Hungry in Berlin

We’d been hearing about it for years: a huge Vietnamese market somewhere in the deep east, where the freshest herbs and vegetables you could want for your Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese cooking were available, and the space was dotted with lunch-stands serving many kinds of phô, the famous beef-and-noodle soup. The question was, where was it?

Which was exactly the question we found ourselves asking yesterday noon, as four of us, in two cars, in the wilds on the border of Lichtenberg and Marzahn, pored over cell-phones and GPS units, looking for this place one of us had scrupulously researched on the Internet. As it turned out, we’d found where it had been, but where was it now?

Eventually, an answer bubbled out of cyberspace: the word Herzbergstrasse appeared on a cell-phone, and buttons were pressed, speculation was tossed around, and eventually our caravan made its chaotic way towards the Dong Xuan Center, another planet in the Berlin cosmos.

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Now that we’re finally cruising in the 20-degree Celsius band and the parks are packed to overflowing on the weekends, summer wines are in order. I like that there’s a decent market in larger-sized wine bottles — and the wine’s often of a quality that’s definitely higher than the swill we guzzled during high school (bring on the Hearty Burgundy!) My idea of a good summer wine is one that’s got some good acidity (like lemonade; juicy and refreshes the palate), light in alcohol and if possible, under 5 Euro a bottle. Here’s two recent finds that we’re enjoying — if you’ve some recommendations, let us know in the comments below.

Veit Gruner Veltliner 2007, Austria: This 1-liter bottle was shoved in John’s hands last weekend, with the insistence from our very favorite wine dude that “It’s the perfect summer wine!” Well, for 4.50 Euro, it was hard to argue. This Qualitatswein offers a good combo of green apple and lychee flavors, and isn’t too heavy (12.5% alcohol). Although the wine’s label claims it’s good with “Wiener Schnitzel” (props to the home team there), I’m pretty sure it will do the job with lighter dishes quite nicely. Find it at Sonnenreich at Arnimplatz, Seelowerstr. 6.

Le Pavot Rosé 2007, Vin de Pays de l’Aude, France: This kills a couple birds with one bottle — it’s crisp and refreshing, it’s cheap (4.95 Euro) and it’s bio. The Aude is a river that runs west-east through the western Languedoc; the vineyards have been organically certified Ecocert (no mean feat in France) since 2002. It’s a gorgeous deep pink and tastes and smells like super-ripe strawberries (blend of Grenache and Mourvédre methinks). Uncomplicated and easy to sip. At the bioladen Kiepert & Kutzner at Schönhauser Allee 65 (in the wine section, very lower shelf.)

No, not the squirt-from-a-can kind. (Don’t tell me you didn’t at least once in your life use your tongue as a cracker for a can of this? OK, maybe it was just me.) We’ve spied large blocks of paneer, the creamy, protein-rich Indian white cheese, at our local Asiamarkt (Kopenhagnerstr. at Schonhauser Allee). A half-kilo block will set you back 3.99 Euro — and combined with a large pack of frozen spinach will make enough sag paneer to last about a week and a half.

Now HIB cohort John tells me that the cheese has been hiding in the refrigerated section for some time (he does keep tabs on the tofu better than I) but I’m convinced it’s been recently added to the mix. Nevertheless, it’s a nice discovery timed with (hopefully) nicer weather — at home we’re moving gradually away from heavy foods to lighter fare as the days get longer and warmer. Paneer (or panir) is unsalted, completely vegetarian (not made with rennet) and can be used for both savory and sweet foods. I’m going to wrap a couple of blocks in store-bought puff pastry (with a chutney dip, an easy appetizer); once the sun’s out for real, a couple of slabs on the grill might be a good vegi barbecue option.

Now, true paneer fans out there are probably grumbling — this is a cheese that’s easily made at home. Do you make your own paneer? Tell us about it below (or check out this link for a step-by-step how-to) and share some recipes, too.

