A day among fish, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, and the world of exotic flavors at the Ver-o-Peso Market in Belém.
Located on the banks of the Guarajá River, Ver-o-Peso is the largest street market in Latin America. It supplies Belém and its surroundings with always fresh fish, fruits, and vegetables, as well as various other products.
Founded in 1625 as a Portuguese customs house (hence the name — “Ver o Peso”), it was transformed into a market in 1901. Since then, it has become not only an important trading point but also a must-see tourist attraction in Belém, located near the Amazon Rainforest.
A stroll through the flavors of Belém
The day at the Ver-o-Peso Market starts early. At 3:30 AM, fishermen are already unloading their goods: dorados, tucunarés, pirarucus, traíras, and other fish that can be found in the Amazon’s freshwater. If you want to buy fish, it’s best to arrive early to choose the freshest. By 6 AM, the stalls begin to operate.
But the market offers more than just fish. There, you find various flours, exotic fruits, vegetables, cachaças (distilled from sugarcane juice), handicrafts, mixed herbs, and many spices that are not found elsewhere, originating from the interior of Pará. The diversity and richness are enormous and have already attracted famous chefs like Jamie Oliver and Alex Atala. The former learned to prepare an authentic maniçoba, a type of feijoada (bean stew with beef and pork) made with cassava leaves, cooked for seven days; the latter uses various ingredients from Pará in his trendy restaurant in São Paulo.
After exploring the entire market, it’s time for a break, which is even better at one of the many food stalls. They prepare fresh local delights like fried fish with açaí, duck in tucupi (duck in tucupi sauce, extracted from the bitter cassava root), and tacacá (soup made with jambu, known as Acmella oleracea in Brazil, and tucupi), which you can taste while enjoying the view of the Guajará Bay.
Finished exploring the market? Then stop by the Estação das Docas, which is nearby, to enjoy a delicious ice cream made with local fruits or buy souvenirs from Belém. From the docks, various boat tours to nearby islands also depart. If you have time, don’t hesitate; it’s well worth it!
At the end of the day, visit the Basilica of Nazaré, one of the city’s main symbols. Built in 1909, on the site where the image of Our Lady of Nazaré stood, it is a neoclassical building and the final destination of one of Brazil’s most important religious cults, the Círio de Nazaré festival, which takes place on the second Sunday of October and attracts millions of people to Belém.
If there’s time and a little hunger, try the tacacá, a traditional typical dish, in the late afternoon. Served on the streets, it is an explosion of unique flavors that leaves those who taste it wanting more.
Source: www.visitbrasil.com