Grey winter day

Is it a good idea on a grey winter day to visit the market? Not sure, but it is a good excuse to get some fresh air when in the office the whole day.

Surprising structures

The central market of Bratislava (Trhovisko Miletičova – Miletička) at Miletičova street is fairly large (see map below). It consists of many permanent structures for bakeries, butchers, cheese mongers etc., a roof structure covering the produce stalls and some random pop-up tables for people with small offerings.

The permanent structures, all wooden huts, usually had small windows where the customers could make their orders from the outside. This reminded me of shops in areas where theft is abundant. So I was wondering how customers were seen here. In some cases customers could enter the stall through narrow doors, which was more welcoming.

The slightly run down roof structure would give a very nice shade on a hot sunny day, but on a grey winter day it might somber you mood a bit. At least until you meet the friendly vendors. They had no problem letting me take pictures of their beautiful merchandise. And indeed they piled up vegetables with care and sense for beauty which looked a more inviting and more diverse than the one at the Nová Tržnica market hall. Indeed the merchandise under the roof was the most interesting one in the market and no small window separated the clientele from the vendor.

The pop-up dealers had a very limited offer, one product category only, be it pumpkin seeds, bread, bakery goods or so. Several of these vendors were old ladies who looked like they needed to add some Euros to their pensions.

The discoveries

It seemed that the market was in peak season for pumpkin seeds and pickles. The variety was impressive.

The pumpkin seeds came roasted, salted, unsalted, with paprika powder and more. The roasted ones are especially good for tourists, ready to  nibble, without the need to spit hulls. Strangely enough the vendor selling me those was from Hungary. No idea why he had to come to Bratislava for his small business. He made clear that he preferred the Budapest markets over this one. Make the comparison yourself when reading my post on the central market hall in Budapest.

The pickles were really amazing to look at. Besides the sauerkraut, all kinds of vegetables were pickled the home made way. They were sold out of large buckets, like the stuffed cucumbers and peppers or in little plastic jars. Those were layered with care and a sense of colourful beauty (see the picture gallery). The home made horseradish and other preserves gave an impression on what the local cuisine likes.

The vegetables, more or less of the season, were arranged beautifully, lush but without wasteful presentation. Cabbages, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, zucchinis, broccoli, radishes in different varieties, beans … all were there, enough to create a nice variety of winter dishes. Inspiring.

A few things I did not figure out. What do you need 15 cm large paper thin wafers for? They break so easily. Then there is this long bread dumpling which is so light, without real taste. I ate it once, basically it is good for dipping into rich sauces, but …

The butchers had simple choices of meat and especially dried sausages (good to bring home). I was most impressed by the variety of fatback offered, clearly abundant – looks like hearty cooking in the region. The typical Slovak smoked cheese was also available, unfortunately it has never been one of my favourites, despite being offered with nice patterns on the thin rind.

When you are hungry on the spot

Some stalls offer ready made food like Lángos (a deep fried flat bread), potato pancake, and local hearty dishes with or without meat. Even though I am addicted to Lángos, I did not eat anything, so no possibility to give a recommendation.

All in all: When looking for what Slovaks buy for cooking and for local discoveries, probably the place to be in Bratislava.

A little link list:

• The facebook page of the market with pictures, videos and other information
• Small post at spottedbylocals.com
• A post with many pictures from 52 weeks in Slovakia
• Different: a fashion shooting at the market from Donna Iveh Fashion Blog
• More pictures on my photo site

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Surprise: winter is cold

It is cold, it is grey on this winter day in Zagreb, but suddenly there are bright summer colours popping up. Piles of oranges, mandarines, apples, kiwis and the abundant red umbrellas pop up when approaching the Kvatric market (or Kvaternikov Trg). A friendly touch to this day.

Located next to a larger street (Ulica Pavla Šubića), the iron fence around the market gives a feeling of being a protected school yard. And it is busy indeed, despite being smaller than the more famous Dolac market.

Structure & order are everything

The city of Zagreb has a very clear idea on how a market has to be like: it has to look very, very organized and structured. All stalls in the centre have the same tables of the same size of the same shape. Against sun, rain and maybe bad luck the stalls are all protected by the same umbrellas, the ones beach cafés might use as well. There is a section with open stalls which need refrigeration and a glass protected display. Also here the same size, shape and style. The open space is surrounded by permanent structures which look also similar to one another.

The vendors

The vendors, mainly ladies, gave this rigid structure and organization a nice charm. To my relief some of them spoke English. The cheese stands operated by old ladies throughout, my lack of Croatian by big smiles and body language for great conversations.

