A colleague’s foresight

“Let’s have a coffee at the market hall” my colleague Peter said. The coffee in the hotel wasn’t bad, but he is a market enthusiast and had the foresight to find the market hall some time ahead and squeeze it into our busy business schedule.

So we walked a few minutes through the city of Kecskemét, passing by beautiful buildings of the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The city is located roughly one hour southeast of Budapest and was in the past, and probably still is a hub for agricultural trade. In recent times car manufacturing created many jobs.

The sky was announcing a hot day, and the shade of a market hall was welcomed.

First glimpse

The first sight of the market hall did not look promising, the structure reminded rather of the back side of a supermarket than something welcoming. Inside we first crossed a couple of coffee shops with people just getting ready for the day with a cup of caffeine.

The market hall is one which needs a second look to discover all the goodness. Many tables in the middle of the hall were empty and we later discovered that the action was outside on that day. But some great goodness was waiting for us.

The couple cheese stalls had true artisan cheeses, from fresh ones to slightly older ones. The fresh one was just a big white, depending on the customer the right size was just cut off with a big spoon. Despite the language barriers Peter was not shy at all to ask for some samples and I benefited greatly from it. The different cheeses were all rather mild but with a clear character, a wonderful discovery. Buy some for a snack if you come across them.

The butchers got Peters attention: “look at it: they have real big chicken, not as small as we have at home”. Indeed the whole meat section was wonderful with a slightly archaic touch – just the way I love it. Dried and smoked skins of pig heads, offals of all kinds and large cow rumen. Of course regular meat cuts and Hungarian salami were available as well. A well spiced one of the latter found space in our luggage, and I believe no smell bothered any other travel companions.

And yes there were pickles. I first saw the Hungarian version in the Budapest market hall. There was a tendency that those pickles in the jars were assorted in a neat way, and some seeds used to mark smileys on larger chunks of vegetables. I thought those were done for tourists only, but here in Kecskemét it was the normal way of doing it. Great marketing approach, makes not only kids look for them.

Outside

Before getting our coffee we went outside, as it was the day of the extended market. Under a larger covered structure we saw the bounty of summer time: it was full of ripe, juicy fruit and vegetables. Nothing looked evenly shaped as in the supermarkets, nothing was wrapped in plastic. All the produce looked like coming from real farms of the area. It had a touch of paradise: Watermelon in red and yellow, big juicy peaches, beautiful plums, peppers, fresh corn, cucumbers and more. It was just beautiful.

And it was busy. It looked like people wanted to make sure that they got the real, fresh stuff before going to work or back to their homes as in the case of the older people who were in the majority.

We bought some fruit to eat during the day and got some water melon samples. English skills were not abundant at the market but this was not a true barrier. At times German helped.

Finally, our coffee

Just before heading back, we finally got to get our coffee. A simple stall with a high table in front to sit down a bit. The specialty of this popular shop was espresso in a glass with very sweet whipped cream on top. Double shot here meant double portion of whipped cream, not coffee. It went down very well, and we headed out of the market to get our business day starting.

All in all: When in Kecskemét visit the market hall and have a coffee while watching the locals getting fresh produce for their home, don’t hesitate to try the goodness available.

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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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Louhans? Where? What?

How did I end up in Louhans, Burgundy? When I was visiting the Manosque market last year, a vendor recommended me to visit this special one in Louhans, as it is known for also selling a large variety of live animals. This caught my interest, especially since it was not a classic tourist area I thought.

Louhans is in the heart of the Bresse region in Burgundy, famous for its delicious Bresse chicken, only produced in the area. It has a very rural touch and so is the market. And it is a huge market. Spread all over the city having three sections: the flea market type one, produce stalls and the live animal section.

The live animal section

The live animal section reflects a region where people still have a strong connection to food production. All kinds of live poultry, rabbits and a like were at sale. And customers do buy those animals to fatten and slaughter them or for producing eggs. It amazes me to see such a deeply embedded tradition to produce your own food. It indicates how strongly people put focus on a cuisine based on good and fresh products. Or that backyards are still large enough.

The handling of the animals is robust, not for the feint hearted. It is about trade, not every animal has really space like in a zoo. When a customer has selected hens or ducks and the like, they are put in a cardboard box, slits are being cut in, so it becomes easier to carry them and leaving some air for the animals to breathe or stick out their neck. Feathers of the duck wings maybe trimmed – in front of everybody – to avoid them from flying away when unloaded, which happens from time to time.

The variety of poultry is very diverse: chicken of all kinds, pigeons, turkeys, wild and domestic ducks, geese, guinea fowl, quail and probably more. It seems that everything which flies and can be eaten is available there. Most of the vendors had a similar range of chicken with prices for the live animal around the 10€. What I did not see were other farm animals like calves and sheep which are being sold as well.

A special breeder

One vendor – La Ferme de Quain in Devrouze (picture) – was specialized in rare chicken breeds. He cannot make a living out of it, as the prices for those animals cannot be afforded by everybody. Still as a passionate amateur he joins the market every Monday. He did not have a lot of respect for the low end poultry offering as he considered the meat as tasteless. His favourite breed from a meat quality perspective is the Le Merlerault a very rare black chicken from Normandy which needs more than a year to gain its full weight. As the end price would be more than 50€ a chicken, it is only something for enthusiasts. Would like to taste it though, just to get an idea if it is worth it. His customers do not only come from the area, but also from neighbouring countries like Switzerland, Germany & the Netherlands. Much to the excitement of the market visitors he also showed a couple peacocks. It always makes me happy to see passionate people like this vendor who contribute to preservation and diversity leaving the world a little less streamlined.

Street food

As it was cold that day there was a need to get some warm street food. Well here we are in the rural world, classic French inland cuisine was served. This included all kind of boiled meats, sauerkraut, sausages but also more sophisticated food. The butcher “La Sornaysienne” offered pure beef tripe sausage (Andouillette) with potatoes boiled together in a mustard sauce. The portion served was immediately empty as it was so satidfying, simple but well put together.

The other sections of the market

Spread across the city the market delivers everything which is needed for the daily cuisine: vegetables, fruit, artisan cheese, meat, sausages, oysters, nougat, herbs and much more.

The Bresse chicken gets of course special attention. They have to be presented by the butcher as a whole with the blue feet, white feathers around the neck & head as well as the red comb. This way can it is assured that the customer gets the real thing. And the Bresse chicken colours also represent the ones of the French flag. Of course the butcher prepares the chicken if wanted ready for cooking.

The artisan cheeses were just gorgeous, especially if you like the goat and sheep milk ones. A young vendor who had piles of his own sheep cheeses of different ages did not have his origin in the rural world. His father decided eight years ago to leave his engineering job in Paris and to start producing cheese in the Larzac, a rather remote area quite far away. Now the family serves several markets with their products and the young son has no intention to go back urban, as he believes – despite the hard work – to have found his passion.

The little things

The typical French dried sausages came in many “flavours” with duck meat, nuts, pepper, smoked and many more. A perfect purchase for eating on the road with a baguette, just don’t forget your pocket knife.

And for the first time I saw organic purple “green” beans (see gallery). Unfortunately they turn green when cooked – of course still having a remarkable taste.

A few craftsmen: bring your knife to get it sharpened or buy an original clock from the 18th century – still working.

All in all: A great market – the mix of live animals, good products and rural traditions is impressive – also good for kids.

A little link list:

• The official website of Louhans (French)
• The markets of the area (French)
• A video report on the market (French)
• A blog post “The Madhouse Market City of Louhans”
• And to get the directions, just use the map below

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