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Food and Kitchen-Supply Shops in Munich


Behemoth

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Indian spices shouldn't be a problem. Sendlinger strasse. Also, most Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese places stock all the standard Indian spices in a separate section (though maybe not things like ghee or pappadams).

My standard way of finding ethnic grocery stores in a new place is to approach someone of the appropriate ethnicity, even in the street, and ask them where to get stuff. Works amazingly well. :raz:

No idea what their stock is like, or whether the place is even still in existence (usually when I try to track down an ethnic grocery listed on the web, I find that it closed down a couple of years before), but there is this place (scroll down a little) for Mexican ingredients.

I've never seen canned pumpkin filling anywhere yet in Germany. However, most places are selling fresh pumpkins around this time of year. Mostly these are butternut squash (available much of the year in Thai groceries also), Turk's turban, Halloween pumpkins, and sometimes Hokkaido pumkins (these are all still so foreign to the average consumer that many shops are offering guidelines on what they are, and how to prepare them. Quote: 'Butternut kann als Rohkost verwendet werden.' :wacko: ).

Not sure if it's possible to make pumpkin pie filling from any of those pumpkins - I love pumpkin, but hate it as pie, so I've never tried.

What else? Rather to my surprise, I found good quality maple syrup in Reichelt the other day. So unless Reichelt doesn't exist in Munich, that should also be available. Maybe also available in Karstadt (?) where their 'American section' covers mostly wheat tortillas, bottled salsa, Hershey bars, pop tarts :wink: , corn chips, and not an awful lot else.

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maple syrup's in every grocery store nowadays. Even organic maple syrup. It's all from Canada. And pumpkin filling is available in certain stores in Fall -- that's really a specialty. G+A German-American Grocery in the Baaderstr. has it, but you have to buy it at the beginning of November as he only imports it for Thanksgiving, and he does run out by the 15th or so. Or yeah, go for a real pumpkin.

http://www.toytownmunich.com/wiki/Category:Food -- includes pages on

American Grocery Stores

Asian food stores

British and American foods

Crushed ice and ice cubes

G&A Grocery Store

Ice cream shops

Indian and Asian Foods

Marmite

Mexican Food

All in Munich only.

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Turns out to be a moot point: the mover we decided to go with has advised us to leave such items out of the container. While legal, they will make it more likely that a customs person would pull our stuff aside. Wouldn't want that.

Gen, stuff as good as scrubbing bubbles? Girl, how long have you been in Germany?? :laugh: (This from my German spouse, who regards the stuff as a toxic little miracle in a spray bottle.)

So now I need to start a thread on how in the next 1 1/2 months to use up 2 lb of glutinous rice flour, 1/2 lb each of dried tree ear, oyster and black mushrooms, several packages of yuba, galangal, shrimp paste, red lentils... :wacko:

Edited by Behemoth (log)
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Oi! Showdown in my bathroom! My (German) Procter and Gamble Antikal against your US Johnson & Johnson Scrubbing Bubbles!

How long's your spouse been out of the country, anyway? Tch. Besides, I suspect your spouse is a male, which may mean his mother always cleaned and he's not got the experience to judge the German products anyhow. Lots of families here still work that way.

I think the best way to use up all your stuff is to have a big party. Several maybe. Have you ever made those Japanese rice flour steamed balls?

Edited by Gen (log)
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Oi!  Showdown in my bathroom!  My (German) Procter and Gamble Antikal against your US Johnson & Johnson Scrubbing Bubbles!

How long's your spouse been out of the country, anyway?  Tch.  Besides, I suspect your spouse is a male, which may mean his mother always cleaned and he's not got the experience to judge the German products anyhow.  Lots of families here still work that way.

I gots to stand by my (yep, male but I appreciate the PC overture :biggrin: ) spouse. He has been in the US for 2 1/2 years now. He is the primary bathroom cleaner as I am the primary cook. He was definitely coddled at home and with his ex but he was living alone while we were dating long distance for 4 years (!) and I daresay his apartment was always a lot cleaner than mine. (And I'm pretty good by American standards mind you...)

I think the best way to use up all your stuff is to have a big party.  Several maybe.  Have you ever made those Japanese rice flour steamed balls?

We've been inviting people over but it's a pain to schedule stuff right now with the semester in full swing. We also have a ton of alcohol and in Philly it never would have been hard to get rid of. In Central IL only the undergrads drink that much, and honestly I have half a mind to stick a box on our doorstep if it weren't for the legal issues... :unsure:

It's not so dramatic though, looks like I have to keep a place on campus for a while, so it will all live in Urbana for the time being. Sucks to have to rebuy all that stuff in Germany but I'll probably just accumulate it all slowly like I did here...