One of the things I struggled for years to find in this city was good fresh pasta. For a while, there was a place near where I worked in Charlottenburg called Ali Baba Pizza (I certainly think of Ali Baba when I think of Italy, don’t you?) that would sell good ravioli and tortellini out of the back of the store, like it was dope or something. Sometimes their stuff showed up at miscellaneous Italian delis, and then it vanished.

This seemed to be the way it worked: you’d find a good supply of the stuff and then it would vanish. There was no trouble getting it in restaurants, but for home use, it was hopeless. The stuff in bags that Buitoni and other commercial manufacturers like Rana was good as far as it went (although some of the Rana stuff had MSG in it), but it never really got al dente: it was either gummy from the git-go or it had a sort of industral hardness that didn’t go away.

Then, one day, I was at the market in Hackescher Markt on a Thursday and discovered the Pasta Ladies. That’s not their name: their name is Nudel & Co. I call them the Pasta Ladies because they’re all women, and from what I can tell, all their employees are women. They usually have about eight kinds of ravioli, five or six kinds of tortellini, two of tortellacci (huge fist-sized tortellini, usually with very exotic fillings), and a few other fresh Italian shapes. They also have a couple of kinds of Maultaschen, occasional Knödel, Schupfnudeln, and Spätzle for you Swabian food-lovers.

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Who doesn’t want a Parma ham for the holidays? (Vegetarians, put your hands down.) I came across this great spread of hanging hocks at Frische Paradies, a wholesale/retail gourmet outlet on Moresestr. 2 in Charlottenburg/Mitte. Whether you celebrate Christmas, it’s certainly time for gatherings and parties — and that means often buying lots of food, in large quantities — which is where the wholesalers in the hauptstadt come in. (And no, there is no Costco. Thank Gott. But! You don’t have to “belong” to any of these places to buy.) If you plan on doing a large roast or other dish that requires a specialty meat, Frische Paradies is one place to start — yet be forewarned that you will pay a premium.

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In two weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to visit Germany’s other two big towns – Munich and Hamburg. While in each I discovered some cooking-related treasures. For the locals in those towns, of course this will seem like a “duh” moment. But for those of us who don’t know these things, they can be pretty exciting discoveries.

First, if you find yourself in Hamburg, a visit to Cucinaria is a must. Here’s how to get there. Now, to call yourself the “cooking temple” is a bit much. But for my geld, it’s not that far off; it only needs to insert “equipment.” This is the place to find the tools you need to cook (and to present what you’ve cooked beautifully). Whether it’s knives, espresso makers, or sushi bowls, this store has a comprehensive selection of cookware that can satisfy both the home cook and the cooking establishment. A few caveats, though. Uno, this place is “unplugged” in the sense that it has a limited selection of electric machines, which I’m fine with. Let Saturn give you that. Due, although there is some high-end olive oil, pasta and the like, this is not a foodstuff place. Tre, prices might shock you at first, but I found that — once you stray away from the deluxe stuff — run-of-the-mill items are actually very fairly priced. Stop in the café for some caffeinated yummitude when you need to take a break. It’s like a toystore for foodies.

Second, when in Munich, you must must must go to Käfer, which can be found here. Now, in many ways, someone from Berlin might think this is nothing more than KDW’s sixth floor food Mecca stuffed into a space one tenth its size. In some ways, that’s true, especially when it comes to intended audience, general product types and (dear Jesus!) prices. But, a few things distinguish Käfer. Eins, the staff has drunk the proverbial koolaid. This place was like walking into Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, meaning that you feel an electricity in the air caused by the employees’ excitement about food and the aesthetic of purchasing it. Zwei, the architecture is mazelike, which makes turning each corner all the more exciting. I find I get lost in KDW, too, but the feeling there is more like “Mom?” rather than “Wow!” Drei, I was molto impressed by the wide selection of products from the states. From the states doesn’t mean better, of course; it just means familiar. I’m just happy to know that, if I am really jonesing for one of these items, I can find it here: Blue Diamond Almonds, Betty Crocker Brownie Mix, Pop Tarts, Hellmann’s mayonnaise, French’s yellow mustard, Libby’s Easy Pumpkin Mix, Hershey’s chocolate bars et al. (Trailer not included.)

