A trip to a local market is one of my favourite ways of shaking off that slightly unsettling tourist feeling when visiting a new city. A local food market offers an instant microcosm of city culture, tradition and trends, and so on a recent weekend in Zürich I head to two of its most popular.
First is the indoor market at Zürich's main train station (Wednesdays 10am-8pm) where vendors from all over Switzerland offer up their specialities: from air-dried Grisons beef to high-quality cheeses, organic vegetables to chocolate fruit, and bakers' delicious wholegrain bread - it's a great way to wake up the tastebuds. Inspired by all the gourmet offerings I wander into the Niederdorf district of the old town to check out a food shop that local friends have told me is a must. Schwarzenbach is like stepping back in time, as this old-fashioned store seems to have hardly changed since it was built in 1864 in what was the location of Zürich's first post office. It's one of the city's prettiest stores, stacked with old wooden shelves, cabinets and drawers spilling over with spices, dried fruit, nuts and other exotic delights.
The aroma of freshly ground coffee makes me realise it's time for an afternoon break, so I wander along the cobbled streets of the Niederdorf to the Cake Friends cafe. Here you can choose from a guilt-inducing array of freshly baked cakes and muffins, which are served two slices at a time (there is even a nine-slice cake serving you can order if you really want to indulge) each served with a selection of creams, jams and fresh fruit.
Later in the week I set off early for the market on Bürkliplatz (Tuesdays and Fridays 8am-11am), which is one of the most popular. Its setting, between the chic shops of the Bahnhofstrasse and the serene beauty of the lake, somehow sums up Zürich's attitude to life. Well-heeled locals wander among a tempting range of colourful flowers, fresh vegetables, regional specialities, organic products and freshly baked bread. Many of the stalls specialise in the products from local farmers in the nearby Graubünden region. One of the most popular products is bündnerfleisch, salt-cured air-dried beef which is a famous speciality of the Graubünden region, as is salsiz, an air-dried raw sausage. But having yet to have breakfast I head over to the stall selling fresh birchermüesli; made with oats, grated fruits and yoghurt it's a very traditional way to start the day. I then head for a coffee at the market's Bürkli-Café (only open on market day), which is just the spot to enjoy the lakeside panorama and watch the city come to life.
Swiss specialities:
Basel
A local and delicious teatime speciality is leckerli; a delicious ginger biscuit made with honey, spices, and almonds that is sold in the patisseries.
Fribourg
Not far from Fribourg is the village of Gruyères, home to the most famous of Swiss cheeses. Take a trip to Moléson's mountain cheese dairy where you can watch cheese-making demonstrations and then enjoy a fondue or traditional macaroni.
La Chaux-de-Fonds
A renowned regional produce of the Val-de-Travers region is absinthe, now emerging from a century of clandestine obscurity after only recently being legalised in Switzerland. Head to Au Gré des Saveurs where you will find a great selection of local varieties in beautifully packaged bottles. There are also absinthe biscuits and chocolate (sure to pep up any afternoon tea) and even pretty absinthe drinking fountains.
St Gallen
The delicious local sausage olma bratwurst is considered to be the finest in Switzerland. It's a tasty mixture of pork and beef and is perfect with some bürli, a chewy bread roll. But a word of caution: hold the mustard, as local people believe this fine sausage is best enjoyed condiment-free.
Winterthur
A mid-morning bernerplatte will keep you going for a week never mind the rest of the day. Consisting of cold sausage, bacon, pork knuckles and beef tongue served with lashings of sauerkraut, bernerplatte is not for the faint hearted. For a slightly less meaty speciality try älpler makkaronen, which is the Swiss take on macaroni cheese with added cream, bacon and pureed apple.
