Some time ago

Three years ago I stayed in Paris in the Montparnasse area as a starting point for a visit of the Rungis wholesale market. Close to the hotel was the Marché Edgar Quinet, named after a French historian. It stretches along a boulevard with the same name – comes very handy.

I really enjoyed the market as it offered a large variety of beautiful produce, wanting me to immediately buy a bigger fridge and stove. I took pictures but never turned it into a post. Rungis dominated my mind.

Rediscovery

In December 2022 I made it again to Montparnasse and had almost forgotten that there was a market in the area. So I was pleasantly surprise to rediscover it while looking for a breakfast place.

Had it changed in the meantime?

Not really to be honest, at least not in terms of beauty.

In size?

Not sure it still stretches for quite a bit and I needed some time to cover it all. Even without buying too much.

Produce

The produce were still beautiful. These great selection of cheeses from various French regions were so seducing. From my perspective: nobody beats the French is this domain.

Oysters were plenty, in all sizes and types. I still don’t know why I did not eat any on the spot. Two times the same mistake, I should be ashamed!

Unfortunately it did not make sense to purchase some fish. Hotels are not made for cooking.

As I am baking bread, I always have to test the ones of other bakers. This time it was an organic focaccia. Good but not impressive, I do better

What I have never tried to do is puff pasty, I leave this to the pros. I bought one filled with cheese. Just great! Even after a couple days back at home and reheating in a microwave I was just delighted. Delighted by the flaky pastry which gave a light crunch entry to the melted cheese with its full flavor providing a gourmet feel good moment.

The meat displays were just great, something I have not found in a comparable quality in Germany, the Netherlands and Eastern Europe. Even the impressive assortment at the St. Lawrence Market Hall in Toronto I recently visited could not match it. The market follows the nose to tail approach. From pig feet, via tripe, marvelous meat cuts, cooked hams with their bone to whole capons with their beautifully feathered heads, it was a journey through a sophisticated cuisine.

Fruits and vegetables stalls are plenty as well, but less remarkable than the other stalls. Here even in my German hometown I have a larger variety, at least in winter time.

Ready made meals of the hearty type complement the market offering. They are worth being eaten on the spot.

Entertainment

Farmers’ markets are about the location which defines produce, prices, customers and of course the traders or producers. Some of the traders know their business, some less. Some are communicative some not.

I believe those who communicate make more business. At least with me. Even when I make myself believe that I can distinguish a good product from a bad one, a good stall owner will certainly convince me of almost anything. At least in the moment I am there.

How does it work? Talk to me, entertain me or show that you are a nerd and know your produce. Or in short: have a good story to tell.

The guy who sold nuts knew exactly how to trigger me, he made jokes, complimented me in front of my wife (I like that) and “forced” me to try a sample of his almonds. They were good indeed and I had to buy a rather too generous amount. He made me try some other samples as well, but I was strong enough this morning to resist his charm.

And of course there is the classic joke on farmers’ markets: when I am asking for permission to take photos, I will get the answer to pay for it 5 or sometimes 50 €uro. This is of course the start of a jolly chat making me happy that I asked.

I will not remember all the dialogues we had at the market, but I certainly will always remember that I was nicely entertained at the Marché Edgar Quinet, one reason to come back another time.

All in all

The marché Edgar Quinet is a traditional French market which gives not only tourists a good introduction into the produce which are at the base the wonderful French cuisine. It is neither a low end nor high end or hipster market, it is down to earth, nothing fake about it. It is worth a visit, if not a detour.

Two tips

A book which always helps when I am in Paris is the “Markets of Paris” from Marjorie R. Williams. It describes quite a few markets by arrondissement (neighborhood) and helps me to find the good ones and their opening times. It is not too recent, but still a very good guide.

She has also written a guide on markets in Provence.

On this blog you will also find posts on other markets in France. Check here

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A long history

Since centuries the regional “capital” Gunzenhausen in Franconia (now part of Bavaria) has the right to hold a market. And since these days, people come from far to buy at the Thursday outdoor market.

Some people from the surrounding area even schedule their doctors or administrative appointments to allow them do their purchases at the market.

This is what I had been told by one market trader. Looking around, the story seemed reasonable as the quality of the produce looked good.

Gunzenhausen is part of Franconia a region in Bavaria, Germany. It is generally speaking an area known for its beer, wine and its cuisine, which in my opinion is one of the better German ones. All is still linked to the regional food production and people are putting some emphasis on food quality. And this region is particularly meat heavy with big portions and small prices.

Regional quality

The outdoor market stretches along the main road in the historical center of the city and has 20 or so stalls. It is a mix of producers and traders, but all with regional roots and often unique products. The offering covered basically everything: fruits & vegetables, dairy, cheese, meat, fish (also local sweet water ones), spices, flowers, bread, pastry.

