Toronto, I like you

Winters must be cold in Toronto. This is the impression I got from the St. Lawrence market hall in the heart of Toronto, Canada.

Lots of hearty products which fill you instantly with joy and energy to overcome any harsh weather conditions. It was warm at the time of the visit but the resistance to stuff my belly was rather weak.

The St. Lawrence market hall is conveniently located in downtown in this rather pedestrian friendly North American city. It is an old spacious building with two floors where sales happen and a partly covered outdoor seating place for consumption of the foods served inside.

But the market hall does not only serve meals, it has a wide range of produce available to cater for home cooking. Toronto is a multicultural city par excellence. Nevertheless the majority of the offerings seemed to target consumers with a rather European background, thus reflecting the neighborhood.

Diving into the St. Lawrence Market Hall

The peameal bacon sandwich is the thing to try in Toronto according to several guides. It is all about a juicy peace of bacon supposed to be rolled in ground peas. I could see that it was rolled in something but I could not taste any pea. It was rather disappointing when measuring it against the hype. Still a decent sandwich though.

That experience made me skeptical about the market hall offering, which in hindsight was not fair.

Comparing with US markets

As I have been a several times in the USA, I always compared my experience there with the one in the St. Lawrence market hall. There are a few commonalities and a few differences.

Meat

The meat selection is very broad in quantity and in terms of cuts. Emphasis is on beef but I found more game meat than in the US. The game was focused on deer and wild boar, I was hoping for more “exotic” meats. Maybe this is not the area for that.

I love the displays here, they are so generous as if space is unlimited for the merchants. you have to truly walk along a single stall to get an idea of the offering, just glimpsing form one point will not help. This is probably what meat eaters consider as paradise on earth.

Considering this large offering, one must assume that people are still cooking a lot. The meat merchants all had their little ready made food stand, like ribs, wings etc. but that looked rather tiny in comparison, indicating only a small portion of the clientele not wanting to cook.

Nevertheless a merchant complained that things had change over time, that they sold more in the “old days”, and that people were not cooking as much anymore. That would mean that all the meat would be left unsold in the stall. Of course this is not the case. I am aware that in the “Western world” I am living in, home cooking is on a decline, and I see streetfood becoming more popular. Still the stall displays showed a still persistent need for produce.

Fish

Toronto is situated at lake Ontario, not exactly seaside but seems to be full of fish and seafood lovers. Octopus, salmon, shrimps, squid, oysters, tuna, trout, halibut, swordfish, cod, lobster and much more on several stalls. I did not ask how often the fish mongers get new deliveries as they looked fresh to me. Strangely enough I did not see whole fish, only filet. That’s a pity.

Cheese

The cheese stalls surprised me the most. In the US these sections are rather small, focusing on more or less local production. Here I saw so many European imports from many countries and regions. The selection would make many cheese stores in Europe jealous.

I do not know where this is coming from, maybe because the French influence via Québec is quite strong. Or maybe the import regulations in Canada are more liberal than in the US?

Some of the cheeses were brands you may find also in European supermarkets, others were more artisan cheeses even hard to find in my home town. I had difficulties to spot artisan Canadian cheeses, being overwhelmed by the wide choices.

Vegetable & fruit

Generally speaking I saw similar choices here in Toronto in comparison to Vancouver and the US markets I have visited over the years. The share of stalls with vegetables was smaller but one could find all the seasonal products. Green asparagus, all the lettuce, topical fruit, a nice selection of potatoes etc. Of course, as convenience food is gaining traction, there were enough plastic containers with cut fruit or nuts to go.

I was impressed with a couple stalls showing a wide selection of mushrooms. They get my attention as they look good to me and I am still wondering how to best prepare them.

Being unfair to vegetables

When writing over vegetable on farmers’ markets I am lacking a bit of imagination and do not present them as something special. Which is a bit unfair. Yes colorful displays catch my attention without noticing the details too much. Probably this is due to my lack of having a deep enough understanding of their origins, quality and distinctions in aromas or taste.

When I see a tomato or a lettuce or an onion, do I have an idea if it will be a good or not? No.

