Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Specialty Market at the Zurich Main Station

I love markets. Let it be known. I am a sucker for the little stalls and the smells and the idea that everything must be better just because someone behind a little counter is selling his or her wares to the public in a market setting. I would love to think that everything is locally grown, too. Ah the utopia...

After visiting the Burkliplatz Market in May, I really have not been to too many markets around Zurich - not unless you count the Burkliplatz Flea Market. However, while browsing the upcoming events in Zurich on the Zurich Tourism site, I read about the Specialty Market in Zurich in the Bahnhof that is held once a week on Wednesday evenings, and as it timed perfectly with my scheduled trip to Frankfurt last week, I decided to labor around the market with my heavy bags and laptop, taking in the sights and smells of the market as well as grabbing a bite to eat.

There is a bit of everything available for purchase: baked goods galore, cheeses from around Switzerland and Europe, sausages, flowers, fresh fruit and vegetables, chocolate covered fruit, tea, an assortment of olives, and much, much more. (Lots of great photos below...!)

I really liked the atmosphere, too - lots of people zipping around, buying things before catching their train home, and some others relaxing after a rough day with a beer from the beer hall on site accompanying their plate of raclette. (Must be Fall if raclette is out! I hear it is taboo in the summer!)

I bought a fresh made sandwich and a vine of fresh cherry tomatoes for my take along dinner and a sweet nut roll for dessert and it was all fresh and delicious.

I will go back - perhaps even tonight! - as there is a lot that I wanted to get that I couldn't- tea, for sure, as I saw lots of loose leaf, interesting varieties - as well as bags of spices at the same stand, and I think that Jace and I could enjoy some interesting picnic type dinners with some meats and cheeses from the market... not to mention a beer to wash it all down.

Pressed cakes - what are the names of these anyway?

Cheese glorious cheese! Here goat cheese.


Tessiner Berkäse, Alpen Gruyere and more Bergkäse... CHEESE.


Chocolate covered fruits.
Homemade or handmande pasta and noodles and dried sausages.


This was probably the busiest stand of them all - the bakery. They had all sorts of wonderful, delicious looking pastries, breads, and buns.

3 comments:

N said...

I always love this kind of market. The only one I've been to, was in Munich. I haven't seen an open market in DK yet.

When I lived in Taiwan I remembered going shopping in an open market with my mother. It was so much fun and interesting. I loved it!

Anonymous said...

No, raclette is not taboo in Summer. In fact, some countries such the Netherlands use their raclette grill mainly in Summer and not so much in Winter!

It all depends on what kind of recipe you want to make. And how do I know all this? It's in the Insider's Guide to the Secret World of Raclette Dining of course! Great book, not only the recipes, but also all the knowledge and facts!

Anonymous said...

The flat cakes are Appenzeller birnbrot and biber.

There is also usually a mexican food stand that sells pretty good salsas if you don't feel like going all the way to El Maiz.

And an Italian cheese stand that has awesome pecorino.

 

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