Hungry in Berlin

I was on other business in Schöneberg yesterday when a market found me. I was walking down tiny little Mansteinstr., not far from the Yorckstr. S-Bahn stop, when I noticed a whole lot of trucks and people. Imagine my surprise to find a thriving market, populated mostly by Turks, stretching out over a couple of blocks by the side of the tracks. I’d stumbled onto the Crellestr. Market.

This was a food-intensive market, featuring a bounty of vegetables like I haven’t seen since I was last at the famous Turkish market on Maybachufer — only this one wasn’t nearly as crowded. Which isn’t to say it wasn’t crowded, because it was.

What I saw there was a huge amount of late-season berries, mostly strawberries and raspberries, with a few pathetic-looking blueberries, and some nice late-season melons nestled in among the regular Turkish offerings. This means loads of eggplants, and a selection of peppers, hot and sweet, like I’ve never seen in this city. One stand had a huge pile of “Thai” chiles in excellent shape, along with some small, serrano-sized peppers that were white with purple blotches. There were cabbages, of course, and at least three varieties of zucchini, and plenty of (edible) pumpkins. Spices, nuts, and herbs were also in profusion, as were grape leaves, olives, and other preserved vegetables, and the various forms of white Turkish cheeses. One lone halal butcher and one fish merchant were on the scene, and numerous bakeries with very tempting looking Turkish breads, including delicious whole-wheat ring pastries studded with toasted pumpkin seeds. A few small merchants hawked rugs and other household wares, and there may have been one Döner truck, but the overall emphasis was on rock-bottom-priced vegetables and fruit and the goods you need to prepare them with. I was kicking myself because I’d re-stocked the veggie bin the day before.

Open 10-3 every Wednesday and Saturday.

The next one I came upon, I did on purpose. After finishing my business, I took a sentimental journey up and down Akazienstr. and Goltzstr., where I used to spend a lot of time. It’s just as much a gourmet gulch as ever, and yes, Cafe M is still there, although some cultural changes are visible: Groupee Deluxe has become Vampyr Deluxe, but is still the same store.

But at the foot of Goltzstr., there was the church, and beyond it the glories of what could be Berlin’s best market, the Winterfeldtplatz Market. This was the first one I ever went to, and silly me, I thought they were all this good. Not so good for prices, mind you — this market is very much aimed at the bourgeois neighborhood surrounding it — but if you’re looking for some specific item, some odd vegetable or fruit, a cheese that isn’t even at your local “gourmet” market, this is the place. It’s also a lunch destination par excellence, with any number of strange items being cooked up everywhere you look. (There’s also the original branch of Habibi, Berlin’s famous falafel chain, off on Goltzstr. behind the market, which I can recommend unreservedly).

End-of-season berries were double to triple the price they were on Crellestr., and melons almost nowhere to be seen. Loads of “bio” stands with exorbitant prices which doubtless didn’t faze customers who’ve been patronizing them since the ’70s, and, unsurprisingly, loads of “lifestyle accessory” booths with organically-grown cotton cloth, cooking implements, flowers, ceramics, and who knows what else. A number of excellent bakeries are on the scene, and cheese stands specializing in Austrian and Dutch cheeses. (My snarky remark on my other blog about there being no five-year-old Gouda in this town is hereby rescinded). There’s a guy selling African products I couldn’t identify (he speaks French), and an even more diverse selection of olives and preserved vegetables than at Crellestr. There’s a linseed-oil-while-you-wait press, a wine merchant or two, herbs in pots at ridiculously low prices (but then, winter’s almost upon us), and a potato specialist. This market doesn’t take up all that much space, but it will take you easily an hour to circumnavigate it, more if you (unwisely, if your funds are limited) go in hungry. Good to see an old man’s fading memory is right: this is still the best market I know of in this town.

Open Wednesday and Saturday, 8-4.

Incidentally, a full (if somewhat out-of-date) list of markets in Berlin can be found here. We’d really, really like to hear from some of our readers by e-mail about any of these which might be in your neighborhood, and we’ll pass along your comments.

EW

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