I still have memories from my times as a student in Turkey when the tomatoes and other veggies really had taste. And they were not necessarily organic. The same was valid for the potatoes I ate during an internship at a Northern German farm, they were so lovely. For insiders the varieties were Linda and Granola. Linda, organically grown, has gained popularity in the meantime, whereas Granola is hard to find.

Since then I have not been overwhelmed by the commercial produce. But the homegrown carrot from my colleague I got recently truly had a great taste.

I need to kick myself into my rear to get a little more exploratory here.

What else?

Toronto is a truly multicultural city. I had been walking through Portuguese, Chinese, Indian and Pakistani influenced neighborhoods. On some other spots I saw many more different cultures without having seen their respective centers. This is somehow also reflected in the St. Lawrence market hall, I observed it mainly on the food level, not so much on the produce level.

Salsa & guacamole

I go the biggest joy out a Mexican stall where I bought homemade salsa and guacamole. Eating them at the hotel was a real feast! So much flavor, nice acidity and a little trip through so many aromas. No idea how it had been created, where all the necessary ingredients imported? I doubt it.

Ukrainian bakery

The Ukrainian bakery called “future bakery”. The family fled from Ukraine to Canada with the outbreak of second World War. The name “future bakery” expressed their wish to look forward into a new future. Still the products have their roots in the former home of the family.

More goodies

The St. Lawrence market hall is not small and therefore offers a wide array of goodies which caught briefly my eyes.

A wide choice of honeys

A surprise; truffles!

Italian Pasta: fresh and imported

Of course maple syrup

Wine as well and so many other specialties.

All in all

Is it worth to have a look at the St. Lawrence market hall? For sure. When you are hungry it is good place to find yummy street food and small items to eat on the spot.

When you want something to bring home for cooking it is a great place to find a large variety of produce often of very good quality, still in a laid back fashion. Not snobbish for sure, but it would not harm to have a better display of all the goods, currently it is rather squattered and confusing. That could elevate it to very fine place.

It would be a shame not to visit the St. Lawrence market hall when in Toronto, it gives such a good introduction of what people eat here, I assume predominantly for buyers with some European heritage.

A little link list

• The official website
• The Instagram account

Map to the St. Lawrence Market Hall

The post Hearty – St. Lawrence market hall, Toronto / Canada appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.

First things first!

What do you do first when you arrive at your vacation destination? Visit the market of course! So we had to get up a bit earlier on that wonderful day to drive to Pont-l’Abbé in the Bretagne (Brittany in English) region of France to get to the market in a decent time.

The setting of the produce section of the market at the Place Gambetta is very nice as it is contoured by linden trees. The two rows of stalls were facing each other, making strolling and buying very convenient. It was off-season, still plenty of people were making their purchases on this Thursday.

When reaching a new market I am always a bit nervous and hectic. What am I going to expect? How many stalls does the market have? Will I discover something new? What is the specialty on this market? Those are all the questions coming to my mind. And then I want to take pictures without annoying people. In short: I should learn to relax a bit One day I will.

Getting the overview

First I made a quick tour getting an idea what the market is about. The one in Pont-l’Abbé is what I call a typical French market: produce focused, predominantly from the region, often from producers themselves who are willing to have a chat and tell you about their products. There is nothing hipster like to discover, not a lot of streetfood. It seems to me that the innovations themselves have been the occurrence of organic produce and payment via credit card only. In short: the market is about seasonal quality produce for the daily cuisine which is made from scratch.

The offering is a classic one: vegetables, fruit, cheese, (salted) butter, meat & sausages, a bit of bread and pastry, mushrooms, etc. Still as a tourist who cannot store a lot of things, there is something to buy and eat. Strangely enough I did not see fish despite Pont-l’Abbé being a coastal town. It seems rather to be a business of the market halls.

What were the discoveries?

We were lucky as we had a stove, fridge and dishwasher (!) in our vacation home: no significant restrictions for shopping.

I come from sausage country, especially those you just put in the pan. And I was lucky. The producer “La ferme de Kérautret” raises his own animals, get them killed in a nearby slaughterhouse before processing them into the right cuts and sausages. The reason for the animals not being killed on site are the EU laws with their standards including hygiene which makes is hard to maintain an own small slaughterhouse. I got some duck and pork sausages which were gone instantly in the evening after a long day on the road (I am not afraid of having food away from a fridge for a longer period of time). They were certainly worth the purchase, such great taste, no need to add anything, not even my beloved mustard.

