Munich's Viktualienmarkt-where the finest foods are found
If the old saying “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” is true, it’s no wonder that many have fallen in love with Munich after a stroll through the city’s Viktualienmarkt. An oasis of culinary goods, the market is a feast for the senses — bountiful arrays of colorful flowers and pyramids of shiny fruit and vegetables compete with the aroma of cheese, herbs and spices.
The name of the market derives from the Latin term victualia, meaning groceries. From the Middle Ages until 1807, the city’s market has been held on what is today Marienplatz, then called Schrannenplatz. When the market, which purveyed grain and other agrarian products, outgrew the square, Maximilian I, King of Bavaria, decreed that egg and herb vendors be moved to the courtyard of the Heiliggeistspital, a large hospice for pilgrims and the poor, run by Augustinian monks. In order to accommodate the steadily expanding market, the buildings belonging to the hospice were gradually torn down over the next two decades. The Heiliggeistspital subsequently served as a granary, the city’s weighing station and a butcher’s market before it was torn down in 1885. Shortly thereafter, the Viktualienmarkt began to take on its present shape. After World War II, air raids left much of the market in ruins; there was talk of closing it down altogether. Instead, the city invested heavily in its rebuilding and beautification. What was once a simple farmers’ market has become a shopping paradise for gourmets as well as a popular tourist attraction. On an area of 22,000 square meters, some 140 vendors offer a variety of victuals, ranging from apples to Zinfandel wine. The vendors, or Standler, as the locals call them, are for the most part, extremely knowledgeable about their goods and enjoy sharing recipes with and giving advice to their customers. Their day begins early, often between 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning, when they have to pick up fruit, vegetables, meat and other fresh products at the Grossmarkt wholesale hall, slaughterhouse or at their own greenhouses. The rest of the products are stored in sheds and cold storage beneath the Viktualienmarkt. Setting up stands can take several hours, and by the time the market opens, at 7:00, few customers can imagine how much work has already been put into the exquisite displays.
Fruit and vegetables make up the majority of the products sold at the Viktualienmarkt. For some time now, exotic fruit, such as lychees, mangoes or passion fruits, have become a market fixture, as easy to find as traditional local produce, such as apples, pears or cherries. Though many kinds of fruit and vegetables can be found here all year round, the changing seasons are clearly felt at the Viktualienmarkt. Because asparagus or sweet chestnuts are available only for a limited period, they are eagerly awaited. One fundamental difference between the dealers is the origin of their merchandise. There are those who cultivate and sell their own products — look for signs that announce aus eigenem Anbau — while others function as retailers, selling products they have bought from local gardens or at the Grossmarkt. Exoten Müller (III, 7) has the market’s broadest range of exotic fruit. Here, salespeople will expertly inform you on tastes (“imagine a blend of rhubarb, strawberry and cream”) and ways to eat or cook with those fruits. Otto Maier (II, 14b, 15b) offers more basic, indigenous vegetables, all of which are from his own farm. Paul Bendel (II, open market) specializes in fruit from Lake Constance, carrying a large line of apples, including rare varieties. For seasonal produce, such as asparagus,visit Hans Tretter’s stand (III, 11-14, 31). If you think that all spuds are the same, you will change your mind after a visit to the market’s potato specialist, the Kartoffelhandlung B. Schwarz (III, 38), which carries some 20 to 30 different kinds.
Organic food worshippers can find a wealth of products aus biologischem Anbau at Beim Trübenecker (III, 32, 33), St. Michaelshof (VI, 9/10) and Gut zum Leben (II, 1, 3). The latter two not only offer fruit and vegetables, but also bread and farinaceous products, grain, cheese and vegetarian spreads.
Fruit and vegetables are not only delicious when they are fresh, but when they have been expertly dried, pickled or preserved. Countless dried, glazed and chocolate-coated fruits and a large selection of nuts can be found at Trocken-Schoko-Früchte (III, 35). If you prefer sour to sweet, head for Ludwig Freisinger (I, 8), also known as “Saures Eck,” which can be heartily recommended as one of the best stands in the market. Handsome wooden barrels and tubs contain pickled and preserved vegetables, such as cucumbers, tomatoes and onions — many regulars pick up a large pickled cucumber as a snack for their market crawl — as well as fresh herbs and aromatic spices. When putting together a plate of these delicious appetizers, don’t forget to pick up one of the wheel-sized pita breads for only DM 1. Around the corner, at the Rottler produce stand (I, 9-11), the specialty of the house is owner Hans Hollweck’s homemade gourmet jam. Several dozens of cleverly-flavored jellies and marmalades — champagne jelly, figs in Calvados or grapefruit-plum jam to name but a few — are simply heavenly. Südländische Spezialitäten (III, 8, 9) hawks a large selection of appetizers, such as olives, shrimp salad, artichoke cream, fresh pesto sauce or various kinds of freshly made pasta with seasonal fillings On a recent visit the offerings included herb-filled ravioli and rotondi with chanterelles.
