Hungry in Berlin

A quick Kollwitzplatz market spotting yesterday: The dark, sweet muscat grapes are here, which make my eyes light up like a kid’s with candy. Because they are essentially candy. I fell in love with a variety of golden muscats in California, but I like the ones here better –  ludicrously sweet with a hint of jasmine or honey, but balanced by the bitter almost-black skins. I think these might be a variety called Black Hamburg, but since my grape expert is currently picking them in France, y’all are on your own with that one.

(However, assuming I’m right, let’s go for moment to the very earnest Charles M. McIntosh, who in his 1855 “The Book of the Garden” (thanks, Google Books) calls this “the best of all black grapes, and introduced (into England) from Hamburg, in 1724 by a Mr. Warner.”  So there you are.)

I generally can”t do muscat wine. Too sweet for me, my head explodes (although I quite like the Pisco, a distilled muscatel liquor, and the national drink of Chile, which Aimee brought back for me this month). But a handful of these will make me happy indeed.

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