And then the tomatoes from an organic stall. At home tomatoes are usually a disappointing experience for me. It does not matter where I buy them, they never seem to have a truly great taste. A friend of mine recently went to the Romanian country side and discovered how much taste they can really have. I was jealous since I am looking for years into such an experience. Here they had different colors and shapes. Yellow, green, red, round, egg shaped. In the evening I just cooked them all in one pot for a sauce and I was surprised: such a nice play of acidity and sweetness, it was truly great. Something you could truly call a tomato.

I also purchased some nice salted butter and cheese from a small organic stall. The Bretagne cake we bought from a bread and pastry stall was rather uninteresting. The honey from buckwheat or chestnut areas had real intense aroma and made its way back home.

Street food

What is “always” to be found on French markets are a certain type of take-away food stalls. Usually they have huge pans (1m in diameter perhaps) on a stove. Classic foods are paella or couscous, but also other dishes I am less familiar with. We skipped these ones, but tried some vegetarian samosas from a Vietnamese (?!) stall. Great taste, complex and very pleasant level of heat.

By the way: it is easy to heat up your food, there is a public (?) microwave not far from the produce section, in front of the market hall.

Epilogue

Was it worth to have visited the market as the first thing? For sure! We got a taste of the area and had something to eat in the evening. In one of the next posts I will report about the market hall in Pont-l’Abbé.

One little remark: I described mainly the produce section at the place Gambetta, the larger part of the market is at the place de la République in front of the market hall around the corner where the majority of the stalls are to be found, but they less produce ones.

All in all: The market in Pont-l’Abbé is a classic French market with all the goodies you need for cooking and a little bit of take away food.

A little link list:

• The market mentioned on the homepage of the city of Pont-l’Abbé
• The site of the ferme de Kérautret who had such great sausages
• My other posts on French markets

The post First things first – Market in Pont l’Abbé, Bretagne / France appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.

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

The post Not my cup of tea – Foodhallen, Amsterdam / Netherlands appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.

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

The post Well balanced – Granville Island Public Market, Vancouver / Canada appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.

Tim Engelbrecht and his brother have founded Cookit 5 years ago and have stalls at three farmers’ markets: Cologne, Troisdorf and in Bonn where it all started. Their motto: one recipe, all ingredients, one bag.

We meet early Saturday morning before the crowds arrive. Tim had a short night as he had to work a bit longer than usual to prepare the Saturday sales. I am a bit nervous, as I conduct my first interview ever, but I know Tim and he is a fun guy, making it easy to me.

Interview

Askan: Hi Tim
Tim: Hi Askan

Askan: How long have you been at the Bonn market and what did you do beforehand?
Tim: We are now for almost 5 years at the market, we started with the asparagus season 2013. I went directly from university to the market.

Askan: You went directly from university to the market?
Tim: Already during my studies I worked on the Cookit concept. We opened the stall and then I finished my bachelor thesis. Somehow it just happened.

Askan: How would you describe your stall and what is being offered?
Tim: This is easy to explain: we always have six recipes to try. The customer chooses the recipe and gets a bag with all ingredients in the right amount needed. One can try it without having to buy extra ingredients or producing food waste. The underlying idea is to cook with regional ingredients.

Askan: Which recipes are the most popular with customers and which ones do you prefer?
Tim: Myself, I prefer hearty food, autumn & winter cooking is really mine, I love cabbage, cheese, everything which has a lot of power. With customers it depends on the weekday. During the week they prefer a light and quick cuisine, whereas at the weekend there is a tendency to cook more elaborate recipes.
Askan: So, the Sunday roast is still alive?
Tim: Yes indeed, meat based recipes sell more at the weekend.

Askan: When do you have to get up in the morning and how many hours do you make per week in average?
Tim: In average? Hmm … Let’s say it this way: we are lucky when we work less than 80 hours. The Bonn farmers’ market is unlike other markets open all day long. Everything you have to do besides selling, like filling up the cart, set it up and clean it you do outside the opening hours. I get up between five and six o’clock.