It is just nice to see a market having regional, rather smaller producers who deliver quality into the city. The local white asparagus for example was in season and carefully screened by knowledgeable housewives.

Let me highlight a few examples to show why people are coming from far to this place.

Re-inventing selling eggs

The lady who sold eggs and pasta made it very clear and explained it in great length that her chicken were truly free range ones. They have stables that they can move from on meadow to the other to provide their animals good food. And I learned that there is no need to put eggs in the fridge, it does not prolong their shelf life.

The succession of the farm seem to be in good hands, as her 11 year old daughter had a few quails and selling their eggs. They went into our basket and made us happy in our home kitchen. Not so easy to crack though.

Direct sales is at the core of their business. Customers can come to their farm at any time, take what they need and put the money into a box. She never really experienced fraud. Nice to hear.

And she even went one step further and sharing a temperature controlled vending machine with a butcher. She is selling eggs, chicken soup, pasta and other items. It is placed next to a camping site and the business is doing well.

I am always amazed about the creativity of small producers when it comes to ideas on how to compete against big business.

A woman’s job and a man’s job

Sheep meat is my favorite one. But it is not as widespread in Germany as pork or chicken. Finding a shepherd who is selling her own meat is then kind of a jackpot as it is often imported from the Netherlands or New Zealand for example.

The lady running the stall enjoyed what she was doing: talking to customers, telling them about all aspects raising and butchering sheep. It was a pleasure to listen to her. And she explained that her family business is clearly divided: her husband does not like to so much to do deal with people, so he is raising the flock. Her strengths is dealing with customers, her husband’s to deal with the animals. Sounds almost like a cliché, doesn’t it?

Bringing wholewheat bread to a new level

The most surprising stall to me was the organic wholewheat baker. Why is that? Well, I am not a particular fan of wholewheat bread. To me, it often lacks a truly fine aroma and spreading butter often results into the slice break apart in more or less big crumbs making it unpleasant to eat.

But this bakery here owned by the Fischer family in Lichtenau offered a truly new experience. Their wholewheat baguette had such a great structure, aroma and taste, a bit different to a classic French baguette, but with a very pleasant own character. No wonder: the sourdough raises for 3 (three) days before it is being baked. And we know that time is probably the most important “ingredient” for a good bread. It was so different to my usual experience that almost jumped around like a kid at Christmas.

Several types of bread found the way into my shopping bag. Still they did not survive for a long time. For people who love bread, there is no way passing by without buying a loaf or a roll.

Two times

At the day of my visit I went two times to the market. First alone, to get the basics for this post and then with my family. They enjoyed the market as well, which does not happen every time I visit one. Especially since there were no typical street food vendors around. Still the local produce was good enough for them.

All in all: The Thursday outdoor market in Gunzenhausen is a great representation of a hub for regional quality products and certainly worth a little detour.

A little link list:

• The page on the market by the city of Gunzenhausen
• The Gunzenhausen market on German TV
• The website of the egg producer and their Facebook presence
• A directory with the contacts of the shepherds
• The website of the organic bakery

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Intro

I had already eaten for lunch. Bad idea when you want to visit the Amsterdam Foodhallen, kind of street food under a roof.

The Foodhallen are located in the heart of the city in De Hallen, a market hall type of complex with all kinds of little non-food stores. The Foodhallen are purely focused on eating on the spot, no produce is being sold.

(Street) Food trends

The New York Times once wrote about the US that “The Food Court Matures Into the Food Hall” indicating that there is a trend among developers to go away from fast food chains and to create food halls which are focusing on (local) artisan restaurants. This is exactly how I would describe the Amsterdam Foodhallen.

I have since some time welcomed and enjoyed street food as it adds new ideas and opportunities to eat quality food, basically always superior to the fast food chains and at a price level below a classic restaurant experience. And the duration of the meal is compatible with impatient teenagers, a relief for families.

But I have become a bit tired of the common street food offerings. I have seen enough burgers, pulled pork, burritos, pizza etc. on street food festivals, more often then necessary also of volatile quality. Saying that, I am still experiencing some great street food like the Bosnian Cevapcici in St. Louis / Missouri (they have opened a restaurant in the mean time), chicken curry at the Borough Market in London or from my perspective the best pizza in Bonn, Germany from PizzaPrinzip which have there base a few steps away from my home :-). But in general I have gotten a bit reserved about it.

What I see is that farmers’ markets and market halls are having more and more street food and less and less produce. As, in general, we want to spend less time for cooking, the street food phenomenon follows the trend of times.

As a fan of good produce I have mixed feelings with this trend. When I first visited the Borough Market in London a few years ago, I was amazed about the variety of products and the mix of very traditional butcher stalls and vegan entrepreneurs. Visiting it in 2019 I saw more street food than produce stalls. For me the charm of the market – its great diversity – got lost. Despite the great curry I ate there.

