The market hall  in Stuttgart / Germany reminds rather a gourmet department store than a classic farmers market. It is certainly due that Stuttgart is a rich city where people (despite their reputation) are willing in that place to spend money for good food. The market hall is located in downtown Stuttgart in the pedestrian zone and constitutes an own block in this area.

The market hall has a strong section of international food from Italy, Greece, Spain & Hungary for example. Still local products play an important role often in a very refined way. Be it Swabian (that’s the “tribe” of the area) ravioli called Maultaschen, regional whisky, meat from local pig breeds etc. This mix of international and local products produces nice contrasts.

It is also easy to find some little treasures: superb filled dates, Kobe beef, dried berberis, whisky based on spelt. And all the other products are usually of high quality so it becomes easy to do shopping when you want to surprise your guest with a gourmet meal full of surprises. Well not all choices are great I have to admit, the cheese selection is nice but not particular.

The stands present their products in a very appealing way, and the very friendly service leads you to spend more than you had anticipated. Well, the reward at home is usually great.

The whole setup of the market hall is focused towards a well-off crowd with a high willingness to pay for good to excellent quality. And some stands have transformed themselves from rustic stands to structures which are much more speciality shop like with a lot of “bling bling”. And therefore the market hall detaches itself from the weekly market outside the building in a drastic way. Not everybody welcomes that move.

The highlights: the stand with the dates, Swabian Whisky, international specialities, local Swabian products of high quality

All in all: a great place for buying food and a feast for the eyes. Worth more than one visit.

A little link list:

• The official site – in German
• A blog entry from the US Army in Stuttgart – obviously in English
• Beautiful pictures from “a cook’s canvas” blog
• A nice panoramic 360 degree photo

The post Market hall Stuttgart / Germany appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.