Oh, I bought the rice flour for Korean style rice cakes, but if you have an easier recipe I'd love to hear it. I even have sesame and red beans for the filling.

I really can't wait until January. The TT folks look like a fun crowd so my social life might even see some improvement. :smile:

edit: not 1 1/2, but 2 1/2!

Edited by Behemoth (log)
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  • 4 weeks later...

Well,

Greuss Euch in Muenchen!! An interesting thread that I picked up by accident here on EG.

Moving to Muenchen (okay, let's dispense with the umlauts, because the keyboard here doesn't have any). Will you be staying long? This will determine whether you really slip into the culture, or remain on the fringe (like Army people - no laughter please from you locals).

A super source of all things in the English language is a publication called "Munich Found". The publisher is German, her spouse American (exactly the opposite of me and my husband), and comes out every month. You can get a copy in all the major newspaper centers (read: train stations, etc), and it is written by many people who actually live in Munich and fit in very well with the community.

Shopping:

Munchner are very tied to the earth (read: bring your own bags with you to the supermarket, or you'll have to pay for one), DO NOT go for bleach/chemicals/artificial sweetners or colors, they are "politically incorrect" (chileren are educated at an early age about the dangers of artificial colors. Even the cat foods have ingredients listed, so you can see if your pet is being fed sugar or not). Be prepared to carry things. Be prepared to buy drinks in containers with mandatory deposits, even at the airports. Be prepared to buy bread that has a very limited shelf life, and to buy it every day.

Be prepared for some of the best quality food that you've ever experienced.

Wheat is real wheat. Butter is real butter, from a variety of countries, and with little or no water added. Quark, always an interesting substance, is widespread. The local culture pays no attention to "no carbs", because they know better. They have true whole grains, an acid-based diet, and a very healthy outlook toward food. Too much animal fat? Eat only vegetables for a few days, and walk a lot. Breakfast? Not nearly as much refined sugar as in the US, and when so, it is beet sugar (basis for a new thread). Fructose is everywhere, Sucrose is everywhere, artificial sweetners are really shunned by most, and milk products rule. Where else can you find strawberry buttermilk? And you wonder why complexions are wonderful.

Do not expect to find monster servings, and DO NOT expect to take anything home. This is an insult to the establishment, which normally views this sort of thing as mediocre and low-class. 'Nuff said.

Shopping? Most real people, depending upon their living space shop so: dry goods and basics (flour, sugar, ets) in bulk, fresh foods daily. Yes, we cook every day.

Weekend shopping is truly a joy. There are a variety of sources from which to choose, and Muenchner do. THEY DO PLAN MENUS. THEY DO TEND TO SHOP EARLY, at least the gastronomes do. EARLY IS NOT 16:00. EARLY IS 8:00 - 12:00 noon.

You are moving to a new location. Experience the local culture (the best meal is always at the neighbors' grandma's). Restaurants are fine, but can be superficial. Be prepared. Just because it's in Munich does not mean that it is good (just like NYC).

The Viktualienmarkt? An adventure story. Just like NYC, one can live either very expensively or very economically. Shop in season. Be prepared for outrageous prices if it is off season. This is not one's supermarket (thank heavens), but affords incomparable experiences.

When you are there, seek out a Stand called "Rottler", just beside the "sauer-eck". The Stand offers HOMEMADE (and I do mean "by hand", saying that everything is done the "old way") jams, jellies, confitures, & condiments, as well as every fresh herb that one could realistically want, and oils, vinegars, and spices, and sauerkraut, and pickles (the BEST), and olives......

and it is run by Hans Hollweck, "the man with the hat" (Der Man mit dem Hut).

He speaks fluent english, is himself a Michelin-star Chef (he'll gladly tell you how to prepare your purchase), and is a wealth of knowledge, gastronomically speaking. Refer to Munich Found for references.

You're a part of EGullet. Take your passion in hand.

And tell them that betsy at Marktfrau sent you.

More infor? Email me. I'm always there within 24 hours (time elapses allowed).

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Nice post marktfrau! And good to hear that the type of cooking and ingredients you've mentioned are 'alive and well'. My Oma lives 'next door' in Graz and what you describe it similar to her routine.

Hint, hint... It would be wonderful to have a foodblog from Munich (contact Soba addict). Maybe we'll get lucky and get two foodblogs from Munich once Behemouth is there... :smile:

Tschuss!

Edited by ludja (log)

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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Hello Ludja, nice to make contact with you!