The foodhallen themselves

I have not counted the stalls there, but there are 21 or so. They are aligned on the sides of the hall, and in the middle there is a long row of tables and chairs to sit down and eat. A clean, pleasant ambiance with a dash of hipsterdom.

The offering did not provide a real surprise, I had the feeling that burgers, pulled pork, sushi, oysters, pizza, Asian style dumplings were dominating. But my eyes certainly overlooked one or two of the 21 food stalls. Independent of the quality of the food itself, it has a rather generic character representing somehow current trends found everywhere. I did not discover any local touch. This would turn this food hall into a distinguishable spot worth making a larger detour. Not to be misunderstood, I am not judging the quality of the individual stalls and their products, it is just that the offering is exchangeable.

The beer offering was wider than in many places I frequent, with a choice of well known craft beer brands. No surprises here as well, but I am already happy when I can spot beers which deserve to be drunk.

Unfortunately I did not discuss with any of the stall owners or staff about the lack of a local touch. Apparently it is just safer meaning more profitable to provide a low risk offering which caters for an international palate. I understand when local business people do not want to take financial risks. But it is a pity in such a creative city as Amsterdam that the demand for more local experiences seem to be so low.

The safe side has one advantage: kids and teenagers will feel comfortable and enjoy the food as the many visiting families I saw there indicated.

All in all: The Amsterdam Foodhallen are not my cup of tea as they lack a true local character, still they provide a much better choice than the usual fast food chains and kids will like it.

A little link list:

• The official website of the foodhallen
• Their Instagram & Facebook accounts
• Great article of the New York Times on the trend towards food halls
• The video from Dutchified gives a first impression
• Nellie is quite impressed of the foodhallen and she provides a wider picture in her post

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Granville Island in Vancouver is supposed to be the second biggest tourist attraction in Canada after the Niagara Falls. So my expectations were not very high when planning to visit the Public Market. I was taught a different lesson.

Getting there

Granville Island is indeed a peninsula and we chose to walk from across the water along the Burrard Street Bridge, which was a mistake in the hot sun. The next time we took a water taxi a far more pleasant way to get there, faster as well.

The peninsula welcomes people with a friendly ambiance: not a lot of cars, everything colorful, yes businesses want to make money from visitors but do it in a non-obtrusive way. It is big enough to make discoveries but still small enough to manage the large cultural and market area by foot.

Being surprised

After entering the big red public market hall, I was surprised to see an ambiance which was not typical touristic. Every produce necessary for cooking at home was available: fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, bread, not so much fish by the way. And for those who need to eat something on the spot, there are quite a few options, but the majority are still “regular” food stalls. The owners of the 50 or so stalls gave the impression that they had an interest in the high quality of their own products and making sure that it stays this way. It was a pleasure to look at all the stalls, not a single one left me behind with a feeling of being taken for a ride. The crowd was also quite mixed, no single dominant fashion statement, everybody can feel at ease.

I was deeply impressed on how a market, in such a touristic environment, is able sustain a very classic approach and not fall into the trap of making quick bucks from visitors and in consequence losing its charm. I think Pike Place Market in Seattle, the market halls in Chania and Rotterdam have not found or have lost this type of balance: staying true to itself and still being a tourist destination. The Granville market has a soul you can feel it in every single corner.

Who ever manages this market: congratulations!

Diversity

I do not know what Canadian cuisine is, but here in the public market it was about diversity in terms of products as well as in terms of people.

Most of the fruit and vegetables seemed to come from the area and where nicely arranged by colors: the greens, yellows and reds had their own spaces in the booths giving an impression that they should form a flag of an unidentified country. It was berry season, and they were piled up in their little boxes reflecting somehow the nearby mountains with their peaks. One little mixed berry box came into my shopping bag and served the breakfasts of the following days.

The meat cuts were more North American style with lots of beef and the vendor I talked to was from Australia. The stall with English style hot pies produced on site had owners of Asian origins. At the “Kaisereck”, a stall with German sausages, perogies and sandwiches, I was served by a Mexican lady while I was chatting with her Swiss colleague at a booth owned by a German in Canada. What a small planet.

Bread and pastries were plentiful with strong French and Italian influence, still I lost track of all the variety. The salted caramel apple focaccia made us very happy, even a seagull – but this story is for later.

I am a cheese lover and one stall which caught my eyes as it had lots of raw milk cheeses, mainly from France and Italy. The ones from Canada, mainly from Quebec and a few from British Columbia were a bit hidden but found also their way into my bag. They definitely had character and made me happy.

