The Last Appetite » dalat http://www.lastappetite.com Great eating from the white trash of Asia Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:59:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Dalat Market (Chợ Đà Lạt) http://www.lastappetite.com/dalat-market-ch%e1%bb%a3-da-l%e1%ba%a1t/ http://www.lastappetite.com/dalat-market-ch%e1%bb%a3-da-l%e1%ba%a1t/#comments Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:39:40 +0000 Phil Lees http://www.lastappetite.com/dalat-market-ch%e1%bb%a3-da-l%e1%ba%a1t/ ‘s hill resort of Dalat is a horticultural wonderland. The cool tropical microclimate endows its market with the best of both worlds: tropical fruits from the lower hillsides combined with more European fare from the cooler climes. Fresh strawberries sit alongside avocadoes, artichokes, beetroot and dragonfruit; with vendors keen to foist strawberry jam, cashews and the grim local grape wine upon me. Where local markets tend to be the feature that orient me in any town, Dalat’s apparent lack of clear equatorial seasonality is bewildering.

dalat market stairwell
Selling a more meagre array of vegetables in the stairwell.

Originally located on the top of Dalat’s central hill, the market’s earlier wooden structure burnt down in the late 1930s. In the late 50s, it was moved downhill with the market now stretching between two concrete buildings in the bottom of a steep ravine; a walkway linking the top of the hill to the second level of the market.

dalat market artichokes
Globe artichokes arrive at the market fresh or dried as artichoke tea.

Bananas at Dalat Market Vietnam
Arranging Bananas

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