One of the things I love about travelling is going to the market and the local shops. I enjoy seeing what the locals buy and what the prices are like. So when I was in Fiji just recently that’s exactly what I did.
I also have many blue sea and white sand photos to wave in front of you, I wanted to take you to a tour of the markets first.
Fiji’s allure is completely dependent on it’s climate and beaches. It doesn’t have much of a reputation for food. It is a little hard to find the type of food you might find in Asia- you know, the grilling over coals on the street or a noodle soup thrown together in a small movable van. There is not a lot of street food and no smells of cooking when you walk around, not even in the markets. They don’t stir fry their abundance of ingredients. Processed food is sadly becoming more popular as supermarkets appear. But there is fresh seafood, coconut, root vegetables pineapples, plantains, herbs and spices a beautiful marriage of Indian and pacific flavours. Cooking over a fire is common in the villages and root vegetables are eaten simply boiled and sometimes curried. The “Lovo” is food cooked in a hot pit much like the New Zealand Maoris practice, but this is a special occasion dish.
Lots of food is frozen so that it can be carried back to small villages on the bus. Bus is the way most people travel here, there aren’t many cars, or motor bikes or even push bikes. In the butcher shop I discovered there was a butcher boy cutting meat and he had time to smile, while on the other counter the guys were flat out dispensing frozen meat.
Fijians are a laid back bunch and it’s easy to fall in love with their gentle happy nature. Before long you’ll be replying to their enthusiastic greetings….Bulla!
on the buses
There was a kitchen in the place I was staying, so I got to cook here. There was a lot to choose from in the markets and we skipped the frozen meat and chickens and bought a big fresh fish. Shopping in Fiji is fun and easy, all Fijians speak English and they aren’t into overcharging nor do they chase you to buy.
Bananas and Plantains are at every stall
There is virtually no rubbish, no plastic laying around and no pollution. These traditionally woven disposable baskets are still common. This small village is a bus and shopping stop between villages on the east coast
Waiting for the bus back to the village with shopping and kids in tow
Fresh vegetables on the side of the road in Suva
Sweet potato
Chillis everywhere but on my plate
Fish 4 sale
Mussels
Fish man
Comedic fish
Take away parcels full of a type of boiled nut
The lady at the fish shop
Market activity in the rain
Dalo an absolute Fijian staple . Grown and sold everywhere
Cassava
Highly popular cassava and Dalo cooked by boiling
The colour of the markets
The loaf shop
White bread is the order of the day in Fiji. There is an interesting bread that’s yellow, called custard bread. It sounds exotic but it is just white bread made with custard powder.
One stop shop for funerals
If you like to travel like me or you just want to compare prices from one city to the next in Australia and overseas I have come across this amazing link that compares prices and costs in real time. Have a look HERE at the cost of living comparison tool. I love it! .
I can’t wait to take you to a few more places in Fiji. Visiting Dolphins at Moon Reef and staying in heaven at Voli Voli. See you soon!
Those woven baskets are gorgeous Tania. The fish looks great too, but the meat is certainly different 🙂 I could definitely do with a laid back holiday, maybe Fiji is the place for me xox
The produce all looks incredible. I love markets with vibrant colours and fresh local wares – it’s so different to visiting a supermarket!
I love Fiji but so many tourists just go there and don’t experience the real Fiji. It’s great that you got out and about and experienced how Fiji really works. All the produce looks very natural and fresh xx
I love this post so much. 🙂 Fiji has such a special place in my heart and I cannot wait to return and stay in a place where I can do the cooking and take advantage of these inspiring markets. 🙂
What fun traveling with you in Fiji. Looking forward to more posts from your journey. The trip through the market was particularly interesting as well–plus those baskets that held the bananas and plantains are just gorgeous.
I love that link, Tania. I also loved this peek into your time in Fiji. I never thought about how people got meat home. When I was in Cuba there was no refrigeration at all in the butcher shops. I was a bit nervous about that.
Great post.
Looks like you had a wonderful trip, Tania. I love having a kitchen in our vacation rental…as I enjoy the shopping in foreign spots, too 🙂