Whenever I visit a new town, I’m not only on a mission to discover the sweet scene, but also to spend time at a local market.  It’s a perfect introduction to the culinary landscape, and always so interesting to observe the exchanges between proud vendors and their loyal customers, and most of all, see what people eat there !  What seems completely normal and mundane in one country (like the Swiss’ multicolored hard-boiled eggs) can be exotic and exciting – or just weird – to another.

Right now at the markets in Zürich, bright red strawberries and stalks of rhubarb are in the spotlight, but fat, white asparagus are taking up a lot of prime real estate too. While the latter has become common for me, living here in the German part of Switzerland and making regular visits to Zürich’s Bürkliplatz and Oerlikon markets, white asparagus were once strange and unfamiliar.  For me, asparagus were green, showing again that one person’s apple is another person’s rambutan.

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Arriving at Zürich’s main train station after almost two weeks in the more remote northern regions of Portugal, Olivier and I were prepared for a drastic change from what we became accustomed to.   We had been driving through the isolated and magnificent parks of Portugal, protected areas with striking landscapes.   We passed fields and fields of craggly olive trees, vineyards ready for harvest and chestnut trees just planted or overflowing with fruit.   We visited markets with live chickens and rabbits, alternated meals between bacalhau (salted cod), sardines, kid and smoked meats, always followed (and preceded) by egg yolk-laden pastries.   We savored the relaxed Latino rhythm of life there, people overflowing with warmth and generosity and villages where time has stood still.

One foot outside of the Zürich train station, and I immediately yelped – they’re back!  Chestnuts are back!   Read the rest of this story >>