Friday, October 30, 2009

Munich's Viktualienmarkt


Located in the heart of the old city, The Viktualienmarkt is Munich's oldest farmer's market. It has been in operation since 1807 and its one of my favorite places in the city.

Its easy to lose one's self amongst the stunning variety of booths, over 140 in all, each more beautiful than the next. The market vendors offer every conceivable variety of edible delights, literally from soup to nuts, as well as spices, wines, chocolates, flowers and more.

Of course there are sausages ... by the dozens ...

but by far, its the veritable cornucopia of vegetables and produce which charm me.


I ask you, is that garlic not a thing of beauty? Do those chili peppers not cry out to be taken home and turned into something magnificent? Of course they do. And the real pity is that I've now twice found myself strolling the Viktualienmarkt, eager to buy everything, yet without a kitchen in which to conjure.

They say the third time's the charm ... so I'm making a promise to myself. The next time I visit the Viktualienmarkt, it will be as a shopper ... even if I have to accost some unsuspecting resident of Munich and commandeer her kitchen!

Perhaps a giant cookie will serve as my bribe?

The Viktualienmarkt is open Monday - Saturday from 8:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m. and is located just off of Munich Center's historic Marienplatz.

Guten appetit!

18 comments:

Unknown said...

My eyes were caught by those red eggs. HOw fab! What kind of egg is that, do you know? I'll take one of those giant cookies.
Have a great weekend and a fab halloween.

The Duo Dishes said...

Those garlic bulbs are HUGE! Any fan of garlic would run and buy the basket. Looks fantastic.

Fresh Local and Best said...

My goodness! Were those red eggs dyed? I adore outdoor markets for the discovery and exploration that comes with it. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Great pictures, the red eggs are very neat!

The Diva on a Diet said...

HH - I think they are regular eggs that for some reason have been dyed pink. Not sure why or how, but they were so beautiful!

Duo - You're right, I so wanted that whole basket!!

FLB - I'm sure they were dyed ... if my German was better, I would have asked how!? LOL I love outdoor markets too and this one is really impressive!

5 Star - thank you! It helps that it was sunny for about 5 minutes on the day we were there. ;)

charmian @ Christie's Corner said...

Red eggs? They caught my eye, too. I wonder if they were dyed with beet juice? They have that same gorgeous deep rich tone.

And I'll take two of those giant cookies. One for each hand! Danke schön!

Deb said...

There is nothing like visiting the outdoor market of a country - too bad you had no kitchen privileges. All that fresh food and no place to cook it :(

Astra Libris said...

Ah, the glorious, glorious perfusion of colors! Breathtaking! I do indeed especially love the incredible garlic photo... :-) Diva, thank you for being such a fantastic travel guide!

Christo Gonzales said...

what a great market - it sure looks like you had a great time....

Donna-FFW said...

hmmm.. everyones eyes are drawn to the eggs and the garlic, mine are drawn to the sausages;)

Lyndsay Wells said...

That would be difficult not to be able to shop and cook. I love the colours you captured and am imaginaning all the delicious possibilties. Do you ever make a sweet and hot chili sauce? It's something I've never tried but am thinking would love to if I knew of a really good recipe.

Thanks for these virtual trips. A very enjoyable way to spend an early Saturday afternoon :-)

nora@ffr said...

great pictures!! m loving this market! :)
cheers!!

Daily Spud said...

Oh gosh, it's been so long since I've been to Munich. I spent a summer there as a student, so when I was last within striking distance of the Viktualienmarkt, I actually had my own kitchen to work with too. I'm not entirely sure I appreciated it then (I was probably more interested in the beer!) - I certainly would now, though!

gfe--gluten free easily said...

What stunning photos! I've always heard about the amazing German markets. Clearly, you must return and rent an abode with a kitchen and then blog as you go with recipes made from the fabulous produce. :-)

Shirley

Tangled Noodle said...

I think that instead of visiting architectural landmarks of a city, I would rather visit the markets, with their wonderful, vibrant colors and variety of foods. Hmmmm, that would be a great vacation: rent out a small apartment with a kitchen and just live and eat as a local for the duration! Thank you for sharing such beautiful photos!

Anonymous said...

Diva, Off-topic: check out my post on the Snark. Lauren has made a comment there, maybe you should follow it up. Sorry, would have e-mailed, but lost your address with the pc change over.

AV

Miss Caught Up said...

I want to go!! Looks fabulous! I'll have to make it a point to get there somehow... :)

stephchows said...

those cookies are HUGE!!!!