The stock & soup stall left a lasting impression on me. Huge pots, like in a little archaic factory, were simmering along to produce broths & stocks from vegetables, mushrooms, veal, beef, chicken, lamb, bison & fish and gravy as well, plus the rich soups. I saw whole cooked chicken being teared apart in front of me, probably for a soup. I do not think having seen something similar at any market before, it was just great to watch the ongoing production while eating one of their soups with corn bread. A nose to tail approach in front of customers. Yes, they had also good vegetarian soups

The falcon

While we were eating the salted caramel apple focaccia outside the market hall, a seagull came flying by and stole the piece on its way to the mouth of my daughter without injuring her. Great artistic performance but a bit annoying. And indeed pigeons and seagulls are waiting to find some food. But the market found the help of a falconer. Once per week he is there with a falcon on his palm, standing around and scaring seagulls and pigeons away. They keep distance while nervously watching the falcon and at times screaming to warn other birds. This keeps the place very peaceful during lunch hours. No bird is hurt as the falcon has been fed beforehand lacking appetite. Good idea, as I do not think that one would appreciate nature so close, meaning a falcon feeding on a seagull while you enjoy a sandwich.

And if you want to know something about habitat management ask the falconer, he is unbelievably patient answering questions.

All in all: The Granville Island Public Market In Vancouver / Canada is a great market for sure, full of quality & diversity and ambiance, serving daily needs as well as the hunger of tourists. A market with a soul.

A little link list:

• The official website of Granville Island Public Market, and some market tips
• The Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts of Granville Island
• The website of stock & soup producers “The Stock Market” which impressed me so much

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Tourists

Markets can be a real tourist attraction. Some famous ones are for example Borough market in London, La Boqueria in Barcelona, Pike Place market in Seattle and also the Rotterdam Markthal. And the Friday cheese market in Alkmaar / Netherlands is famous as well. 300,000 tourist per year come to see how cheese trade worked in the old days. It can be a bit crowded.

The procedure

Officially the market starts at 10am, we came a bit later, had to make our way through but it was still bearable, not too many heads in the way to do photos. And not so many selfies being done by the crowd, the market scenery itself was apparently more interesting – this time.

The Waagplein square in front of the beautiful weigh house is being fenced for this occasion, so that the cheese trading can be conducted the old way along a clear procedure. Big round loaves of cheeses weighing roughly 13kg each had been stacked in an orderly manner on the square.

Men in white uniforms and hats with different colors belonging to the 400+ years old guild of cheese carriers, move in couples up to eight of those cheeses on a wooden barrow. They carry the load from the square, where the cheeses are orderly piled to the weigh house and back so that they can be transported further to the buyers. To carry the heavy load without cheeses falling off, they perform a walk which is kind of a hybrid between running and dancing. This is one of the highlights of the whole market show which was explained by a friendly lady to the audience in several languages.

Truth be told

Indeed it is a show and not everybody knows it, which creates its own little confusion. Even me, I wanted to believe that there is still some cheese retailers which buy the cheese on the spot. I was told wrong by a gentleman in the weigh house. He was producing the certificates for tourists being weighed for a Euro on a historical cheese scale. In his regular job he is a bus driver. He just finished his morning shift, and would continue driving after the market closure at 1pm. For the performance he is paid by the city and he enjoys it a lot. The city still keeps up this tradition as a folkloristic event, something he appreciates. “We need to remember how things have been” was his statement, sounding like: we are in the digital age, but there is another life as well.

The cheese itself is being brought from nearby factories by lorries to the site and being brought back afterwards.

What to think of it

Of course the whole thing is a show, a free one. Everything is fun to watch. It is not about the food itself, it is more about trade, traditions and the role of guilds centuries ago, in short. a living museum. And for me, somebody who is not a hygiene freak, I like to see that these cheeses which laid on the ground on mattresses are being sold in retail with this touch of “old days style”.

All in all: Let the show begin and enjoy a folkloristic view on cheese trade as it happened in Alkmaar long time ago

A little link list:

• The official site of the cheese market
• The cheese museum in the weigh house
• A little blog post from HolidayparkSpecials
• Some nice photos and tips on how to reach the market from Amsterdam – from A wanderlust for life
• And some more nice photos from dacemiracles.com a Japanese dancer

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New in town

January 5th, 2018. The opening of a new market hall in Cologne, Germany. Renate & Ulrich Engels a couple living since a long time in the neighborhood took on the challenge to create something new in the area: “Markthalle Belgisches Viertel“. Several years of struggling to get all the permits and the renovation of an existing structure, finding the right people, “just” to make a dream come true. The couple does not belong to the classic start up generation from an age perspective and therefore I am stunned by their willingness to take on this risk. They transformed their passion for the markets in France and elsewhere into something beautiful.

The market hall caters rather for the neighborhood (“Veedel” as it is called in Cologne) then the “whole” city. It is a place for food, produce and meeting neighbors, producers and other people, not huge but big enough.