Askan: In all my conversations at various markets across Europe I got to know that it is very difficult to find successors for market stalls, due to the long and hard working hours.
Tim: Yes this is the case. We have the luxury that we start at the markets on Wednesday, we use the time until then to develop recipes.

Askan: What is fun in your work and what is not fun?
Tim: Hard to tell, this depends how the week is evolving. It is great to develop new recipes, to photograph and sell them afterwards. And what we all love is sales, on Saturdays, when the crowds come, the buzz never stops, and we have stress for 8 hours in a row, this is when we have fun. You realize that all your efforts work out and there is a real flow, this is fun. Less fun is of course when after 14 hours you have to clean up everything. Or the anti-day: you have prepared everything for the day and the local radio station announces a severe weather warning! You know instantly that in the evening you go back home with half of your prepared stuff.

Askan: How would you describe the Bonn farmers’ market?
Tim: I think it is a classic market, centrally located, full of buzz, a nice market. Meanwhile we have a nice diversity of choices. I also like that the market is managing the stretch between street food and classic offering. Here in the heart of the city, it is easy to get a good lunch at the market, and then buy some produce. It is a market I really love.

Askan:  What should be improved or changed?
Tim: Well, … I don’t know. The market as it is now is around since a while. One may appreciate this one way or the other. I like changes a lot, especially visible ones. This creates incentives for people who walk by every day to join their work places. I like the fact that there is now more street food available. I would appreciate some additional delicacies, as something new is very interesting for customers – and for us as well (laughing).

Askan: Who are your customers?
Tim: Regulars, absolutely. We have customers who purchase from us since 5 years, and they have not left out any single recipe. We have customers, whom we are handing over our recipe cards they have missed during their vacation. The majority of the customers come at least once a week. We are not the kind of stall, where you walk by and say: great lets try it. Most people come by several times, and when the moment is right for them, they buy.

Askan: Bonn is an international city (e.g. United Nations etc.), do you have many international customers?
Tim: Rarely. There some international students who practice their German with our recipe cards. Generally our concept focuses on the local, regional cuisine. This has to fit your own taste and cooking scheme, which varies depending where you are coming from. But we speak English, whereas my French I learned at school is rather limited (laughs).

Askan: Thanks for the interview Tim.
Tim: Pleasure, it was fun!

Link list & map

• The cookit website
• My post on cookit on this blog
• The interview in German
• The other stalls at the Bonn market

The post Sometimes hearty, sometimes quick – Interview with Tim from Cookit at the Bonn Farmers’ Market appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.

Scroll down for the map including directions

Visiting the world’s largest wholesale market Rungis near Paris is an important item in my bucket list, even though one has to get up very early to get a glimpse on this huge belly. But barely having touched the Moroccan soil I found myself at the Al Massar wholesale market, the belly of Marrakesh.

A little adventure: getting there

My guide told me how to take the bus, which I thought would be an adventure, but when you are used to public transport, it usually works out because most bus drivers will tell you when to get off. Seems to be an international phenomenon in my experience.

I still needed my GPS to walk down the last kilometer to the market. After the last turn the whole structure was visible: a large space enclosed by a wall with entrances guarded by the police and surrounded by parking lots. But the policemen were not the first ones I talked to. Some food stall served the public outside the market. Taking a picture of them was possible after a short friendly negotiation and a tea. Then entering through the gate, the friendly policeman gave me bad news: no photos. Still I could enter with my camera.

A world on its own

I saw lots and lots of vegetables and fruit. It was melon season, but bananas, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, onions, apples and much more was abundant, really abundant everywhere. Under big open hangars tons of wooden boxes carried the produce and each was numbered in big characters with the number of the owner. These men, and they were almost all men, sat at their spot, drank tea talked to each other. When a retailer came to buy some produce the cases got weighted on big scales. Then motorbikes with platforms in the back transported the purchase outside the market area. Good idea, trucks or cars would have been a disaster despite the size of the market.

As not the whole area is paved, the rain has it’s toll, adding a little to the slightly chaotic feeling. But the wooden cases in their standardized size and numbering gave it all structure.

Even though I was the only foreigner at the market, I never felt being observed. The focus was business, but people had still a little time to answer my questions as long as they could speak some French. So I learned – and unfortunately forgot – where the best apples, oranges and watermelon came from in Morocco. And I was allowed to take pictures in most of the cases when I asked, which made me happy and relieved me a little in the sense that I took the policeman’s words as an indication rather than an order.