If you have a sec, let me know about your favorite foodie store where you live here. I get around a lot and would love suggestions.

This post is in response to a question from a reader. If you have other questions, let us know, and we’ll do our best to track down the answers.

Berlin loves Brazil. At least the idea of it. You can get a caipirinha anywhere. There are still gigantic murals all around town (most sponsored by Nike) greeting the Brazilian football team for last year’s World Cup.

That said, finding Brazilian food turns out to be nearly as hard as dribbling past Ronaldinho. A reader, Caroline, asked us whether we knew of a place to buy traditional Brazilian products such as manioc flour, condensed milk, corn and a particular Brazilian cheese. While none of us are terribly familiar with Brazilian food, we have passed a little Brazilian bookstore and Lebensmittel (foodstuffs) shop called a Livraria in Mitte (Torstr. 159), and figured they might know the answers.

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I like the spice. Interpret that how you will; but in this case, I’m talking about Thai curries. I’m a fan of the green, not the hottest, often rich and balanced so you can taste the ingredients (usually lemongrass, galanga, roasted coriander seeds, and more) as well as the chilis.

At home, I often try to use the varieties you can buy in most Asian markets, here and in the States. They’re similar to each other, coming in big plastic tubs, in red, green or yellow. The Mae Ploy brand I have here (made by the “Thep Padung Porn Coconut Company” – quite obviously serving curry fetishists around the world) is like most: very spicy, good flavor, but a little too sharp to use as is. Obviously I use coconut milk, but it also benefits from a little fish sauce and sometimes a little sugar to balance the taste.

But perhaps no longer. While browsing with friends at a Thai market and back-room cafeteria in Charlottenburg, I stumbled on a little plastic container of obviously fresh green curry. No label, no ingredients, just a green glob of paste in a plastic dish. Just the way it should be.

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A few years ago, a friend who was writing a novel asked me what Americans eat at Christmas. I told her it was much like Thanksgiving, with turkey often the centerpiece. So how do they cook it? she asked next. And, fool that I am, I volunteered to show her.

But…where to get a bird? Oh, she replied, that’s easy: Rogacki.

Now, I’d never heard of the place, but she scampered down there and ordered a French turkey, never frozen, to be delivered on such-and-such a date, and then, when the day came, she met me there. It’s on Wilmersdorfer Str., number 145-6, just above the pedestrianized shopping area, very close to the Bismarckstr. U-Bahn station. In fact, the steps leading out of the station have ads for Rogacki on them. We went inside, and I was enthralled. I’d never seen so much extraordinary food in one place in Berlin — not even at KaDeWe, not even in the days before its food department went south, where it remains to this day, a normal Berlin supermarket on steroids.

A nice man with a moustache took her receipt and soon afterwards, we left with our bird, of which more later. And now that it’s getting to Thanksgiving again, I’ve been asked a couple of times where one gets a decent turkey in this town, and have recommended it. Just to make sure I wasn’t on crack, I went back there today to check the place out again.

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Before leaving Berlin on a recent trip to Tacoma, Washington – a place I used to call home – I conducted an informal email poll of people I know here in Germany asking them what they brought back for their kitchen and cooking when they came back from abroad. (To those who responded, thank you.)

All of us have had the frustration of getting knee-deep into an English-language recipe only to discover that the key, non-substitutable ingredient was completely unavailable or far beyond practical to get your lemon-pickled little fingers on on this side of the great Teutonic divide. To fight against this, we go to great (and perhaps friend-annoying) lengths: We have people send us cooking “care packages,” beg friends to sneak jalapenos into their luggage, and keep a mental list/map of places to get those prized and rare ingredients.

Below, I will present a brief, somewhat-organized list of the responses.

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