It is difficult to compare it with other market halls. Most of the other ones like the one in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Budapest, Athens or Cork are well established, partly with generations of traders. The Rotterdam one has an incredible architecture, but still has to find its true character beyond being an attraction. The Markthalle 9 in Berlin is probably the one which comes closest, but the Markthalle Belgisches Viertel is more embedded in the surrounding culture and way of living.

Creating individuality

What surprised me when I entered the building: I felt immediately comfortable. Everything is nicely put together and makes you feel that the market had been around for a while and got its “patina“, the sign of real life. There is lots of room for individualism, each stall – and there are only 10 – is different, nothing is standardized. The baker lady has chosen a pale yellow, a painful decision for some people. The butcher shop opposite is very modern: lots of glass for transparency, no hiding of the crafted meat. The chairs and tables on the lower floor are all different, the tables as well. The bar of the restaurant has been decorated by a local graffiti artist – he has now free espresso until …

Challenges

Giving every trader his freedom to design his/her shop as desired, needed to be balanced with requirements of the other ones, not an easy task for the couple. And indeed the challenges were not only on the bureaucratic side – German construction laws have a reputation of their own – or dealing with craftsmen in times of construction boom. Finding the right shop owners was the toughest part according to Mr. Engels. As the concept is based on true individuals or characters who know their products, franchises were not aimed for. And not every entrepreneur has the capacity to serve the market six days a week for 10 hours daily. And indeed the guy who was suppose to take over the restaurant canceled it shortly before the opening. But improvisation turned out well: for the first days some pop restaurant folks from Cologne took over and served great street food (to my delight: no burgers, they have turned from my perspective to a plague in Germany).

Chatting with the traders

Mrs. & Mr.  Engels truly chose individuals with a passion for their products. It was fun chatting with each of them, they were so eager to explain their offering, providing samples and giving advice on how to use them. Each producer had its own style.

The baker lady with her down to earth shop explained in details her breads based on a 47 year old sourdough – mine being only a couple months old, I felt sort of young again. Coming from an area where I believe some of the best bread is being made, I was pleased with her rye bread.

I was happy to meet the wine maker who remembered me from another event. He was the one who told me about this market hall and is therefore responsible for this post. Unfortunately I was not in the mood to drink some wine. But he was also offering some fermented veggies from Mrs. Avci. She explained the process of fermentation as I wanted to understand a bit the hype around it as I observe it in some foodie segments outside Germany. We are used to sauerkraut but not much more. Try it and also her small batch Kombucha which she produces with a partner.

Mrs. Collin who runs the French cheese shop (nice selection) told me how she got into the business. She met her French husband at a university in France, but as she was the first to find a job, they moved to Germany and soon her husband, a former shepherd started the cheese business. She will continue running the market hall shop, whereas he is handling the one at the Carlsplatz market in Düsseldorf. Not an easy life. And I have to thank her eternally for connecting me to Mr. Engels. I learned a lot from him about running such a place.

The young hunter & butcher Lappen & Prengel was hyper this day. He was walking around in the hall looking at the people, serving and telling everybody about his meat and sausages with endless energy. He takes a lot of pride in the animals he hunts or sources and the transparency in the butchering process he tries to achieve. Visitors of the market hall can even the see the meat stored on hooks behind a glass window, the sausages are made in front of everybody – great approach to promote crafted meat. I bought for the first time some kidneys. I was surprised to see how many people suddenly became interested in it and one lady from Bavaria shared her recipe with me – gorgeous result. As the young owner butchers only a few animals per week you have to hurry to get them.

Lucy Barré who owns with her husband a French pastry shop did not have a fixed stall so far, which I hope will change soon. Despite being close to delivery she chose to be at the opening of the market hall. I am very grateful for that as she was selling true Galette des Rois (King cake). It is a puff pastry filled with an almond paste and somewhere hidden is a tiny porcelain figurine. The person who discovers it in his piece of the cake becomes the king of the day and gets a golden paper crown. I bought one as my childhood memories popped up, unfortunately I did not become the king when we ate it. Anyway, Mrs. Barré might be a mother by now, I wish her and her child all the best.

Food place

No market hall nowadays without a food place. The folks from Dreigang (three course in German) who were only here as a stand in, usually work as a supper club. They loved the open kitchen as they prefer to work in direct contact with the customers. I took advantage of it. My detailed questions about the business were appreciated (or tolerated?) and I learned not only how to produce rosemary syrup but also about the advantages of such a business being different to running a restaurant.

Learning curve

With all the discussions I had, especially with Mr. Engels, I gained a lot of respect on what it means to set up and run the market, the individual shops. And what it means to orchestrate the unbelievable magnitude of details to make it a success for the customers, the traders and the owners. It is a steep learning curve for everybody. I am very curious on how the market hall will develop, which traders will sustain the long working hours and how this place will develop to the place to meet your neighbors. There is enough space, even for events to bring people together.

