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South American fruit and vegetables in Sydney
Let’s find the food!
The South American community has grown quite steadily in Sydney over the last 15 years or so. Brazilians, in particular, make up a large portion of this population. However, the supply of South American foods and ingredients has not flooded into the Australian market as quickly as that which followed the Indians, Chinese and Middle Eastern communities. Although this is starting to change as there are several importers who are now importing tonnes of products directly from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina. These companies usually have handy online stores and have gradually built up a network of local retailers to distribute their products.
In this series, we will explore the South American ingredients scene. We will start with Sydney Australia (and its surroundings), then include other Australian states.
Sydney’s Paddys Markets – Flemington
If you live in Sydney or have visited Sydney, it is likely that you are familiar with Paddy’s Haymarket, right next to Chinatown. It is what some would refer to as a flea market, it sells cheap imported items like phone covers, souvenirs, clothing and kids toys. It also has a reasonable fruit and vegetable market that is quite affordable. However, perhaps less known is Paddy’s Haymarket’s bigger brother, located in the suburb of Flemington, right near the Homebush Olympic Park. Yes, Sydney Markets is the largest produce market in Australia, and also Sydney’s best-kept secret. This is where all the fruit and vegetable stores and the vast majority of restaurants and cafes acquire their fruit and veg – directly or through purveyors.
Saturday Markets
The vast majority of these markets are only open to businesses. However, don’t let that worry you because the Saturday market is open to the public and it is actually the better market and greater experience. This is where you will find the most incredibly diverse selection of fresh produce out of anywhere in the country. Furthermore, the crowd of hagglers is the most diverse you will find in Australia as well.
Sydney is full of ethnic community hubs, and here on a Saturday you will see them all mixed together with one common goal, to find the freshest ingredients and pay the best price. I have been visiting these markets since I was a small child, and I have seen the seasonal ingredients from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Pacific Islands cause frenzies. For example, when the Molokhiya has been harvested (a North African green-leafed vegetable that when boiled has the consistency of okra) you will see thousands of Egyptians, Tunisians, Ethiopians, West Africans, and Levantines piling their trolleys with huge bundles. When olives are in season you will see the same with Lebanese, Greeks, and Italians stacking the cases of plump red or bright green olives into their trolleys. It truly is a remarkable experience and an experience that you can only really have in a major multi-ethnic city like Sydney, in a country that grows so much food.
What about South American ingredients?
Here is where you will find the largest, freshest and most affordable range of fruits and vegetables found in Brazil and Spanish Latin America. There are several regular stalls which you can always rely on to have the essentials:
- Fresh Mandioca (cassava or yuca)
- Freshly Frozen Mandioca (cassava or yuca)
- Green Mangoes (manga verde)
- Young drinking coconuts
- Plantains (Banana terra)
- Pitaya (dragon fruit)
- Goiaba (guava)
- Sapote
- Various fresh chilli peppers (pimenta)
- Bacalhau (salted cod)
- Jaca (Jackfruit)
- Pinha (Custard Apple)
- Tamarindo (Tamarind)
- Cana de açúcar (Sugar Cane)
- Carambola (Star Fruit)
- Maracuja (Passionfruit)
- Couve (Chinese broccoli)
- Mamao (Papaya)
This list is only growing as market gardeners and larger producers see a market for certain products.
How to get here
These markets are rather easy to get to via car or public transport.
Drive
If you have a car you are best to drive there because there is plenty of parking on-site and you will find it hard to carry all your bargains back on the train. If you don’t have a car I would recommend hiring a Goget. You can hire one by the hour and it is usually about $10 per hour plus costs per km. https://www.goget.com.au/
Train
You can catch a train from Central to Flemington Station. Flemington Station is right next to the market and is a short walk.
Bus
There is a free hourly bus service to the markets from Auburn, Lidcome, Flemington, Homebush and Strathfield train stations. See the timetable attached https://paddysmarkets.com.au/free-paddys-market-shuttle-bus-loop-route/
If you do take public transport make sure you have a backpack or a small trolley to carry your purchases. Remember that fruit and veg get heavy quickly.
Best time to come
Like all markets, the freshest and best produce is purchased early in the morning. In this case, you should arrive at 6 am, when it opens. You will also get a better parking spot.
However, if you want a bargain. (and I mean a box of mangos for $2 kind of bargain), then come after lunch and nearer to the closing time of 2 pm.
Tips and Tricks
- Come a bit later for serious bargains.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for a better price and haggle.
- Protect valuables like phones, wallets and purses. It is not known for pickpockets or theft, BUT it is a very crowded place and many times you will be rubbing shoulders with 5 people at once so don’t tempt anyone by leaving valuables exposed.
- Bring a small compact trolley that you are comfortable wheeling through crowds. There are supermarket trolleys you can hire for $6 but they are big and hard to maneuver if you are new to this scene.
- Wear closed shoes because your toes will be stepped on or run over by a trolley.
- Avoid wearing overly revealing clothing like mini skirts, short shorts, midriffs, etc. The only reason being that it is very crowded and you are shoulder to shoulder. You don’t want an anonymous wandering hand ruining your experience.
- Go with a friend so you can take turns minding the trolley or boxes, on the outskirts, while one of you dives into the crowd to negotiate a deal.