It is the most visited and most photographed market on the island. But it is not just for tourists to see. Find out here what you can (and should) buy at Mercado dos Lavradores.
It is one of the main tourist attractions in Funchal, but it is also the place where locals continue to go shopping, so the guarantee of fresh, local and quality products is certain. At the entrance there is a flower area with florists dressed in the typical Madeira costume, it has an uncovered interior patio, where producers gather and where there are the most photographed stalls, with carefully stacked fruit, a fish area and an upper floor with more stalls, from chilis to souvenirs, through wicker baskets and aromatic herbs. There are a few traps for tourists that are easy to get around - if you get to taste fruit and find it too sweet, you probably have a spoonful of sugar added, even though the fruit here is generally sweet and tasty. It is open from Monday to Saturday and has a bit of everything. Find out what you can buy, to eat right away, cook there or take it home as a souvenir.
If you get there early, you’ll find the stone benches laden with fresh fish, especially swordfish, which are caught of the island’s south coast (the more silver it is, the fresher it is). There is also a good selection of tuna, bodião (parrotfish), peixe-porco (grey triggerfish), charuteiros (greater amberjacks), lapas (limpets) and caramujos (snails).
Passion fruit of all varieties and colour (purple, yellow, banana-passion fruit, peach-passion fruit and more), giant pineapples, bananas, pitangas, dragon fruit, prickly pears (or Indian figs), English tomato (tamarillo), avocado and even fruit of the Swiss cheese plant (yes, the houseplant with the cut-out leaves that will never bear fruit when planted in a pot and over-fertilised). Shop around for the best prices. You can take them on the plane with you, but make sure they are not ripe so they last longer. If you are not sure about any fruit – which is quite normal – don’t be afraid to ask how to eat and store it.
You will find the market florists at the entrance wearing traditional Madeiran dress. There are flowers of all colours and scents, which can be bought singly or in fancy bouquets (there are birds of paradise, massarocos (pride of Madeira) and dragon trees, all native to the island). They also sell packets of seeds with which to try your luck at home, in a different climate.
The strings of chillies hanging from the stalls add even more colour to the market, but if you take a chance and buy one, not only is it guaranteed to last a long time, it is also sure to be very hot. Be careful. Here you can also buy bay leaves, savoury, peppers and cinnamon.
The Madeiran chocolate company, Uau Cacau, opened its own factory in 2020, the year its output skyrocketed. In 2021 the factory will be ready to welcome visitors and show them how chocolate is made. The company has a shop in the Mercado dos Lavradores, where it sells many flavours of coloured bonbons (including poncha, Madeira wine, passion fruit and pitanga), bars of chocolate and special seasonal items.
You will probably want to take some bolo do caco home with you after eating so much of it on the island. In the market there is a shop that sells it freshly made. It is made with flour, sweet potato, salt and water (the recipe is written on the wall) and it doesn’t need an oven. You can also get some with chorizo.
Some locals swear O Bombardeiro has the best black swordfish sandwich on the island. It is a very good sandwich to eat right there on your arrival in Madeira (a good strategic stop) or to take away and eat later. If you choose to eat it at the counter, then do yourself a favour and wash it down with a glass of the house red wine for that authentic experience. Here you will also discover some of the most authentic places.
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