All in all: Go for the Markthalle Belgisches Viertel in Cologne, it is a place where you will feel comfortable, get to know the neighborhood and eat & buy get great products as well.

A little link list (mostly in German):

• The official website
• The market hall on Facebook
• The hunter & butcher Lappen & Prengel
• The French pastry shop
• The bakery
• The hip guys from the IMI winery
• The fermented vegetables producer
• French cheese shop
• The pop-up restaurant folks
• A short report on TV (min 4:00)
• My other posts on markets in Cologne

Most producers have also a Facebook presence.

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Scroll down for the map including directions

What I still remember is the cheese, the wood oven bread and the horse meat sausages – all from the region of Saxony – I had to buy it.

A bit of walking

It was the end of the summer school vacation. It was warm but gray, the ambiance at the market very relaxed. The vendors had time to talk and nobody seemed to be in a hurry.

The Sachsenmarkt in Dresden is not a small one I have to say. Two parallel lanes of about 100 meters separated by grass and rows of trees for picnic (is it allowed?), each lane with two rows of stalls – officially around 160 – facing each other. I had to do a bit of walking to get a glimpse of the wide choice.

A Westerner meets the East

As somebody who grew up in Western Germany my notion of Eastern Germany is rather limited, nothing to be proud of. When thinking of agricultural production in the East, I always have the big state farms in mind. And looking at the fields while traveling, they looked much larger than the ones in my area. So I was pleasantly surprised to see so many small producers at the market.

The whole market has a strong focus on regional products, also something I am not used too. “International” products were rare. Yes, the fish was not from the area, a Turkish stall served Mediterranean delicacies, the flowers probably came from the Netherlands and the Hungarian stall was run by real Hungarians. But that’s about it I guess. The rest was showing what the region has to offer.

Cheese, bread & horse meat

I do not consider Germany as a cheese country, the market seems dominated by large scale dairies which produce surprisingly low quality or boring stuff. France, Italy & the Netherlands are still the true cheese heaven to me.

The Sachsenmarkt surprised me. I guess at least 6 stalls with regional artisan cheeses, the highest density I have ever seen at a German market. Most of it was organic, from cow milk but also a lot from goat milk – I do not remember sheep milk. The choice was plentiful: from fresh cheeses to more mature ones up to a year old; with different ingredients and spices – always a winner: fenugreek; but also with funny names: Gute-Laune-Käse (jolly mood cheese) – did not try this one, I was already fine. The only thing I really missed were truly old cheeses. I just love the “yellow gold” which is 3 years old or so, the aroma is so concentrated and overwhelming. Unfortunately these artisans do not have enough space to produce it and maybe customers would not like to pay the necessary premium.

Another attraction was the baker who produced on site in a wood fire oven. People were queuing to get their share. He does not mind making the effort to bring his mobile oven to the markets and living a life where you have to get up early to produce real bread. He loves his craft and does not want to stop even though it is hard to find apprentices for his business. I guess working in a bread factory means having a more socially compatible schedule. He had a large variety of breads, I bought three smaller ones: a potato bread, one with sprouts and a regular sourdough one. They were tasty.

Three stalls had horse meat and sausages. I once had in Italy my very first horse steak tartar. It is decades ago and I am still chasing this taste. These stalls brought me closer to it and I bought a few sausages. One of them was run by one of the few remaining horse meat butchers in the region, the old generation does not seem to find successors. The clientèle is also rather limited but thankfully he still continues his job. Of course he sells also other meats to make a living.

BBQ on a bicycle

What a surprise! At the end of the market I found something I saw once: a charcoal grill for Bratwurst on a bicycle! Three years ago I had a stop over in Chemnitz at the market roughly one hour drive from Dresden. I saw the same bike, and yes the guy told me that it was him, the one from Chemnitz. The world is a small planet! But I don’t think that he was cycling the whole distance.

Learn the difference between Dresden and Leipzig

Most of the vendors cater for several markets. As regional and organic food is not on the budget side, they are looking for larger cities with purchasing power. Leipzig, the largest city in the state of Saxony is not far away from Dresden, its capital. Space for a rivalry. And yes, I learned my lesson from a lady selling bread; the message was very clear: Leipzig people are grumpy, they complain too much, they are not laid back. You go there only for the money not for the fun. Dresden people are just the opposite: friendly and gemütlich! They always have time for a chat and are patient. I can confirm the latter for this market: once I started a conversation with any vendor he did not end until I continued my walk, while real customers waited patiently for their turn.

Now I have to check out the Leipzig markets.

All in all: A display of Saxony produces, go for it if you want to get to know the regional bounty – only on Fridays.

A little link list:

• Farmers’ markets in Dresden (German)
• Marktgilde, the company managing the Sachsenmarkt amongst many others in Germany

The post Cheese, bread & horse meat – Sachsenmarkt in Dresden / Germany appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.

