Luang Prabang Market
I love fresh food markets, all that beautiful produce on display, food stalls, bartering, picking and choosing the ripest most perfect fruits and vegetables. The purchasing process is so much more immediate, sensual and inspiring than shopping at a supermarket. Since I first crossed the road, I’ve been to my local market a few more times and there is nothing like shopping this way. Pick out the best tomatoes and have a laugh with the stall holder because I picked exactly 1kg, they are proud of their produce and happy that you can see that theirs are the superior carrots. I have yet to take my camera to this market, for some reason I feel uncomfortable about it, like my flashing my expensive toys will set me even further apart from everyone here. On my recent visit to Laos I did take some photographs in a market in Luang Prabang. Maybe I felt more comfortable not being the only western face attached to a viewfinder here, or perhaps it was because I couldn’t buy much past fruit – have you ever tried juggling a camera, a chicken and a load of herbs while trying to pay someone and stepping out of the way of an oncoming motorbike? I can tell you it isn’t easy.
Maybe one day I’ll take some photographs of the spread at my little local market, but for now just some images of a lovely way to shop in Luang Prabang. I wish we had such a culture of freshness and food in Australia.
Today I’ve just got some pictures for you, and a question: What are these fruits? They have watery pale orange flesh under their slightly tough exterior and a large oval seed. Sweet, fragrant and really easy to eat. What are you orange fruit?
**EDIT: Gertrude from My Kitchen Snippets has the answer! These orange fruits are called Buah Kundang in Malaysia, aka Mango Plums. An answer from flickr is that they are called mark paang in Thai or Lao. I bought some from the market and as I walked back into my guesthouse the manager grabbed the bag from me, surprised that I had bought them. A big smile crossed her face, she gave me the thumbs up and when I asked their name she said something that sounded like Mark Paang. Regardless, they are quite interesting and very moreish.
More photos on flickr.
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8 Comments
is it achacha?
.-= chocolatesuze´s last blog ..i miss the interwebs [9] =-.
What chocolatesuze said, or loquats? Great pictures by the way. Also, what are those flowers?
.-= Y´s last blog ..Daring Bakers Challenge : Orange Tian =-.
In Malaysia the fruits is call Buah Kundang but I am not sure what it is call in English. You can read some of the details here : http://myseedgarden.blogspot.com/2009/02/buah-kundang-mango-plum-mini-mango-ma.html
I thought they might be loquats too, look forward to finding out what they really are when you do
Hey Lili. Great photos. We had a Luang Prabang Market growing in our back yard in Lebanon, so I’m bored with the topic. Tell me something new
.-= Fouad´s last blog ..Shish Tawook Recipe – The Best Chicken Kebab Ever =-.
oh, i thought these fruits were fresh dates by the way. aren’t t hey?
.-= Fouad´s last blog ..Shish Tawook Recipe – The Best Chicken Kebab Ever =-.
The photos are stunning… what an adventure you are having there.
.-= deana@lostpastrememb´s last blog ..Renoir’s Strawberries ~ Feasting On Art =-.
**check out the edit I made to the post, the fruit is a Mango Plum!
chocolatesuze: I don’t think it is achacha, this fruit is pale watery orange on the inside, isn’t achacha white in the middle?
Y: I think loquats have a big loose black seed inside? I’m not sure what the flowers are, or what they’re used for, the smallholder didn’t speak any english. They are just beautiful though.
gertrude: Thank you! That is them!!
Liv: They aren’t loquats, they are Mango Plums!
Fouad: Haha! Can you ask your mum what the flowers are then?
They aren’t fresh dates they are ‘mango plums’!
deana@lostpastrememb: Thank you, and yes I am having an adventure and it is lovely!