer to local economies.
To my delight, going to the market has remained a frequent habit for Romanians. Over time, however, life is moving faster, as if an acceleration, a particular haste, is passing through all our daily patterns. I would like food and the habits surrounding it to remain a gentle and regenerative space where the body finds the resources it badly needs to welcome life and find the strength to move forward.
Slow Food, Good Mood, and a Happy Crew
I discovered that taking things slow in certain aspects of life is essential.
Since the 1980s, Slow Food, a global movement united under the goal of everyone having access to good, clean, and fair food, has been pushing for food to be grown and purchased locally, prepared with care, and consumed with appreciation — in sharp contrast to what is promoted by the fast-food system and industrial production.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s very important to have choices — that we have a variety of foods at our fingertips or that we can order online easily. But like anything in this world, it’s important to be mindful of moderation and to adjust our inner rhythm. The rushing characteristic of our century can be deceptive. A lifestyle focused on health, such as going to the market and reconnecting with the body’s natural tempo, is increasingly vital for the contemporary city dweller.
It is probably no secret that a balanced diet improves our overall health. Our daily eating habits also impact our mood. Here I’m referring both to the link between nutrition and mental health, as well as the habits that go with it: procuring food, eating meals, and the sense of connection that comes with it.
Pleasure, friendship and affection can become our common ground, where we find and reconnect with ourselves, with friends, and with the gentle and charming spirit of the city. In our quest to find new balances in both our private and social lives, we have begun to give new meanings and interpretations to daily habits. Various studies and research show that sharing meals with people you feel close to amplifies the joy of living and helps raise happiness levels. The longest-living and most vital people in the world often reside in regions (such as the so-called “blue zones”) where eating fresh and nutritious food together is a common habit.
History also has its say: markets where local producers meet to sell their products have been found worldwide since antiquity, more than 5,000 years ago. They reflect local economies and cultures and prove human organization from the oldest times. From the popular wet markets in Asia to the traditional mercados in Latin America, markets stretch like a complex network all over the globe to tell the stories of farmers and artisans everywhere. Beyond their commercial function, they offer an interactive experience and are veritable learning and cultural exchange centers. They are spaces that encourage a sense of belonging and cohesion, without which urban life would not exist in its current form. It would also lack something truly essential: the convivial, accessible, and somehow raw spirit – the electrifying air and dynamism that breathes through every pore. Vitality.
So… Let’s Get to It!
I love going to the market to buy everything I need. In the last two or three years, it has become a “hero” habit, if you can call it that. A few days in advance, I discuss with my partner Robert about when to go. We might even talk to one or two friends and set the coordinates. Should we go to Obor or Matache? Should we take the car or the trolleybus 66, which passes through the center and takes us directly there? Should we buy some fish to prepare later, after the “excursion” to the market? Or make a big, big salad with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and green onions, with the best telemea (a traditional Romanian cheese) you can find in all of Bucharest? Or should we eat at the Vietnamese restaurant nearby before venturing into the market? So many options – and so much flavor! I discovered this boosts my enthusiasm and confidence and makes me enjoy my journey through life more.
Since living in the Cișmigiu Park area, right in the city center, I often go to Matache, which is relatively close. It brings me great joy, regardless of the season, to walk on Știrbei Vodă, to look at the houses along the road, to get a cappuccino to go, and to think about the aromatic warm flatbreads I will inevitably buy from the little bakery in the market. I get the tastiest and most tender vegetables from Nea Petrică when I get there. All on the recommendation of a good friend, Tudor, a long-time resident more accustomed to the area’s goodies. Or a large (glass) bottle, also bought from the market, with the best apple cider vinegar with honey from Mierăria Bodnariu – which my friend Denisa, born and raised around Cișmigiu, told me about with enthusiasm. I always enjoy learning new tips and tricks about the neighborhood from her. Oh, and let’s not forget about Abu Bacri, a small Syrian shop serving halal food on Berzei, right across from Matache! I’m not an expert on Arabic food, but I like fine tastes, and the hummus here is among the best I’ve ever tasted, along with the mutabal, for sure!
The most emblematic market in Bucharest is Obor Market, a “heritage” market and the city’s largest agro-food market project. It is probably the most famous market in the country and has all the reasons to be so popular. The Obor Market has been mentioned in documents since the 17th century under the name Târgul de Afară (Outer Market). Situated on a plateau of approximately 29,000 sqm, at the intersection of several major arteries, Obor is the place where, for more than a century, merchants, locals, and foreigners alike come to enjoy the freshness and diversity of the products sold – and to feed their curiosities. Most often and most of all, I love shopping here, at Obor! Here you can find everything: food, improvised places to repair a zipper, second-hand shops, pots and slippers, detergents, restaurants, flowers (oh so many flowers) and flower pots, and many, many more.