Scroll to the end for the map to find Albert Cuyp market

The Saturday weather was great, so the ice cream guy at the market was almost sold out but I was still lucky. And the refreshment was needed. The Albert Cuyp street with the market of the same name is very, very long. And lively. And huge. It is not a gourmet, hipster, vegan or organic market. Lots of non-food items like clothes and electronics are available. But of course I am focusing on the food part of this more than 100 year old market.

Some bloggers like “that food cray” and “ginger girl” took their time to check on the street food like stroopwafels, a thin waffle with caramel syrup, or pickled herring. I was rather strolling around to see what I could buy for cooking at home if I would live in Amsterdam.

So there is plenty of fresh fish, smoked fish and seafood. Basically I have never seen a Dutch market without lots of fish and it is often served on the spot fried in a batter with some kind of tartar sauce. Strangely enough I did not spot much cheese.

What is not to be missed on a Dutch market are the stalls with dried or candied fruit and nuts, I have no idea where this preference is coming from. Obviously there are fruit and vegetable stalls as well with a standard offering.

All the produce stalls were squattered along this street resulting in a pleasant exercise to see them all.

Even though the market is much advertised, it is not one where I would go for to find delicacies, but certainly for the daily produce it is good enough. But the vibe of the market is really great and makes a visit worthwhile. People of all kinds are strolling along worth to be watched when you are a curious person. The traders with their rather rough expression give it an authentic feel, and as it is not far from the more touristic parts one gets a touch of “real” Amsterdam. And if there is a need for a rest, all along this street there are cafés, restaurants etc. Do that only after having tried a smoothie at one of the booths.

All in all: A very lively market and a good opportunity to discover “real” Amsterdam off the beaten path

A little link list:

• The market homepage
• Description of the market by the Dutch market directory
• The Albert Cuyp Market on Wikipedia
• The market on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• 5 things to eat at the market by “that food cray“
• Ginger Girl Says has her view on what to eat
• A list of markets in Amsterdam published by the city
• A post with pictures from Wanderblogger
• My other posts of Dutch markets

The post Popular – Albert Cuyp Market, Amsterdam / Netherlands appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.

Scroll to the end for the map

An accident

I just finished my visit of the Noordermarkt, a famous market in Amsterdam, when I tumbled across the Lindengracht market, just a little block away. This outdoor market stretched along in the middle strip of the Lindengracht street. At the beginning the friendly Theo Thijssen monument welcomes the customers. Theo Thijssen was a famous Dutch teacher coming out of this neighborhood called Jordaan not far away from the city center.

Contrast

The first thing which stroke me was the contrast to the Noordermarkt. I just had left it a minute ago with some hipster, urban and organic memories. And now at the Lindengracht I entered a world which I would call “classic”. The offering was more “usual”, somehow between hipster and supermarket. Still it got my attention, and the narrow, long stretched walking strip with stalls on the left an right created its own pleasant buzz. The traders had also a more robust appearance, and were used to a clientèle which was probably more focused on a quick shopping for quality then on elaborate explanations of each product – but maybe this is just my own cliché.

Having such a contrast of two markets next to each other, the question of preference comes to mind. It is a similar question to: “what is your favorite market?“. I tried to give an answer in an interview conducted by the food & market blogger Marjorie R. Williams. Markets have so many aspects which make them likable or not. This might be the location, buzz, offering, customers, community building, traders, opportunities to sit down and relax with friends etc. At the Noordermarkt I liked the quality of the food, and at the Lindengracht market the down to earth buzz. Therefore my choice will depend on my mood on any given day.

Offering

Even though I had not the chance to visit many Dutch markets, I found two distinct, characteristic elements often not available elsewhere in this quantity: there is always a large selection of fish and dried or candied fruit of all kinds. This was also the case at the Lindengracht market. And I discovered that vegetables chips are great as well, in this case carrots, green beans, parsnip and kohlrabi.

Of course the market had a complete offering as well, including flowers, bread, meat vegetables, cheese and the like. There was also a little street food, I saw a stall which was only orange: oranges in bags, fresh orange juice in bottles and cups. Fresh fruit pieces in transparent plastic cups were served as well, a product which has spread across European markets and is now widely available. Simple salads were made on the spot and ready to eat.

All in all: Peak into the Lindengracht market to have a contrast to the more hipster and famous Noordermarkt around the corner – it is a nice one as well

A little link list:

• An introduction to the market with all relevant data by Amsterdam.info – they consider it to be the best food market in Amsterdam
• A great photo gallery from Scenes of a Public Market – Check the other galleries as well, it is worth it
• A little Amsterdam market guide

The post Almost famous – Lindengracht market, Amsterdam / Netherlands appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.

