Friday morning I took a stroll down to the vegetable and flower market at Bürkliplatz, in the middle of downtown Zurich. It was gorgeous weather (for once), and with the summer holidays drawing to an end and the city filling back up, the market was bustling with shoppers. The crowd was about evenly split between little old ladies and young mothers pushing strollers, with the occasional lone male or tourist thrown in.
Berry season is in full swing in Switzerland, so most of the stands display the deep red, purple, and blue fruit prominently alongside the more perennial staples such as greens, carrots, and turnips. Juicy tomatoes, plums, and nectarines also tempted me to stop at a couple vendors and stock up for the weekend.
One stand caught my attention with its decorations of blooming artichokes, something that I rarely see. The purple petals are an exquisite color, but I’d much rather eat an artichoke than admire its bloom (and once it has bloomed, it’s no longer edible).
For the most part the vendors come from the smaller towns and countryside surrounding Zurich. Much, but not all, of the produce is Swiss-grown. Just as in supermarkets here, the country of origin of each product is usually displayed, with sellers drawing particular attention to Swiss and organic products.
The Swiss have a historical preference for Swiss goods, as they are believed to offer the best quality. This preference has allowed many a Swiss farmer to stay in business despite astronomical production costs. Today this situation seems to be eroding ever so slightly, as foreign discounters start opening up local stores, and even Swiss chains say ‘enough is enough’ when it comes to choosing Swiss products over their much cheaper foreign equivalents.
The Bürkliplatz market is basically just your average, ordinary, everyday food market in Zurich. Here and there you can find a cheese stand, a bakery cart, or an elderly woman selling her homemade preserves amongst the myriad fresh produce and flower stalls.
The market is on every Tuesday and Friday morning, from 8:00 until 11:00am, and Bürkliplatz is easily reachable by tram. There are several similar markets all over the city each week.
To see more pictures, click here.
I was inspired to write about the Bürkliplatz market for Food Destinations #2, which I read about on this blog.
Technorati tags: food destinations 2 fooddestinations
just beautiful I tell ya! Ah I miss that place!
oooooh I’m having Zurich withdrawl. And I do remember the berries….wow, so flavorful!