The Best

The best thing I ate on my trip was something that was not really a meal. It wasn't even really a snack. I was at the market in Guba, Ethiopia and we were wandering around sampling different things and checking out all that was newly available. I think I mentioned before this market was new. It was quite rare and unusual to not have a market in Guba town. In all the countries in Africa I have visited, markets have played a central role in the community. They are places where people meet, not only to buy the necessities of daily life, but also to catch up on news, exchange information and meet with family and friends. The fact that Guba town (also called Mankush), did not have a market was a regular surprise to my colleagues outside of Ethiopia.

Enjoying a cup of traditional Ethiopian coffee with a few members of the community.

Anyway, it was a beautiful sunny Saturday in Guba when I got to experience the new market for the first time. This market has emerged from a project CPAR is involved in and I've been hearing about the pending market (and writing about it in reports for over a year) so I was pumped to experience it first hand. I tried some root vegetable - dug up, prepared and sold - by a young brother and sister. I had a cup of coffee from a woman who before the weekly market days, was not selling coffee and had no regular income. Then I was invited to try some raw red onion with a green dipping sauce. "It's spicy," I was warned. I dipped the raw onion in a little of the sauce and was met with an amazingly delicious flavour, somewhat reminiscent of a taste I've had before. "What is it? It's delicious!" I inquired. It was made of ginger, lime and some green hot chili but for sure there were other ingredients too. I went back for more but the crowd observing me exclaimed that I had taken too much of the spice. Nevertheless I proceeded, the flavour was too delicious to pass up. Admittedly, I burned my tongue a little but it was still so so delicious. I will have to experiment and attempt to recreate it, although I know I'll never quite match it.

People milling about at the market.

 That, I have to say, was the best thing I tasted over the last two months.

You can see the red onion in a bowl by the woman and remnants of the green sauce in the silver dish near the man in the blue shirt.