As we approach Obor on a beautiful morning (I prefer to go during the week to take my time), we are greeted by the vibrancy of colors and the lively energy of the merchants with their scattered stalls. We have our protocol: first, we go to the fruit and vegetable hall, where we get our favorite kalamata olives and extra virgin olive oil from Lumea Măslinelor. Then, spices in all shades of the earth from Orient Bazar and, just a few steps away, a bottle of velvet-white buttermilk from Făbricuța de Lactate – natural dairy products directly from the farm.
With my bag already half full, we descend the escalator to the ground floor. Here, in my opinion, is one of the most satisfying places in the whole market. Fruits, vegetables, greens, jars of zacusca, borscht, eggs from hens raised in people’s yards, honey, blueberries, citrus, and flowers – all extremely fresh and colorful, a feast not only for the stomach but also for our nervous system. I know my favorite stalls and products. The vegetable stall where a young producer, Dorina, always smiles, stall Pescăria Eva in the fish hall where we invariably buy dorado and sea bass, the cheese stand from Poiana Sibiului where I purchase all varieties of old or fresh telemea, from which Mrs. Ancuța always generously offers us a taste. The most balanced flavors: you won’t find anything like this on the sterile shelves of supermarkets.
Market products have essential nutrients for our health and are perfectly ripe. The Obor Market is not just a market in the simple sense of the word. Small adjacent businesses have slowly opened. If you’re curious to learn about culinary practices from around the world, you can try the spicy flavors from the Sri Lankan restaurant or a coriander-flavored pho-bo from the Vietnamese restaurant next to Veranda Mall, just across the street from the fruit hall. And if you want to cool off with a spritz or an iced specialty coffee, visit the hipstery Obor Amor terrace – you’re bound to love it! From above, you can see all of Obor and its surroundings.
Don’t forget the Flowers
In addition to the benefits for both the individual and the community – for the heart and spirit – markets are concrete resources for local economies and examples of sound ecological practices. They stimulate and encourage consumer spending within the community, prioritize local and seasonal products, and reduce the carbon footprint of transporting products.
And given that every good market has flowers, what would you say about a market exclusively for flowers? At the George Coșbuc Flower Market, open non-stop, you can find flowers of all colors, bouquets, arrangements, tones, and fragrances. Slightly hidden from the main boulevards but still quite close to Unirii Square, it supplies all the small florists in the city. As a brief historical itinerary, the market originated in the 1950s in the former Uranus neighborhood, an eclectic area erased mainly from the city’s map during the demolitions of the 1980s, coinciding with the construction of the Palace of the Parliament. The atmosphere of the old neighborhood is still felt and makes you imagine Bucharest from another era. The former Commodity Exchange building completes the image – a monument of industrial architecture – restored and repurposed as the headquarters for several organizations, named The Ark, which you can admire across from the market.
Since we’re talking about flowers, I went to the corner florist a little earlier and got a large bouquet of dahlias to place on the table for dinner tonight. Because I did a lot of shopping at the market, I thought I’d share some of the experience with a few friends. Alongside the nuanced flavors of autumn that we will savor, I want us to take the time to be together truly. I like to believe that eating in small, intimate groups can give a dinner a touch of sensuality. We pay attention to our food – its textures, colors, smells, temperatures, flavors – and to those around us, making this experience an opportunity to connect to the present moment, to new ways of processing, of metabolizing, and perhaps, from here, new possibilities for connecting to the world around us will emerge.
What will you find on the table tonight? Sea buckthorn preserved in honey. This is my favorite source of vitamins and minerals, perfect for the immune system. A large bowl of roasted nuts. Fragrant seasonal fruits: grapes, pears, quinces, plums – staples of the platter. Reddish pumpkin from which I’ve made the softest cream soup. Cauliflower with crunchy parmesan baked in the oven. Eggplant salad with onion. Fresh salad: celery, carrot, and apple, juicy and crunchy at the same time. Two jars of zacuscă made on a pirostrie, a type of open fire. One with mushrooms and the other with peppers. Various pickles for enthusiasts. Must (unfermented wine) freshly chilled to prevent fermentation and delight our taste buds. A bottle of dry white wine with cold mineral water next to it – the traditional Romanian spritzer, which we’ve been drinking all summer and is still relevant. Friendship. A clear sky and cool air are in sight, with stars rising, soft music, full bellies, and serene hearts.