“They are Slow Food” the guy from Zürich told me when tasting the oysters from the nearby sea for the bar he wanted to start in his home town. The oysters just been collected, they were not farmed. “Slow Food” indeed describes the organic Noordermarkt fairly well. It is located near the city center of Amsterdam (see map below). It is surrounded by nice cafés, a play ground and the large Noorderkerk church, offering kind of a Mediterranean, relaxing feeling – at least on sunny days.

Due to the EuroPride 2016 canal parade the market was smaller than usual, but still worth a visit.

The oysters

Coming back to the oysters. The stall owner gets them from the North Sea, they are not farmed, they are wild ones, just collected off the ground, obviously during low tide. The helpful staff opens them up to be eaten on the spot, with lemon, Tabasco, pepper or just natural. A glass of champagne from Germany – yes! – complements them. Good start of the day. These oysters are not as famous as the ones from France, but the owner drives them even down to Switzerland, where they can be resold with a nice margin. And I learned something new about oysters: the “pregnant” ones taste creamier than usual, not necessarily to my liking. The vendor had unusual signs with pregnant and non-pregnant mermaids to represent them – check the picture gallery.

Walking along

After this first meal and longer conversation with the Swiss guy and his upcoming bar business, it was time to move on and discover the other offering. Summer is always a good season for a market visit, colors are bright due to nature’s bounty, people are in a good mood and have time to enjoy the food. The traders, as I have observed on other Dutch markets as well, have a nicely swift, direct and sarcastic humor. Not really gentle, but very funny. The crowd looks pretty much like health conscious middle class, not as diverse as in The Hague at the Haagse Markt.

The offering is nicely presented, flowers give the individual stalls a country home feeling, everything is tasteful aiming at high quality and not at cheap prices. The herbs vendor had a garden of Eden like display enticing an “I want to have it” feeling, just gorgeous. His salsa in the big clay pots gives an excuse to take a short cut instead of cooking yourself.

The fruits and veggie stalls were in peak season. Berries, plums, zucchini blossoms, all kinds of tomatoes, beets and much more celebrated summer, the samples helped to make the choice what to purchase much easier.

Cheese is a very integral part of the Dutch diet. Several stalls catered for the appetite. The selection was not only about the big cheese wheels as known from travel reports. Some are imported cheeses like the Austrian mountain cheese with honey & clover I enjoyed a lot as it was not sweet but made the honey taste blend in really well. In general the choice is rather focused on semi-hard and hard cheeses, with only a few fresh or soft ones, but with excellent aromas. It is popular to add spices like cumin, seeds, e.g. clover, pesto etc. during the cheese making process, thus creating more diversity. My favorites are still the 3 or more year old farmers’ cheeses (Boerenkaas) which have a very concentrated gorgeous aroma. For kids the younger ones are probably more suitable as they taste smoother. Let them cut in dices by the vendor, get some bread (or not) and you will almost save lunch, it is so rich in flavor.

Coming from Germany, I am not a particular friend of Dutch bread from a taste & consistency perspective. But on the market there were some decent ones available. And it is also baked on site. So I assume that they use prepared frozen dough like any (cheap) baking shop nowadays. This is a bit disappointing, their beautiful presentation helped me to overcome these feelings, especially since I cannot resist croissants, which were decent. I also think they are a good way to judge if a baker understands his craft or not and is using good products in the first place.

Next stop: meat and sausages. I bought some dried pork sausage to bring back home with strong aroma fitting well to a good beer. The meat is also a temptation, especially lamb. Most meat was vacuum packed, rather supermarket and not butcher like.

What I find in many Dutch markets are the dried fruit & nuts section in all kinds of mixes often of tropical origin. I do not remember other European markets having such a liking for this product category. Maybe I have not traveled enough.

Despite the appetite for fish in this country there was only one stall selling it, including live lobster. And I do not remember if it was organic, farmed or “regular” fish. The oysters were definitely more interesting to me.

And yes there was a little street food available, I think only Vietnamese.

The costs of running a business on the market

Markets are a business for localities, traders and at times market management companies like the Group Géraud. And I am always wondering what traders have to pay for being at the market. At the Noordermarkt it was easier to find out as two gentlemen in a kind of uniform were collecting the fees. They did that with a device that had each trader with his/her photo. They told me that the fees varied by size of the stall, day of the week and locality of the market. In this case it was about 19.20€ for a 4 meters stall per market day. That would translate into a 576€ monthly rental, highly likely much cheaper than any shop in that area. It seems to be a good place to start a business at reasonable risks.

All in all: A nice market worth a detour when you are in Amsterdam, especially when you are looking for organic products

A little link list:

• A quick introduction from Amsterdam.info
• A free e-book on the markets of Amsterdam
• The Noordermarkt on Wikipedia

The post Trendy – Organic Noordermarkt, Amsterdam / Netherlands appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.