Marketing while traveling is always interesting -- seeing thing you aren't familiar with - and always great people-watching. But, going to a market with a local pro, to shop with purpose takes shopping to a higher level. I went to the Friday farmers' market in Saint Quentin la Poterie in southern France with some friends, led by Chef Eric Fradeau. Our mission was to pick up the ingredients for our cooking class that day.
As we shopped, Chef Eric offered a couple of interesting tips:
When selecting fish for freshness, look for an arch in the back, suggesting its muscles are taut from recent struggle while being caught.
The French fish labeling system is extremely informative. The tag next to each item for sale in the fish case includes not only the fish's name and price per kilo, but also a number code to where it was caught (such as the Mediterranean), a code showing if it was close to the shoreline, and a different color, if applicable, to signify that it was previously frozen. (The Gambas, or shrimp, in the photo below were frozen. Easy to tell, isn't it?)
The French do not refrigerate their eggs because they don't wash them. Apparently, if the eggs' natural coating is left on, they stay fresh left at room temperature for more than a month. (I kept doing a double take at the egg carton sitting out on our counter for days).
The olive oil choices range from picholine green olive (the unripe olives which have a slight bitter taste) to black olive (ripe and salty).
Love to learn those little tips and nuggets!