I don’t know how they made it throughout the day in this cold weather as not everyone had an outdoor heater to get at least some warmth. And the cafés at the market helped as well. The weather did not stop people from leaving the market with their hands full of large bags with merchandise.

The offering – quite local

The offering was seasonal for sure. Oranges, apples everywhere. Cabbage, beets, potatoes, carrots, dried beans of all kinds were the common vegetables. Pickles, open sauerkraut, and whole fermented cabbages were unique and interesting to discover.

Strange to me was the set of egg shops, maybe half a dozen all in permanent structures. So many eggs on one single market. No idea why.

The old ladies of the cheese stalls offered only local ones, no Camembert or so.

The butcher had a shop on the side of the market with classic cuts of beef and pork and some dried sausages. As he allowed me to take some pictures, he took away the tray of sweetbreads as he deemed it as not esthetic enough. What a pity.

One my way out I was surprised to discover the small fish market hall: beautiful selection of Mediterranean fishes like sea devil, calamari and live shrimps. It is almost as living at the sea. Not too many customers were on a shopping spree, an easy time to take some pictures. One fish monger even posed some seafood to get better pictures.

All in all: a typical Zagreb market, a little bit hidden, worth a visit for market lovers who want to experience charming vendors

A little link list:

• A blog post on the market from tatjanapasalic.com
• The official/administrative site for all Zagreb markets from Zagrebački Holding – trznice-zg.hr  with the listing of all the vendors

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The market of Würzburg is one with strong regional roots.

It is located in the heart of the city next to the Marienkapelle a Gothic church. Würzburg is also quite known for its wine as well as for the Würzburg Residence, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the world’s largest fresco from Tiepolo.

The market has a permanent structure with a transparent roof protecting buyers from the rain and still letting them feel that the church is still overlooking the market. There are temporary stands as well mainly on weekends with farmers selling their produce. Even though Würzburg is a provincial city in the region of Lower Franconia in Bavaria the market has some noticeable and popular offerings.

Famous is the Bratwurst stand with its long queues and very fast service.

For excellent sourdough rye bread go to the honey stand. There, one of the German gourmet popes, Wolfram Siebeck, noticed the excellent choice of honeys. Well these days the choice is a bit more focused.

During the summer time there is even an stand with regional artichokes, a vegetable which is rather rare in this environment. It is also sold when in flower even though it looks beautiful, I have never eaten that part.

In autumn sauerkraut is sold by the pound in platic bags, for instant indulgence (really). Of course apples, and other regional fruit are in abundance, the same is valid for potatoes etc.

One permanent stand is specialized on goat products: meat, sausages, milk, yoghurt, kefir, all things possible from this animal are being offered. This is not so common in Germany.

I was also quite impressed by the cheese stand from a guy who mainly sells his own cheese from the region at large. Generally German cheese needs some improvements, but that one I would cater to guest without getting ashamed.

Of course in the permanent structures there is also some non-regional products available, as on most markets these days. Still the link to the region is noticeable.

All in all: A food market which focuses on regional products with some specialities worth making a break when travelling by.

A little link list:

• A market website in German even with a webcam – no people right now …
• A great blog post on Würzburg, with many pictures and a large description of Würzburg, which I do not fully agree with …  from “averylonghoneymoon.wordpress.com”

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This market in Liège / Belgium happens on Sundays for which a good stretch of the La Batte street along the Meuse river is blocked. And it is really fun to visit this open market. Liège was once a city in a coal mining region having contributed to the post war wealth in Europe. And the city, despite its very beauty, is certainly not a rich one. And this leads back to the market. This market provides goods to not so wealthy people, but is still full of little surprises.

The market hosts almost everything between live animals (chicken, rabbits, birds etc.), meat, cheese, vegetables etc. But it also offers great plastic junk – spend only a couple Euros and the kids are happy – and clothes as well, which are not related to the Armanis. There are also small stands offering nice food like hotdogs with sauerkraut, Vietnamese spring rolls and all sorts of stuff.

As the market stretches quite long, a couple hours goes by so fast and even than not all stands would have received their adequate attention. But it is fun! And so much to discover. And it has a little rough edge. This is visible for example when live hens are packed in used cardboard boxes when bought by a new owner who wants to produce his/her own eggs for a Sunday breakfast or whatever.

What is sometimes overseen are the stands which offer little delicacies, it is worth to keep an eye open for new discoveries. This is in contrast to quite a few stands which seem to be rather the extension of wholesale suppliers, but all with charm.

The highlights: the live animals, and the little discoveries of nice local food.

All in all: not a market of the first league from the food perspective, but certainly worth a visit for its special character.

A little link list:

• Reviews in Trip Advisor
• Location in Belgian market directory
• La Batte market in city council web site (French)
• A beautiful blog article from theFlippingFish

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