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Vienna's Naschmarkt boasts culture, food Posted
July 29, 2004
By PRIYA CHALAM VIENNA— It’s a pretty good crowd for a Saturday and I find myself taking it to the streets, plunging into the cultural melting pot of riches Vienna’s open-air marketplace, Naschmarkt has to offer.
Engulfed in a sea of chanting vendors stationed at the hundreds of stalls and shops lining the market street, I weave through crowds of tourists gawking over fresh produce and pastries while better-seasoned locals cleverly negotiate excessive jewelry, clothing and furniture prices down to more appetizing ones. All the while an intoxicating blend of scents and spices from Morocco, India and the Middle East mix and mingle overhead, mimicking the multicultural crowd scurrying below. People go to Naschmarkt for a taste of international flare, a peek into the old world and because it’s the cheapest way to find the freshest produce and most authentic and eclectic goods in town. In the heart of Austria’s capital, Vienna’s marketplace promises a little something for everyone.
From the German word naschen, meaning, “to nibble,” Naschmarkt’s weekly nibble-market was born, a Viennese tradition dating back to the 16 th Century. Located at 1040 Vienna off Kettenbrückengasse metro stop, just one stop away from Karlsplatz— gateway to the Opera House, the marketplace continues to serve as a haven to collectors and aficionados of international curios and cuisine. Split into two sections, Naschmarkt boasts both a food and flea market, consisting of a hodgepodge of goods from all corners of the earth. It’s the sophisticated disorder of shopping tourists and locals seek when the mundane-droll of Vienna department store centrals “Steffl” and Mariahilfer Strasse get too claustrophobic for their taste.
Hungry? Particularly attracted to the food market, I spent the majority of my time among the food vendors marketing their wares. Sprouting up at every turn, merchants from Russia, Japan, India, Turkey and Greece draw in unsuspecting customers with their charismatic cries. But don’t worry; if German isn’t your native tongue, they will be happy to offer you their sales pitch in English, French, Spanish and if you’re lucky, even Arabic. Yet, aisle upon aisle of juicy, ripe produce, mouthwatering selections of fresh cheeses, 20 different kinds of plump olives, breads, meat, fish, dried fruits and spices speak for themselves, knocking you over with their distinctive aromas. It’s the kind of scene that makes you wish you never had to step foot in a grocery store again.
Though the jewel of Naschmarkt is its food market, browsing among the ethnic garment and trinket stalls proves to be a truly worthwhile experience. Negotiating a price on a dress, I got to know Kala Svrinder-Singh from North India who gave me a better price once I engaged him in conversation. After about five minutes of haggling out a deal, he finally gave into the reality that the meager student budget I was living on could never afford his first offer. Twenty Euros later, I landed myself an intricately designed Indian dress, down from an original 45. Given 10 more minutes I could have paid less. “I think [we’ve been coming here], longer than you’ve been alive,” Zeinab proclaimed, a merchant from Alexandria, Egypt, commenting on her and her husband’s long history with Naschmarkt, “so, long enough.” “We work with over 60 families from all across the world,” her husband lectured, “in South America, India, Africa and Thailand. We have to help them make a profit.” This was of course his answer to my attempts at lowering the price on a scarf and skirt that caught my eye in his jewelry and clothing stall.
Like Zeinab and her husband, most all vendors at Naschmarkt are very friendly and will go to just about any extreme to win your attention, yet they can be severely stubborn when it comes to price. Just remember to be polite but firm, and, if strong attempts still fail to bring them to the price you’re looking for, simply walk away. They’ll probably give in and run after you. If not, there are many more exquisite odds and ends in the marketplace to unearth. Another three blocks of flea market-heaven blanket the sidewalk displaying every garage sale-goodie from old records, books, antique and trendy jewelry, to sunglasses, dolls, shoes, clothes and crystal. If you’re lucky, you might even stumble upon the button lady, guardian of a treasure chest of buttons from throughout the decades and veteran of the Saturday morning market scene. Drawn back to the food market, I finished off my Naschmarkt experience in an outdoor café, one of the 20 or so Indian, Chinese, Turkish, Thai and Austrian restaurants the marketplace offers. Succumbing to the yodel of the vendor’s “kebob, kebob, kebob, kebob!” and the rich smell of garlic and spiced meat, I soon found myself at the gyro counter ordering a kebab large enough to feed the Austrian Army.
Smothering my sandwich with lamb, onions, lettuce, tomato, tziki sauce and hot peppers, Aaron, the kebab chef from Istanbul, promised me “you will like!” after I asked him how he expected me to fit the massive gyro into my mouth. And you know what, he was right. If you happen to find yourself in Vienna on a weekend, this is one stop you don’t want to miss. Open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday, visitors to the market are recommended to bring plenty of bottled water during the summer season, an empty stomach and patience for bargaining, for the price will go down if you are willing to wait. “You come into my honey shop and I make you a bargain,” the mead vendor sang sweetly to me, his words rolling through the crowd, dissolving into the boisterous commotion of the square. And that is exactly how it’s done.
If You Go: Naschmarkt is open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday. Take the U4 Metro to the Kettenbrückengasse stop. This station finds you in the middle of the marketplace. There is no admission fee. Handicap access and restrooms limited. For more information please see http:www.aboutvienna.org
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