The busy, untouristy Dappermarkt is a swirl of life and colour, with around 250 stalls. It reflects the Oost's diverse immigrant population, and is full of people (Africans, Turks, Dutch, hipsters), foods (apricots, olives, fish, Turkish kebabs) and goods from costume jewellery to cheap clothes, all sold from stalls lining the street.
Dapperstraat is named after Olfert Dapper, a 17th-century doctor and writer. His book Description of Africa was a seminal text of its time, which he wrote despite never having travelled outside the Netherlands.