Sorry, but this is not the way only grandmas shop. This is the way most normal people (yes, these days) shop especially gastronomes.

Living in the BRD since August 1989, a few months before the "wall" fell, I've seen lots of changes on the consummable scene:

Shopping hours

availability

customer-friendly services

service

and the list can go on. I just know that, as a consumer, I would like/have gotten used to certain things.

On another site I saw a picture of chicken feet. I was amused, as we have a family history/tale about this (Phillip threw them on his sister's desk, whence she was disgusted and brushed them to the cat, who tries to wrest them from the stock pot).

Lots of people have passed through the city, with many experiences. I'd like to steer people toward relatively good experiences, as opposed to preconceived notions.

Let me hear from you, -betsy

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Hi Marktfrau,

Thank you for your informative post. My husband is German, and I have spent plenty of time in Hamburg (where he lived before moving here 2 years ago) so I am pretty familiar with the ways of German life (incl. all the very specific trash laws, etc... :wacko::wink: ). We expect our move to be permanent, and couldn't be happier about it. I speak passable German now but will be taking some courses to get myself up to "professional" speed as soon as possible. From what I can tell, (apart from just being a beautiful city with great parks and public transportation and museums and safety and....) Munich is the best possible place I could have landed in Germany, as a person who loves to cook. Munich seemes to have wonderful resources for someone like me in terms of availability of ingredients and good restaurants. I will probably be posting questions to this thread about very specific things such as "what is X called in German" or "how do I substitute X product for Y?" and of course the ever popular "where do I find [insert obscure ingredient here] in town?"

(BTW people here in the midwest have expressed quite some shock that I go to the farmer's market twice weekly :rolleyes: so I don't think I'll have that much trouble getting into the rhythm of the place.)

Will definitely check out the stand Rottler in Viktualienmarkt. I understand there is a eG connection. :wink:

Vielen dank noch mal!

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Great post marktfrau. But:

Do not expect to find monster servings, and DO NOT expect to take anything home. This is an insult to the establishment, which normally views this sort of thing as mediocre and low-class. 'Nuff said.

This is a myth. This is not a problem. It's not as common here as in the US, but restaurants are prepared to let you take things home -- they have the little aluminum foil trays with lids, sometimes even styrofoam. You will not very often have the need to take part of your food home, as the servings are indeed just normal size, but when you do, it's possible and NOT an insult. At Indian and Bavarian places in particular, the portions are larger, so I very often only eat half the main dish because otherwise there's no room for dessert, and I do want dessert.

We don't shop early (too crowded!) -- stores now can be open until 20:00 on Saturdays even, and the Viktualienmarkt has many stands that are open until 16:00. You can find opening hours for each stand here, Rottler for example is open until 18:00 on Saturdays. I agree with the tip, his stuff is great -- he explained that for Maibowle you have to let the Waldmeister (sweet woodruff) wilt for a couple days before you make it, only when it's wilted does it develop the aroma you need. There's a map at that link too. When things are in season, the stands don't run out of them by 12 noon anyhow. We shop also at Elisabeth Stadler, her husband's a butcher in our street and makes fantastic Weisswurst himself, and we know her from there -- and if you know the market people, they'll tell you more about the wares, like "don't buy strawberries this week, they're still too expensive, next week they'll be cheaper." Don't know if she speaks English though.

Private persons can also shop at the Großmarkthalle, which really is only open until 12 noon or so. They tend to sell only large packages though, as befits a wholesaler. (You can book a tour through the Volkshochschule, I just took one last Friday. 8 Euros.)

There are lots of other markets in town too, not just the ones listed there but really small ones with only four stands that are only once a week. You'll get to know the ones in your area.

Munich Found is online too, you can get an idea of the publication before you get here.

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  • 2 weeks later...

another Munich Food Blog -- actually the recipes section of Saan's blog.

Plus wanted to mention that living here means you'll have a small fridge and small freezer. Unless you go and buy one of the expensive "American Style" fridges which are available here -- Whirlpool even. Apartments aren't generally built to accomodate that size though. Our apartment came with a kitchen with a fridge the size of a dishwasher, so we had to buy an additional one. It's good for "all fresh all the time" of course, but a pain if you like to cook from different cuisines and you need to keep your fish sauce and miso and aubergine chutney and harissa and don't even make me list all the alcohol we've got in the fridge.

Anyhow if you've got the money, you might really consider getting a really big fridge. Everyone who comes over to your house will think you're arrogant though and "can't do without your wasteful American appliances" which will be annoying, but you don't have to invite them again either. You wouldn't believe how everyone comments on our having a tv in the kitchen. What, should I just philosophize about the meaning of life as I stir the onions? Grrrr, but that's another topic.

