My intent in starting this blog was to share my culinary adventures in and around Stuttgart since I enjoy food and make an effort to find good dining experiences. However, my husband and I spend most of the work week cooking and, to some extent, trying to imitate many of the delicious meals that we've eaten here and abroad. With this in mind, I thought it might be useful to write a post on shopping for groceries in case you, like me, are an expat in Stuttgart looking for the right ingredient for your favorite meals...
Celebrating Seasonal Produce at the Stuttgart Market
One of the great things about living in Stuttgart is that there are always plenty of opportunities to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. I hesitate to say more, because I remember more farmer's stands growing up around farms in Maryland, and in Charlottesville, VA we had a Saturday farmer's market. Still, it seems that Stuttgart has all of that between the many tucked-away produce stands, the covered Markthalle, and the many smaller village markets. The best, though, has to be the Wochenmarkt that makes an appearance not just on Saturdays, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays, too...
Must-Try Eats in Frankfurt
A couple of weekends ago I found myself in Frankfurt am Main visiting with friends. Frankfurt has the biggest international airport in this part of the country, so we make it there somewhat regularly either to see friends arrive or leave from the airport, to go on our own adventures, or to visit our friends who live there. On this occasion, we had a couple of meals from some past favorites, but we also tried brunch at a our favorite Frankfurt bakery for the first time and loved it!
If you're ever in Frankfurt, here are three places that I recommend you try...
A Treasure Trove of History at the Ludwigsburg Antiques-Mile
This past weekend Ludwigsburg hosted their annual Antiques-Mile. During this event, the market square was filled with dozens, if not a hundred of stalls, all manned by local antique merchants selling a selection of their wares. You could find everything there, from record players to typewriters, kitchen ware to linens.
While this event is not exactly food-related, I felt it worth a mention because you can find lots of great food-related antiques. I loved seeing old cookie cutters, measuring cups, bread boxes, silverware, and glasses. This was definitely the place to go if you're looking for something special for your home...
Exploring Frankfurt: A Food Tour And More
Frankfurt (am Main) is a little over an hour from Stuttgart by train, which makes it an excellent location to visit for a day or for the weekend. We've been twice now to check out the city, and while it certainly has a more metropolitan feel than Stuttgart, we very much appreciate the historic charm of the old city and more international character of the food.
The first time we visited for a day trip on our own. The city is very walkable, and we enjoyed exploring and discovering new restaurants and shops. On our second trip this past weekend, we went with the intention of visiting our very good friends who recently moved to Oberursel, just 20 minutes by S-bahn north of the inner city...
Shopping for Asian Groceries in Stuttgart
Despite my love of dining out, I often cook at home. Not only do I enjoy cooking, sometimes it's the only way to get some authentic dishes from home (like American pork lo mien, Mexican fajitas and tacos, New Orleans gumbo, and Texas chili) and some dishes that you can never find in a restaurant (like my mom's spaghetti). Lately I've been making an effort to try more Japanese dishes like the ones we ate on our trip to Japan. I've found a great Japanese-American blogger from the San Francisco bay area who writes on Just One Cookbook. So far, I've made tsukemen, soba noodles, and ochasuke, and I recently tried katsu curry (see some pictures at the end of this post).
These recipes often require ingredients that can't be found in my neighborhood grocery store. The Edeka where I shop does have a small Asian aisle, but most products are from the standard Bamboo Garden brand (although Edeka recently started stocking panko breadcrumbs and miso paste -- I was impressed!). When I need more exotic ingredients, like real ramen noodles, soba noodles, chili bean paste, dried bonito flakes, mentsuyu (a soup base), and narutomaki (a kind of fish paste), then I head to the Asian market...
Recap: Ambling Through Amsterdam
We just got back from our first trip to Amsterdam, and I feel like I ate my way through the city. I had such a great time trying all the delicious foods (and beers) and getting acquainted with Amsterdam.
We really like major metropolitan cities, and Amsterdam didn't disappoint. Given the number of immigrants to the city, the population (and food) was much more diverse than Stuttgart. The city is also huge, and rather than having a single downtown area (though it does have an Old Town), there are several neighborhoods or boroughs, each with its own atmosphere.
Recap: Beguiling Budapest
I'm slightly ashamed to say that Budapest is the farthest east I've been in Europe, but after the school trip I went on in April, I really want to go farther. Budapest was such an amazing mix of gritty, decaying buildings and pre-war splendor. It's not like the cookie-cutter beauty of Prague or the thoroughly rebuilt, puzzle-piece feel of Berlin. Rather, it combines the best bits of both Berlin with Prague in its own, unique way.
Of course this was a school trip, so my free time was limited. However, I did get to see a number of cool places and ate at a few nice restaurants that I'd like to share. I really did enjoy my time in Budapest, and I hope that I get the chance to return one day so that I can expand my list of recommendations.
Enjoy a Meal from the Markthalle
Since moving to Europe, I've come to love covered market halls. There's just something about having that kind of variety and freshness of fruits, vegetables, meats, and other delicacies at your fingertips. Not to mention that stepping into one is like walking through a confetti party: the riot of colors, tastes, smells, and even sounds excites the senses.
Stuttgart's Markthalle ("market hall") has become a real treat for us to shop at. Most grocery stores in the center of the city tend to be quite small, so the selection is limited. But at the Markthalle, we can get a variety of fresh foods that aren't regularly stocked at our local grocery store. For example, the fruit and vegetable stalls there offer some seasonal produce year-round. I can always find fresh cilantro and celery stalks (which aren't always available at our grocery store) at one of the vegetable stalls. I can also purchase the exact quantity of vegetables that I need for a recipe. This is especially handy for greens like spinach. If I bought spinach at the grocery store, then I'd have to buy a bulk bag and the leftovers would probably go to waste in my fridge since there's no way the two of us could eat it all fast enough.