As so many people are working at the market, there is a need to serve some food. The little stalls offer quite a wide variety, sometimes simple things like very fresh bread, a little cheese and olive oil. Or fried fish with some hot sauce and fresh vegetable, shish kebabs, of course mint tea and many other things. I ate my way through and can only recommend it to any anybody else. Great taste and a good way to start nice conversations.

Epilogue

After a couple hours or so, I decided to go leave the belly of Marrakesh. I found a few people who help me to find the right bus stop, and indeed after a short while the right one arrived and for a very little money I got back to my hotel, happy to have found it again and happy about my first market visit.

All in all: Al Massar wholesale market in Marrakesh is for hardcore fans of markets, an own world with friendly people, hearty food providing a sense for local business.

A little link list:

• My post on a Marrakesh covered market – easier to access as a tourist

The post Feeding a city – Al Massar wholesale market, Marrakesh / Morocco 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.

Map at end of post

German street food

Generally speaking I am skeptical of street food markets in Germany. I see too many burgers, hot dogs and other American style food which certainly does not match the original. Often it demonstrates the lack of innovation in food, but I am also aware that it is an economic risk to focus on dishes outside the mainstream. Bratwurst still rules. Saying so, I also had the chance to eat good street food in Germany as well.

A great place

So I had mixed feelings when checking out the Thursday evening market – 4pm to 9pm – at the Rudolfplatz in Cologne (see map below). The first thing which stroke me at this sunny evening: a very relaxed crowd. Under the large trees people were sitting on the typical German beer garden benches, enjoying each other with drinks & food – no Pokémons apparently. It was easy to have conversations with strangers. Great way to turn a public place into an enjoyable one.

Tasty food

So what kind of food was available? First there are also a few food stall as well. Cookit my favorite from Bonn is there, then a cheese monger who offers also great wine by the glass, and a butcher. All in good quality. But I guess most of the visitors were more into “meet & eat” as the management company of this market calls it – I think they forgot the drinking part in their tag line.

My list of foods available is not comprehensive, I’ll give it a try: empanadas, burgers, bratwurst, cakes, handmade potato chips, ice cream, Lebanese, Peruvian, Thai, Reibekuchen (German potato pancake, a must eat for foreigners), wraps, steaks, currywurst (true German culinary invention), pizza and more which remains to be discovered. I guess in total there should be 15 to 20 stalls.

Peruvian cuisine

I could not eat my way through all the stalls, but I got great support by Nicola – Thanks!. The journey started with a glass of Italian white wine (Lugana) from the cheese monger, best choice amongst all the others we drank afterwards. Then I could not resist the Peruvian stall.

I am aware that there is a certain hype around the Peruvian cuisine since some years, so I had to see the light by myself. The stall was selling ceviche, a fish dish were the cooking is replaced by curing the fish with lemon juices. It was accompanied with some little salad, roasted corn all beautifully spiced. Great stuff to be honest. Just to make sure: it is completely different to sushi! A young couple standing at the same table, having traveled to Peru several times, told us that it was the best ceviche in town.

Then I saw a strange juice being sold, so we had to go for it. I forgot the name, but it was corn based, fruits and spices were added. At the end it tasted like a mix of sangria and mulled wine, but cold and without alcohol. Great stuff I have to say.

Next dish: a beef heart skewer. Oh my god, really really delicious. The marinade was so great, and the heart just provided a nice firm but not chewy background. I had to share this with the people on the table who were first scared by the beef heart, but then surprised by the good taste. As my portion got smaller this way, I had more space for other goodies. By the way I have only pictures of these dishes on Instagram.

More for the stomach

We went on and I saw this VW bus mounted pizza wood fire oven. The pizza was thin, with the right texture and a good tomato sauce. Nice. We had to queue for a while to get our share. The young couple from Bonn making the pizza were under high stress, as the day brought in more customers than they expected. But they love their job: an honest product with instant customer feedback (mostly positive obviously), and when the job is done they go home without having to think to much about the day.

