The Melut Market

The market is a good 15 walk and a 5 minute drive on the quad bike. It’s really quite relaxing to go (except when Rachel starts fussing!), and I quite enjoy myself there, despite my broken Arabic. I try and go on Tuesdays or Thursdays when my househelp doesn't come.

Bethany driving the quad to the market!

The first stop is always the butcher. You can only get 2 types meat here; beef and goat and you must go before 9am to get the good meat. You stick your hand in a little opening with your money, and ask for the amount of kilos you want. 

David buying meat

I stuck my camera in at the little opening so you can see the weigh scale.

One has to be quite pushy otherwise people will just get ahead of you. The wonderful thing is that since the butchers are men from the north, the meat is all halal! I have never bought goat in Canada, let alone cooked with it, but have had fun experimenting with some recipes here. I am quite squeamish cutting the various parts (hooves) of the animals. Praise the Lord for the pressure cooker I bought in Kenya, as that really makes the meat tender. 

Next stop is produce. It’s always a hit or miss with the produce. The first day I went to the market, I found okra and cucumber, but haven’t seen it since. Currently, there’s pumpkin, onions, tomatoes, potatoes and once in a while, limes and eggplant.**There’s this green called Kudra, which is actually quite nice, albeit time consuming to pick off the stems. You don’t get any fruit here. My first 2 weeks here in S. Sudan, I got up several times at night craving a banana. 

There are always onions

There were no tomatoes on my last grocery trip!

Kudra

Next stop is the lady who sells my favourite local snack: roasted pumpkin seeds. She also sells little bags of homemade peanut butter, garlic cloves, peppercorns, and dried okra. 

Each bag is worth 1 S. Sudanese pound.

Then I just meander through different dukaans (shops), looking for other staples like juice powder, tea, laundry detergent, rice, sugar etc.

The dukaan with the most variety

Hibiscus tea leaves and dried ginger

Bags of pasta, tea, lentils, flour and sugar. 

Fenugreek seeds, red lentils and rice

Coffee beans

There is a section of the market that sells clothes, beauty products, accessories but you have to really barter. I don’t like haggling, so I try to avoid that section!

Beautiful lawas (traditional S.Sudanese outfits)

Deep fried donuts!

**Again the market had different produce when I went last. The only thing there was were cucumbers, okra and onions! Who knows what it will be like tomorrow when I go!