European Neighborhood Markets
Yummmm
8/30/20262 min read
People love a good market filled with fresh, inventive, and artisan products. In the States, it’s easy to get excited about visiting a local market that pops up on the first Saturday of every month—or weekly, if you’re lucky. Here in Utrecht, and in the other Dutch cities I’ve visited, you can count on a market at least twice a week and, depending on the season, sometimes even three times per week.
We passed through our local market yesterday with no intention of buying anything, but so many things quickly became irresistible. Although the weather was a bit dreary, it didn’t stop locals and tourists from enjoying the many offerings. Just around the corner from our home, a florist had set up a gorgeous array of fresh flowers. Upon spotting her favorite, lisianthus, Heather bought a bouquet for €10 (about $11.50) and promptly brought it home so we could enjoy the flowers in her new farfalle vase.
Lil O LOVES strawberries (aardbeien in Dutch), but the ones I found at the local grocery store the other day seemed a bit expensive for a small container of sad-looking berries. At the market, they were big, vibrant, and more affordable, making them another must-buy. We picked up two pints for about $3.50 each. From the same vendor, I bought two passion fruits for Heather to enjoy for about $1 apiece.
I was excited to finally peruse the butcher’s cart and bought three kinds of salami for charcuterie: jalapeño and cheddar, truffle, and black pepper. I also wanted to buy a hot dog, but the line was substantial, and I didn’t want to test the family’s patience by making them wait 15 minutes for one.
While Heather snuck off for fries from Manneken Pis with their sinfully delicious peanut sauce, Lil O and I explored the other stalls, which offered candy, clothes, fish (vis), chicken (kip), cheese (kaas), nuts and olives, bread (brood), and freshly made, candy-coated stroopwafels. And then there was Lil O’s favorite: a fresh waffle covered in chocolate.
It’s wonderfully convenient to have a small grocery store just a minute’s walk from our home, but the local market is really where it’s at. I suspect it will quickly become part of our routine as we settle into European life.
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