in Poland to eat fish in the winter time and with many English shops focusing more on turkeys and chicken, we offer a change, such as herring and eel.” Crossing continents at the other side of the market is Junior Cuffy’s Caribbean café and grill, which offers traditional Caribbean food to eat in or take away. Junior stated that the Winter months are definitely his most popular, “Caribbean food, such as curry goat, jerk chicken and rice and peas are heavy dishes which people want in the winter to fill them up and keep them warm. “ Junior also thinks the festive atmosphere attracts visitors to the market which subsequently makes his cafe buisest in the winter. He says “Importing spices direct from the Caribbean is one of the reasons why my café is popular, as people are looking for the real deal and I can offer that to them.” Close by Val Nortje runs a South African stall in the market after recently returning to the city after living in South Africa for over 20 years. She sells a range of snacks, from rusks, which are popular for dunking in tea and coffee to spices and chutneys, such as Misses Bulls Chutney range, which are all imported from Zimbabwe. Val has a massive following in winter and in the summer saying “I sell something for everyone, from South African Dairy Milk chocolate to maze, which is used in
traditional South African cooking. I often attract a lot of people around Christmas time all looking for something different to put under the tree, rather than the ‘normal’ chocolates and treats that you can buy in most stores.” The most popular products that Val sells are biltong, which are similar to beef jerky. Biltongs are a type of meat, usually beef, that is marinated in vinegar, coated in spices and then left to dry. Once the meat is dry it is cut in to relatively thick strips and served as a popular snack due to its strong flavours. Chilli Bites are relatively similar to biltong, being made in the same way. However, chilli bites are cut in to much thinner strips and are much spicier, with them being coated in chilli powder. They are not recommended for the faint hearted. When Val first opened her shop she had 64 line items, now a year on due to the shops popularity she has around 500, forming not just a following with South African people but also with English people who are looking to try something new. Malgorna, Val and Junior all admitted that in recent years they have received much more custom, despite the recession. This shows that there isn’t just a taste for international food in the city but that the taste is growing.” Alexandra Browne