Marchés sur terre - The best markets on earth
Bukittinggi spice market (Indonesia)
Directed by Bruno Boulianne, Yvonne Defour, Marie-France LavalS2 • E7 Feb 16, 2017
Indonesia is a major hub for the spice trade, and the country has long supplied special flavours and aromas for recipes from around the world. The city of Bukittinggi, located on a fertile plateau on the island of Sumatra, is built around its spice market, which dates to the early 19th century. Aromatics, condiments, seasonings and spices fill the market's nearly 2500 colourful, fragrant stalls, visited by hundreds of buyers every day. A cornucopia of flavours, the market's stalls overflow with cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, mustard seed, cloves and great piles of dried peppers. The spices are used in a multitude of ways, not only in Indonesian cuisine. Curried stews, fever remedies, massage oils and skin creams: one way or another, they all make use of spices. The merchants - who make up a majority in the town of Bukittinggi - offer turmeric, lemongrass, ginger and anise, selling up to 20 kg a week. When the market opens in the pre-dawn hours, pay a visit and breathe in an intoxicating blend of countless mingled aromas and flavours. Sitting at the foot of lush green mountains and protected by pretty peaked roofs reminiscent of buffalo horns, the Bukittinggi market will show you where the delicious spices in your kitchen come from.
