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The immaculate, picturesque daily Viktualien market has been
held in Munich city centre since 1807.
Foods in Store
Germany's markets are quieter than the French and have an
orderly, immaculate glow that in no way makes them less tempting.
In Vikutalienmarkt you can find an array of fruits and vegetables,
breads and cheeses, flowers and herbs, honey ladled out of
hive-shaped vats, meats, poultry, game fresh and smoked fish,
and most typically, ropes and garlands of the famed Bavarian
wursts - the typical big German sausage like the
snowy veal Weisswurste which is
steamed, coarser pork bratwurst that is fried,
as its name implies, red and spicy, long thin Polnischers,
and the pungent, rough-textured Regensburger,
to name only a few.
Pyramids of giant white radishes, sturdy orange-red carrots,
and waxy white and green leeks, globes of red, green, and
white cabbage, turnips from small, violet tinged globes to
giant golden rutabagas and potatoes in all shapes and sizes
are the standards of Munich's popular market. Some of the
wares are sold outdoors under umbrellas and canopies, many
sporting the Bavarian state colours: blue and white. In winter,
transparent plastic panels protect those stalls from the elements.
As tents become misted with steam on the inside, they take
on a dreamy, underwater quality.
Drink in the Atmosphere
Market workers and early shoppers breakfast at the many beer
taverns, or Brauhaus, rimming the marketplace
to quaff powerful Munchener Weissbier, Munich
white beer . They sip as they wait for liver dumplings in
broth, eggs scrambled with wurst and potatoes, or Beinfleisch,
the beloved local boiled beef.
This market is quite pricey, so you are better off doing
your shopping in any of the other smaller markets in the city,
then coming here for that something you can't find anywhere
else. Definitely an essential visit.
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