Over a thousand years old and linked to the ancient Arab souk, Ballaro’ still remains one of the most animated and liveliest Palermo street markets.
On an early December day, Pino and I headed to Ballaro’, passing through the 11th-century tuff rock arch, Porta Santa’Agata, dedicated to the 3rd-century martyr of eastern Sicily, Agata.
Passing through the arch, narrow streets crowned with hanging wash meander towards the market area.
A bicycle was affixed to a wall and another bicycle was above it enclosed on a balcony, uniting in a contemporary mural sculpture.
Painted murals added color splashes to many walls..
….and some were painted tributes, too, like the portrait of Esther Zimmer (1922- 2006), brilliant microbiologist, victim of sexual discrimination in the academic world.
Some murals transmit poignant messages like the one I photographed just as two immigrants approached the message in black letters on a yellow background: “There are no illegal immigrants..only brothers”:
As we drew closer to Ballaro’, we could hear the animated shouts of vendors – “abbaniate!” (“come closer”in dialetto palermitano) – inviting shoppers to their stands of fish, fruits, spices and an array of street foods.
On arrival at the market, the first stand immediately caught Pino’s eye. An array of seafood creations surrounded the the vendor slicing octopus for clients:
Pino eyed the octopus….
…..and with their tentacles fanning out around them, they looked like proud multi-limbed seated monarchs:
He ordered the boiled octopus, relishing it with a squeeze of fresh lemon:
I skipped the octopus and moved on to the adjacent stand, eager for my first taste this trip of my favorite Sicily street food, pane con panelle e crocche’ (chickpea fritters in a roll, with potato croquets):
Panelle and croquets ready for frying joined soft rolls on the stand:
At an adjacent stand, batter-dipped shrimp sizzled in oil:
As vendor Salvatore fried the shrimp, he and Pino talked about the changes in Ballaro’ over the years…..
…and Salvatore’s hot skewered fried shrimp awaited customers…
Pino couldn’t resist:
Fish prepared in countless creative variations starred at many a Ballaro’ stand…
And you’ll find another Palermo street food favorite right in the center of the Ballaro’ market with a cloud of smoke leading you right to those stigghiole. The chickpea fritters (panelle) and arancine (stuffed rice balls) are universal favorites but the grilled intestines (of veal, lamb and goat, sometimes) are a more hardcore street food.
The vendor grilling stigghiole is called “stigghiularu” and the Ballaro’ stigghiularu flipped his stigghiole with bare hands and fanned the flames now and then, while also singing and dancing.
Clients munched the stigghiole at nearby tables….
…after addding a squeeze of fresh lemon:
Not just pleasures for the palate but also those for the eye are sold at Ballaro’, too. Like colorful Sicilian textiles:
Before we left, Pino stopped at a stand to buy shoes and as I waited, I noticed the large plastic bottle of olive oil:
The shoe vendor told me with pride that the olive oil was from his family’s recent harvest…and had been for sale but already purchased by another client.
When next in Palermo, you won’t want to miss Ballaro’.
You’ll find everything from chickpea fritters to intestines sandwiches to octopus with lemon juice to textiles.
You might even find just-harvested olive oil.
Look near the shoe stall.
See my video on Sicily’s culinary wonders.
See my video on a famous fish stand in Palermo
Read here about Pescheria di Claudio.
Read here about Palermo street food
Read about a glorious hiistoric Palermo villa
Read about Palermo pastries and their lnk to history
