Spice Market in Dakar

Wednesday afternoon: We left Goree Island, then headed to a neighborhood market in Dakar. I was still dragging from having just arrived that morning, but the energy of the market perked me up quickly.

The streets were teeming with shoppers. This was no tourist destination -- the shoppers moved from shop to shop with purpose, selecting items presumably for that night's dinner.

We ducked into a small opening in a wall off the main street. It opened up into a beautiful indoor market selling cooking ingredients -- vegetables as well as bags of spices. It was dark inside as we squeezed our way past exotic-looking goods displayed on perhaps two dozen tables and held in burlap sacks on the ground. The only light was from a few overhead flourescent fixtures, glowing green, plus a few openings in the fabric ceiling that let in the bright sunlight in spots. I recognized monkey bread -- from the fruit of the baobab tree -- as well as a blue powder used for food coloring. Vendors measured out powders and spices using coffee cans, then poured the goods into plastic bags and tied them tightly at the top.

We came outside again, dodging cars, shoppers, and motorbikes, long enough to find our way to another hole in the wall. This shop belonged to Tony's friend, and was stacked floor to ceiling with beautiful patterned cloths. The cloths -- mudcloths -- were made of heavy material, and came in varying sizes to be used as floor coverings, table cloths, item wrappings, or wall decorations. Browns, reds, and yellows filled my eyes as the shopkeeper unfolded one after another so we could see them. I knew better than to buy something in my sleep-deprived state, so I just enjoyed watching others make their selections.

I wanted to stay in that shop for a long time. Although the shopkeeper was busy displaying his wares, inside the shop it was much more quiet than the hustle and bustle outside.

We did eventually leave, then later enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Massamba's house. Was it chebujen? Perhaps. I can't remember. All I remember is that it was wonderful to be among Massamba's family again, sitting on the floor of his beautiful living room, enjoying his wife's spectacular cooking.

See more images of the spice market in Dakar here

License the above image of bags of spices in a Dakar market here