Time for dessert: ice cream. The guy just started his business this year, but he really understands it. He warned me that his grapefruit sorbet might be a bit bitter, but this slight bitterness was exactly what gave the right kick. At the end I tried pistachio. Wow, I cannot even remember that I had an ice cream with such a real and intense pistachio taste, nothing artificial or superficial, a must buy, no regrets.

The pistachio ice cream was the last course as two city workers rang the bell walking through the aisles of the market to end this wonderful evening. As we are in Cologne, authority is one thing, time another one, so it still took a little while for the traders to stop selling and people stop drinking.

It was really a wonderful evening with good food, good company and nice encounters with strangers – joy & happiness.

A bit of background

The market itself is operated by Agrarkonzept a company which manages a few markets – mainly organic – in Cologne & Bonn. What I understood is that they are very strict in the selection of the vendors, the waiting list is long. Still they do not run the market at full capacity, as they cannot find the right quality for this market. Assuming that this story is correct, I only can appreciate this vigor, especially since it helps me to gain trust in German street food Furthermore the opening hours until 9pm help to get new people into markets, the crowd was different to the one which usually visits markets, a nice mix of generations and languages as well.

All in all: This street food market is certainly a role model with its’ quality offering. Great ambiance, worth to be revisited more than one time

A little link list:

• Agrarkonzept, the company managing the market
• The official website
• Street food markets in Cologne
• My other posts on Cologne markets: Rodenkirchen, Porz, Aposteln

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Prejudices

Essen is part of the Ruhrgebiet a former coal and steel area and as some feel: the (industrial) heartland of Germany. People are recognized to be straight forward, honest and having a rough humour. The region is not recognized as being an epicentre of fine cuisine. Basically I came to Essen with a full horn of prejudices. After the visit I had to revisit my opinions –  and the Rüttenscheider market which is older than 100 years helped in this process.

Overcoming prejudices

It was a sunny Saturday when I came by the market, which makes everything look better and invites to be very relaxed. And so was the crowd. People were chatting with vendors back and forward, teasing each other to find the spot for a good laughter. Honestly I had never seen so many vendors and customers chatting in such humorous way like at this market. It was a listening feast. People seemed to know each other and lived it up.

The choice on the market is very wide and surprisingly international: Italian and French quality produce were available as well as fresh ones from the area. This quality orientation seems to show that there must be some people in the area enjoying cooking in a more sophisticated way.

And as a reference to the origins of the regions a field kitchen – often called goulash canon in Germany – served hearty stews with sausages like Mettwurst. Popular with young and old. Unfortunately I was already invited for lunch.

The high quality stalls

What surprised me was the good number of high quality produce. Great selections of French, German and Italian produce, sausages, hams, bread and the like.

One stall had high quality veggies and fruit only originating from France. This was a first to me when it comes to German markets. The vendor has even an office at the famous wholesale market Rungis near Paris, so that the quality and freshness can be guaranteed. This premium quality demands premium prices, and he seemed to make a good living out of this business.

A stall with Italian sausages, hams etc. is not an uncommon sight at German markets, the choice here at the Rüttenscheider market was remarkable, one could almost feel like a tourist in Italy. The friendly vendor even took time to re-arrange his products for a good shot. Apparently my camera is big enough to give the impression of being a pro, which I am not – only the equipment is.

The love for food brought one couple to give up their previous jobs and source sausages, pâtés etc. from good quality producers like a South American butcher in Germany and his Chorizo or from France. They now share this passion with their customers and are happy to explain all about their findings. What made me sad is the fact that they are not able to find successors when they retire in a few years. A quality stall will disappear. The working conditions are not attractive.

Another gem on this market was the baker Hermann Welp. He is a 3rd generation baker who started a line of Italian breads and sweets after having travelled to Sicily. He needed 8 years to have break through to gain significant popularity with his produce and accompanying awards. He is now catering for a wide range of retail and wholesale clients and employs 30 or so people. One of his specialities are the organic “Pasta di Mandorla” a Sicilian almond paste based pastry. Here he got creative and added tea flavours (e.g. Earl Grey) to them, which got him a call from an interested tea shop chain. Despite his success the baker likes to personally sell at the market, where he gets first hand feedback on his products. Chatting with him was the other reason why I spent a lot of time at this stall. He is doing great marketing, has tons of stories to tell from his endeavour to be successful. He seems to be good at marketing as well, being able to connect with local stars thus creating some good PR in the media.

