Page 46 - Fiji Traveller 7

A tour of Suva market

By Vittoria Pasca It is hard to leave without buying some flowers for yourself, but
before entering the market, don’t forget to get some refreshing
One of the highlights of a trip to Suva is the tour of its central bu (coconut water). The vendors will happily open the coconut
market, where you’ll be able to enjoy some local goodies, have for you – and their impressive knife skills are a pleasure to watch!
a chat with the vendors and get an authentic experience of
everyday life in Fiji’s capital. Going undercover
The market is located a walking distance from Suva’s main Now it’s time to enter the undercover area to admire the
attractions and hotels. It’s one of the biggest vegetable markets beautiful shapes and colours of Fiji’s produce. Feel free ask
in the South Pacific, both in terms of size and product variety. questions if you find some exotic products you’re not familiar
Suva is a multicultural city and so is its market: here you’ll find with, the vendors are generally very welcoming and happy to
not only traditional foods like coconut products, tropical fruits, explain how the different vegetables should be prepared.
crops and kava, but also some ingredients typical of Indian A few steps further and you will find Chinese stalls selling fresh
cuisine (from jackfruit and long beans to spices, pulses and tofu, generally the silken or hard varieties, and occasionally tofu
grains), as well as Chinese foods like fresh tofu, choy sum, bok skin.
choy or watercress. You’ll also notice some stalls selling massive jackfruits that the
But let’s start our tour by checking out the flower section. skilful vendors clean and cut into smaller pieces for us. When
in season, you’ll also see a delicacy, Fiji’s duruka, often called
The flower corner Fijian asparagus, due to its shape which recalls that of white
One of the most colourful and beautiful areas of the market is asparagus.
the flower corner, where you’ll find a large variety of lush tropical Further into the undercover area you’ll find pineapple and
flowers. Pick your favourite from orchids, birds of paradise, watermelon stalls. If you’re in the mood for a snack, this is the
ginger flowers or a bouquet - it will cost you only a few dollars. time to get some ready-to-eat half pineapples or watermelon
The ladies here are very charming, always happy to have a pieces for a couple of dollars. Healthy and delicious!
chat with their customers. Nina, who sells both loose flowers Right at the back (towards the port), you will find coconut
and fancy bouquets she arranges herself, is happy the area products such as hand-made soaps and scented coconut oil.
was recently renovated: “Look how clean and beautiful the new
space is!” She comes every day from Kinoya, where she has a Outdoor attractions
house with a small garden. “I like gardening and I grow some While the Suva market is open from Monday to Saturday, the
of these flowers myself. But my quantities alone wouldn’t be best time to visit it is from Thursday to Saturday, when more
sufficient, so I also have suppliers from the highlands - mainly sellers come from the villages. That’s when the outside section
Tailevu and Naitasiri”. comes to life and the market is busier. If you don’t enjoy being

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