Actually I don't know where the water comes from that a fridge can pour out its door, and our kitchens here have always only had water for the sink that got tapped for the dishwasher. I've searched and haven't found the answer to that on egullet. Must be possible though, as there are fridges here that do that.

Edited by Gen (log)
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Anyhow if you've got the money, you might really consider getting a really big fridge.  Everyone who comes over to your house will think you're arrogant though and "can't do without your wasteful American appliances" which will be annoying, but you don't have to invite them again either.  You wouldn't believe how everyone comments on our having a tv in the kitchen.  What, should I just philosophize about the meaning of life as I stir the onions?  Grrrr, but that's another topic. 

Actually I don't know where the water comes from that a fridge can pour out its door, and our kitchens here have always only had water for the sink that got tapped for the dishwasher.  I've searched and haven't found the answer to that on egullet.  Must be possible though, as there are fridges here that do that.

Actually, both A's sisters have big fridges with ice dispensers and TVs in the kitchen. But they have houses in the country so there's more space. You can branch the water hookup that goes to the sink, but you need to get your landlord to set that up ahead of time.

I had to talk A out of the double-door fridge, because I wanted an extra pantry closet for dry stuff. :smile:

We set up our kitchen on the IKEA website, but we may buy our appliances elsewhere. Thankfully A's brother in law is a retired engineer and has been helping us put it all together.

I like to listen to NPR while I cook. I'll probably keep the laptop on the counter and listen to it online.

Edited by Behemoth (log)
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  • 4 weeks later...

What's the best place to get my knives sharpened? To paraphrase the Pointer Sisters:

I want somebody who will spend some time

Not grind them down in a heated rush

I want somebody who will understand

When it comes to knives, I want a slow hand

:smile:

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What's the best place to get my knives sharpened? To paraphrase the Pointer Sisters:

I want somebody who will spend some time

Not grind them down in a heated rush

I want somebody who will understand

When it comes to knives, I want a slow hand

:smile:

Biebl's Knife shop at the Stachus (Karlsplatz) in the Königshof Hotel may help you with your knifes. He carries Kasumi; Kai Shun; Global; Haiku; Porsche Type 301; Wüsthof Dreizack; Henkels; Güde; and much more.

H.B. aka "Legourmet"

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Oh, I know exactly where that is. Thanks LG!

Did you move already ? or did you discover the place during your recent visit.

I passed by it last time I was in Munich. Naturally, I noted its presence. :smile:

We will be in Germany in two weeks, and in Munich after the 28th which is when our container is supposed to arrive. I've been told our kitchen appliances are currently stacked up in our hallway. Thankfully a carpenter is putting it all together for us, I really don't think we could handle that on top of everything else!

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  • 4 weeks later...
We will be in Germany in two weeks, and in Munich after the 28th which is when our container is supposed to arrive. I've been told our kitchen appliances are currently stacked up in our hallway. Thankfully a carpenter is putting it all together for us, I really don't think we could handle that on top of everything else!

Herzlich willkommen in München. Ich wünsche Ihnen einen guten Start in der Isar-Metropole und ein glückliches und erfolgreiches Neues Jahr. Viel Spaß beim Jahreswechsel !!!

H.B. aka "Legourmet"

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Vielen dank und ein frohes Neues Jahr!

We took a break from unpacking this morning, went for a walk and then an unhealthy New Year's breakfast:

79718209_9061f975dd.jpg79718180_2f7f9a3884.jpg

79718217_06e39d6555.jpg

Beautiful city, it is still all a little surreal to us... :smile:

Edited by Behemoth (log)
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Hi Behemoth,

I'm not from Munich but I just wanted to wish you all the best in your new city, and good luck with adapting! Looking forward to your reports about the German food scene.

Gluckliches neues Jahr!!

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Thanks guys.

Michelle, I would love to get together. I will be travelling a lot back and forth between here and the States this first year -- A is here for good but I am still finishing up my degree. I will certainly be around for an extended period starting in May (our summer break) so that might be a good time, so PM me if you are in town.

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Beautiful city, it is still all a little surreal to us... :smile:

Munich in Winter. What a beautiful impression of the "Englische Garten". You took the right time to move. But weather today is rainy and the white blanket is melting away. :sad:

Weather forecaste for the next days: again snow and temperatures below 0°C :smile:

Coffee and "Krapfen" a good and healthy breakfast IMHO :hmmm:

Edited by legourmet (log)

H.B. aka "Legourmet"

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