Although the Viktualienmarkt maintains its tradition as a farmers market, it also reflects the fashions of the time, in particular a growing demand for the trendy or unusual. While regulars do their everyday grocery shopping here, many visit the market in search of something they won’t find elsewhere. The increasing emphasis on delicacies can be seen at the cheese stands. Some 300 different cheeses can be found here, made of cow, sheep, goat or buffalo milk, their ripening periods ranging from a few days (cream cheese) to several years (Parmesan). Both Schlemmermeyer (V, 1) and Ursula Lupper (I, 18/19) boast a wide selection of local and imported cheeses, the latter combines its Käse collection with wines and other specialties, such as fragrant Schüttelbrot from South Tyrol.
Though the Viktualienmarkt is a vegetarian’s haven, “carnivores” will also find plenty to choose from. Some of the city’s finest butchers are housed in a row of tiny, Neo-Gothic shops at the foot of Petersbergl, on which St. Peter’s Church stands. The row of so-called Zwölfapostelmetzger — today there are not 12 but 9 butcher shops right next to each other — dates from the early 14th century. For homemade traditional Bavarian sausages, individually seasoned without artificial flavors, visit Metzgerei Schweyer, a family shop since 1914, or Andreas Sieber, who features seasonal treats, such as a wide range of pâtés at Christmas time. Across the street, in the marketplace itself, Schlemmermeyer (V, 3,4) has the largest selection of meat products and sausages as well as a fine house mustard. A Viktualienmarkt institution, albeit one that still meets a lot of prejudices and reserve, is the horse butcher Wörle (V, 9). Advocates of horsemeat praise its flavor (lean and tender) and low price. Reinhold König (I, 30) is the butcher to visit when you are looking for game and poultry. Depending on the hunting season, you will find rabbits, ducks, geese, deer and other game here. Though local fish is limited — don’t miss the excellent Renke, both fresh and smoked — a large selection of imported fish from the North Sea, Atlantic, Mediterranean and even the Indian Ocean is sold at the market, which more than makes up for this shortage. If the immense variety of fish, shellfish and crawfish at German chain store Nordsee (IV, Fischhalle) overwhelms you, try the excellent selection at the more personal stand of Manfred Maier (VI, 2/7).
Several stands offer bread and pastries, including the above-mentioned “Bio stands” Gut zum Leben and St. Michaelshof. A local favorite is Karnoll’s Back- und Kaffeestandl (VI, 6), whose homemade baked goods are as cheap — 60 Pfennig for a Breze, DM 1.20 for a Nusschnecke, for example — as they are delicious.
In all seasons, cut and potted flowers as well as plants can be found in abundance at the Viktualienmarkt. Gathered around the Liesl-Karlstadt fountain, which the Standler always furnish with a bouquet of fresh flowers, are stands that sell forest products, such as wild mushrooms and berries, mistletoe, fir branches and wreaths. Other specialty stands include the Honig Häus’l (I, 1/2), with its more than 60 different types of honey as well as mead and Bavarian liquors, such as Obstler and Bärwurz, and Danel Feinkost (VI, 8a), a kosher delicatessen, where you can get an original New York bagel with pastrami.
Its location in the center of Munich makes the Viktualienmarkt an ideal destination for a break during shopping. Most of the butcher and fish shops offer small snacks. A Munich original is the Suppenküche (III, 5, 28, 29), where you can choose from a dozen homemade soups, always delicious and filling, from a menu that changes daily and includes more than 100 different soups. On sunny days, even early in the year, the 800 seats in the market’s own beer garden fill up quickly with locals and tourists alike. The beer on tap rotates daily between six Munich breweries and the menu is extensive. Finally, another indispensable institution is the Café Frischhut (Prälat-Zistl-Str. 8), affectionately called “Schmalznudel” after its specialty, the fresh Auszogne and Schmalznudeln (fried dough). This cozy café just around the corner from the market opens at 5:00 in the morning, when, over their first cup of coffee, tired night owls rub shoulders with Standler just returning from the Grossmarkt.
Helpful information:
The Viktualienmarkt’s general opening hours are Mon.-Fri. 7-18:30, Sat. 7-14:00, but individual opening hours and closing days (Ruhetage) of the stands vary greatly. Please also note that some open stands rotate and might not always be there, because spaces on the so-called Freimarkt are awarded on a first come, first served basis.
Although most products are available all year round, look out for these local, seasonal specialties: Easter: lamb, young goat; April-June: asparagus, rhubarb; June/July: cherries, strawberries;
July/August: berries, chanterelle mushrooms; September-November: mushrooms, sweet chestnuts, beetroot; Christmas: geese.
Viktualienmarkt is not only a shopping paradise, but also the location of noteworthy events and festivities. October 5 will witness the curious custom of Prominentenaufwiegenbiersonalities are weighed with fruits and vegetables. On November 11 at 11:11 carnival season kicks off with the enthronement of the Munich Fasching prince and princess. An annual highlight is the Marktfrauentanz on Ash Wednesday (March 6, 2001), when the female vendors dress up in costumes and dance on the marketplace.
