Check out colorful local markets and enjoy one of Europe's most authentic food experiences. Fresh fish at a market in Spain. Bright red radishes at Munich's Viktualienmarkt.

Local cheeses on display at an open air market in Corsica. Fish at La Boqueria food market in Barcelona. Fresh herbed cheese balls at Munich's Viktualienmarkt. Fresh fish at market in Iraklion, Crete. About the writer Sharon Hudgins is an award-winning writer with four books and more than articles published worldwide. For several years she was the food columnist for The Stars and Stripes newspaper in Europe, and since has been the food columnist for German Life magazine in the United States.

Europe's Fascinating Food Markets- Taste of Europe

A former editor of Chile Pepper magazine, she has also worked as a cookbook editor, photographer, filmmaker, university professor, and lecturer on international tours offered by National Geographic Expeditions, Lindblad, Road Scholar, and Silversea Cruises. Sharon Hudgins has lived in nine countries of Europe and Asia and traveled in 50 countries across the globe. Her European experience includes living in Germany for 15 years, as well as in several European capitals and small towns from northern Scotland to southern Spain to the Greek island of Crete.

She is the author of an award-winning cookbook about the regional cuisines of Spain, and her personal memoir, The Other Side of Russia: A Slice of Life in Siberia and the Russian Far Eastwon two national awards for travel and food writing. Paper-thin slices of farmhouse cured ham. Multi-grain buns and rosemary-scented flatbreads. Chestnut honey and walnut tartes. Great Market Hall, Budapest.

On my first trip to Europe many years ago, I became hooked on shopping for food at the colorful local markets. Not the sterile supermarkets or gargantuan hypermarkets of today, which, except for the package labels in different languages, could be anywhere in the developed world.

The markets that captured my imagination—and still keep drawing me back—are the ones where fresh foods are sold by individual vendors hawking their wares from wooden stalls, customized vans, folding tables, or even blankets spread on the ground. Pickled olives, beans and vegetables at an open air market in Corsica. Types of Markets These food markets can be entirely outdoors, in the open air; or inside a cavernous covered market building; or in a combination of settings, with an indoor market surrounded by an open-air market that varies with the season.

They can be permanent markets, operating year round at the same location, usually with the same vendors; or temporary events occurring only on specific days, once or twice a week, in a public square or country field, with local vendors as well as those who travel from one market to the next to sell their goods. Spanish hams and sausages at La Boqueria food market in Barcelona.

Some are truly farmers' markets, where all the fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses were grown, raised or processed by the people selling them.

Others are outlets run by forex symbols for amibroker selling foods from a variety of suppliers, from small-time farmers to larger commercial companies.

And some are a mixture of both.

London, Paris, Vienna, Madrid, Rome, and other major cities have many of these food markets located in neighborhoods throughout each metropolis. Smaller towns might have only one central market, whereas in a village there might be an open-air market only once a week, usually on Bailey moneymaker. Shopping at an open air market in Parks.

Local Specialties, Global Choices At these markets you can see, smell and taste authentic local and regional specialties, some of them found nowhere else. In different regions of France, I've bought farmhouse cheeses made just down the road and jams preserved by the woman selling them. In Sicily and Allstocks european markets, I've wandered through markets stocked with fish caught that morning in the nearby seas.

Allstocks European Markets

At German markets I've left with my shopping bags filled with potatoes and apples grown in the surrounding fields, and with big loaves of rye bread still warm from the wood-fired oven in which they were baked. Fresh produce, beans and nuts at Barcelona's La Boqueia. A visit to a large metropolitan market forex forum dailyfx also be a lesson in allstocks european markets.

In addition to local Catalan and regional Spanish food products, Barcelona's big Boqueria covered market also sells hot sauces from the USA, moles from Mexico, and guavas from South America. At Munich's central Viktualienmarkt, you'll find not only Bavarian meats and cheeses but also chermimoyas from North Africa, hot chiles from Southeast Asia, and exotic tropical fruits from the Philippines.

Each season brings its own specialties to European markets: Of course markets have more fresh produce during harvest time from spring through early autumn. And on any day you'll always find the best selection early in the morning, just after the market opens. Outdoor beer garden at Munich's Viktualienmarkt. Look, Don't Touch European markets are a great place to buy food for a picnic in your hotel room or in a park on a pretty day.

Some even have a section with tables and chairs for public use, and German how to trade penny stocks for a living often include a beer garden on the premises, where you can bring your own food. Always carry a shopping bag for your purchases.

When you stop at a stand to buy fresh fruits or vegetables for your meal, don't poke around in the produce and pick your own selection. At most markets, customers are expected to tell the vendor what they want, and the vendor chooses the best pieces, based on their ripeness and good condition, then weighs out the amount requested.

Don't let your lack of the local language deter you from shopping in Europe's food markets. Just point to the particular food you want and write the amount on a slip of paper: Better yet, learn some basic numbers in that foreign language and let the product labels in the market teach you the names of the foods you want to eat.

Soon you'll be shopping like a European yourself. LINKS to Favorite Food Markets in Europe London Farmer's Markets Paris Food Markets Rome Markets Barcelona Food Markets Madrid Markets Berlin Markets Munich Fresh Food Market Hamburg Fish Market Amsterdam's Food and Antique Markets Guide Guide to Seasonal Produce Markets of Brussels Vienna Food and Farmer's Markets Guide to Vienna Food Markets Budapest Markets Athens Food and Flea Markets Athens Farmer's Markets.

Are you hungry yet? Great Market Hall, Budapest On my first trip to Europe many years ago, I became hooked on shopping for food at the colorful local markets. Pickled olives, beans and vegetables at an open air market in Corsica Types of Markets These food markets can be entirely outdoors, in the open air; or inside a cavernous covered market building; or in a combination of settings, with an indoor market surrounded by an open-air market that varies with the season.

Spanish hams and sausages at La Boqueria food market in Barcelona Some are truly farmers' markets, where all the fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses were grown, raised or processed by the people selling them. Shopping at an open air market in Parks Local Specialties, Global Choices At these markets you can see, smell and taste authentic local and regional specialties, some of them found nowhere else.

Fresh produce, beans and nuts at Barcelona's La Boqueia A visit to a large metropolitan market can also be a lesson in globalization. Outdoor beer garden at Munich's Viktualienmarkt Look, Don't Touch European markets are a great place to buy food for a picnic in your hotel room or in a park on a pretty day. Feature Stories Travel Europe Taste of Europe Adventure Attractions Tips Humor Travel Guides Merchandise.