Market marketing

Opposite of the Italian bakery stall was the egg man. There could not be a bigger contrast in marketing. The eggs were presented almost in a wholesale manner and nothing distinguished them from an offering at a supermarket. No story was told, not about the chicken, not about the eggs not about the vendor himself. This is missing an opportunity at a market where communication is key. I would appreciate to get a better idea on how the eggs were produced and chicken raised. An omelette or fried egg sandwich would give me a another reason to buy these eggs. Lack of marketing seems to be for me one of the reasons that markets are losing clientèle. I guess it is partly a generational issue and partly a lack of time beyond the already stressful core business.

All in all: A lively market with good products, worth a visit

A little link list:

• A short video in German

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LYLM2015 – an international campaign

“Love your local market 2015 (LYLM2015)” is an international campaign to promote the awareness of markets, market halls and the like. It started in 2012 in the UK and is now spreading across many countries in Europe and the US. Many parties are involved in these activities, the World Union of Wholesale Markets being one of them. There is a distinct branding across the countries, and the focus is on events at the markets themselves accompanied by (strong) social media communication.

The LYLM2015 event at the Apostelnkloster market in  Cologne

The city of Cologne which is responsible for most of the markets in its area, including the huge wholesale market. Some of the city staff has the task to promote the markets through a variety of events, promotional materials and classic media engagement. They do that together with the market vendor representatives. This year they wanted to benefit from the international LYLM2015 campaign and set up two events during the international local market weeks from mid to end of May.

I rushed to see the event on May 22nd at the Apostelnkloster market in the city centre of Cologne, but I was a bit late. Still the visit was not in vain. The whole stage and the supporting staff was still there. I had the chance to have some chats on how things worked out and got nice “reports”. Earlier there were some “talk shows” with vendors who described what it means to be on a market and what the impact would be to have later hours of operations. With some chance they will be made available online. There was also a charity where the donations for branded market bags were dedicated to children. Traditional potato pancakes “Reibekuchen” were sold for charity as well, really really yummy. Furthermore a carousel and a bouncy castle were set up for the kids. Hours of operation of the market were extended from 15:00h to 18:00h to my delight.

Organizers were quite happy with the event, and several vendors experienced more customers than usual, some guessed 20% more. I understand that there is a great chance that the Love Your Local Market umbrella campaign will be run again next year with a different theme despite the additional costs. Then I certainly will take a day off, not to miss anything. And I want to know what the market visitors are thinking of such a campaign.

So what about the market itself?

Well the Apostelnkloster market is a good standard market at a convenient location in the middle of the city (see map below). Big trees give almost a Southern France type of feeling – at least when the sun is shining. And the adjacent Basilica of the Holy Apostles fosters the peaceful ambiance.

All what is needed on a market can be found: vegetables & fruits, meat, cheese, fish, flowers, eggs … but I did not see the honey stall. Unusual. A few street food stalls, e.g. a crêpes maker catered for the immediate appetite.

The fun part was a lady butcher who works on deer antler as a hobby and sells the results on the market – check the photo gallery above for a sample.

The coffee guy was a fun one as well, friendly and easy to talk to. He is relying purely on his regular customers. He knows fairly well when his clientèle will come for a coffee in which order. Fairly predictable business apparently.

The future of the markets in Cologne (and elsewhere)

I had some discussions during my visit about the status of the markets in Cologne and in Germany. With some exceptions times are a bit tough, clientèle is rather decreasing, and it is hard to find new vendors. The working conditions for the vendors, aka working hours are demanding and do not fit the requirements of a satisfying work-life-balance. Apparently the city of Cologne will try some new concepts which will include a shift of operations to later hours at some markets in order to cater for the working population. And (modern?) street food will probably play a more prominent role. I am very curious.

All in all: Good idea to promote local markets, it still remains an uphill battle. Refreshing Apostelnkloster market wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

A little link list:

• The mother of all LYLM
• The site of the international Love Your Local Market campaign (LYLM)
• The German homepage of Love Your Local Market – Erlebe Deinen Markt
• The German LYLM Facebook page
• The Cologne market media presence (German)

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