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Looking
for Fresh Chiles?
Travel to Munich, Germany!
by
Harald Zoschke |
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Munich,
Germany
Just
steps from the Munich city
hall ("Rathaus") you'll find ... |
The
world is quickly becoming a global village even beyond the
Internet. Immigration and migration, fueled by changing job
markets, business, and leisure travel are the main factors leading
to an increasingly interesting variety of food products--even in
Germany. And this means a wide range of chile peppers from all
over the world.
For
more than 110 years, Munich, Germany has been hosting a huge
outdoor market. Within the last two decades, it became a fancy
gourmet marketplace with more than 140 vendors
...
fancy Viktualienmarkt with produce and
other specialties from all over the world. 
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In
the Viktualienmarkt, local shoppers, tourists as well as gourmet
restaurant buyers can find some of the freshest produce, fruit,
game, meat, seafood, sausage, eggs, butter, honey and more.
Especially the fresh produce is available from all over the world,
and this increasingly includes chile peppers. Just two years ago,
I could hardly find fresh Cayenne, let alone Jalapeños. As this
little photo essay shows, the summer of 2001 tells a totally
different story. So why don't you join me for a little walk across
Germany's most famous outdoor marketplace!! |
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Right
at the start I discovered these colorful hot Italian chiles.
Peperoni
(spelled with an "i" here) typically come from Italy,
too. The ones here are from Spain. |
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Also
from Thailand:
Fresh green peppercorns.
A true delicacy! |
Fresh
fiery-hot red Thai peppers, green hot "Pfefferoni"
(a frequent German pronounciation of Pepperoni). Many other
ingredients required for authentic Thai cuisine are available,
too, including fresh lemon grass and ginger root.
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If
in doubt, let's call it Pfefferoni:
For
those who prefer Mexican chiles, there are pickled Jalapeños,
and even fresh ones.
The
fresh ones come at a price, though: About US$ 13.50 a pound
(that's why many German chileheads are starting to grow their own
- chiles, that is.) |
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Also
those seeking less heat will find a wide variety of capsicum
at
Viktualienmarkt - a much wider selection than at any
supermarket over
here. After all, this is not Albuquerque, NM ;-) |
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Besides
the regular colorful bunch of bell peppers, I found the pale
yellow Spanish Spitzpaprika (center) and -
particularly trendy right now - Mini Paprika or Minibell
(front), just slightly larger than an egg.
Note:
Bell peppers are called Paprika in most parts of Europe.
The
bright red, sweet and only slightly pungent Feher
peppers come from Hungary. |
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You're
not in New Mexico here: One booth is selling all kinds of ristras,
including New Mexican chiles and Mexican Cascabel
chiles.
Also
garlic and dried eggplant are sold on strings here. |
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But
it's not all foreign chiles offered here. I discovered a variety
called Münchner Gärtner Chillie (Munich gardener's
chile). The compact little plants were covered in blossoms and
upright-growing pods which eventually turn red and are supposed to
be HOT. |
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Update
May, 2005: Dave and his lovely wife Mary Jane came visiting.
Renate and I had a chance to show them around this marvelous
market in Munich. After verifying the abundance of chile pepper
offerings here, the couple had to sample a variety of Bavarian
specialties, including beer, Weißwurst (a sausage made of veal and pork with
herbs and spices) and Obatzda (a spicy cheese spread made
with brie and cream cheese and paprika powder). We
also managed to get them a private tour of the Hofbräuhaus
brewery, complete with beer tasting. Not a bad start for a trip to
Germany :-) |
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Most
chileheads (including Dave and me) love beer, which makes Viktualienmarkt a
perfect place. Part of the marketplace is a nicely sized
"Biergarten", a staple of Bavarian lifestyle. The mix of
people there is as colorful as the chiles. If you are fortunate,
you'll find a Munich native who will tell you stories about the
city and this historical market (many speak English here).
By
the way, a real Munich citizen's trademark is his/her
dachshund, which is called "Zamperl" in Bavarian. Of
course it would come along to the market and to the beer garden to
join the excitement.
I
used to live in Munich for several years, and it's still one of my
favorite cities. The availability of so many chiles nowadays is
just another reason for frequent visits (besides the fabulous
Bavarian beer, that is ...) |
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If
you go:
Public
transportation: Suburban Railway (S-Bahn) S 1-8, subway
(U-Bahn) U 3/6 Marienplatz, bus 52 Viktualienmarkt, streetcar
(Tram) 17/18 Reichenbachplatz. Best bet is a one-day or 24-hour
ticket (Tageskarte). München and its suburbs have an
excellent public transportion system.)
By
Automobile: See MapQuest
Map
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