Food Tastes Better in Europe~

On By cindy knokeIn MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS


Guess who ate one of these cake slices? I did and it was divine. You can trust France to make killer-good-desserts.

We are heading off now to explore new parts of Europe and are looking forward to the food.

This cheese is well, French. It is raw milk, hand-made, and it is to die for. Yep, we ate slices of this too! What the heck, it’s France!

France has an amazing selection of gorgeous fresh mushrooms, all sold in open-air markets.

Venice on the other hand is justifiably world-famous for its outdoor, fresh fish markets.

Venice also has incredible produce, small farm grown and picked when ripe,

along with every imaginable, Italian seasoning and condiment, all sold in charming open air markets.

Greece is chock-full of mom and pop produce stands selling delicious small farm produce.

Most German towns have weekly outdoor markets.

Spain’s open-air markets are extensive,

and Portugal’s produce is just picked fresh.

Hungary’s desserts are old-world delicious and will definitely make you hungry.
I wish I could beam you over here with me to go grocery shopping, tasting and eating!
Cheers to you from Europe’s outdoor markets~

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330 thoughts on “Food Tastes Better in Europe~”

    1. One doesn’t realize how much flavor we lose when produce is picked before it is ripe, wrapped in plastic and left in refrigerators, until one tastes produce that is actually freshly picked when ripe. Milk, butter, cheese everything is so much better. There are certain European foods I crave when I get home. German food definitely, and German pie crusts, French cookies, and Italian pizza. All unprocessed and made with fresh unprocessed ingredients. I basically can’t eat American chocolate anymore. European chocolate is just so much better.

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    1. People point out that we have open air markets in California. We do, but the bulk of the produce and dairy are all processed in the Central Valley and they are so inferior.

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  5. While my hubby worked I walked down to a local market in Munich, Germany and was going to buy some fruit. Instead of pointing at what I wanted I picked the grapes up and boy did I get reprimanded 🙂 Hopefully that has changed over the years…

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  6. Your tour of Europe is being wonderful. Apart from savoring the best in fruits and cakes, the cities are spectacular because they preserve the brightness of yesteryear. The photos are to taste them. I’m glad for you. Greetings.

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  9. Now I‘m hungry. Thankfully I‘m currently in my home village in rural Germany and can go plunder my parents‘ garden 😀 There are also nice Hofläden nearby not to be missed by gourmet travellers.

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    1. There is, but it is not as available as it is in Europe. Some foods in the States can’t hold a candle, like cheese and chocolate, so I buy imported. Wonderful pastry and desserts are much harder to find here.

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        1. It is a far, far better thing I’ll do, than I have ever done before~
          It’s a sorta quote….who said, something like, “It is a far, far better thing, than I have ever done before?’
          I have no idea. It just sounds good.
          Love to you Mandy~
          And I will eat the cheese, only for you, well, just a little bit for me too <3

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  22. You are so right. Food tastes better over there. I think a lot of it has to do with shunning artificial additives to their food and using natural ingredients in baking, cheesemaking, and winemaking. Farm to table is another good policy with fruit and vegetable markets available. Wonderful photos, Cindy.

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  23. I love the fresh veges and fruit here in Spain and of course, the French pastries are to die for. Don’t even get me started on the fabulous cheeses in Europe. Everything tastes better here and isn’t as expensive!!

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  25. Pingback: Food Tastes Better in Europe – Timeless Wisdoms

  27. The food I had in Paris, and Italy, but mostly Paris, has ruined me for life. I realized that I never truly had fresh, delicious, amazingly delicious food in my life. I can’t even look at an eclair any longer, ours are so thick and gummy, compared to the delicate airy delicious eclairs in Paris. Sigh. Everything was better there. Your photographs are truly beautiful. I feel as if I was with you walking through all that wonderfulness. <3

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  28. Anonymous

    Nice post Cindy. Remember those open air markets well when I lived in Europe in the mid 80’s for 5 years. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. There is just something so nice about buying your neighborhood produce, bread and cheese, the day you are going to cook it, and talking with the vendors and buyers. It is communal and part of the whole enjoyment of food and eating which Europeans tend to do so very well.

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  29. How do you ever come back home after all that lusciousness? I’d emigrate in a heartbeat if I were a bit younger and healthier. Just to travel all over and taste and see everything. I’m salivating here.

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  30. All so beautiful in beautiful pictures. Please let us know what you read on your scales when you get back home. I am calling my good friend (at least he should be, I get so much from him through a Kindle) Jeff Bezos and ask him to put all the displayed product and produce on Amazon Prime. Okay, two day-old bread, a small price to pay. Sorry I can’t reblog this, WordPress took my site down.

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    1. I do love to shop at Jeff Bezos site! I guess shopping at Amazon for food summarizes the difference between the European neighborhood model and the American one. However, one can, and I do, shop for imported food at Amazon.

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  31. The produce, cheese, meats, and desserts in France are divine! I wish I could beam over to have a slice of cake and a slice of cake with you to fortify ourselves for all the window shopping and walking. 😜 Bonne vacance Cindy!

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  35. I agree Cindy, the food in France or Europe is wonderful. They used to call me “Madame Cheddar” at the food store in Paris.
    Leslie

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  41. My Mum used to work on an open air fruit and vegetable stall and she moans like mad that everything is becoming just supermarket pre-packed tasteless offerings now, markets are closing down and small veg shops like the one my Nana had close down because they just can’t compete.

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    1. “..supermarket pre-packed tasteless offerings…” I so agree with your Mum. She well knows the difference and it is sad on so many levels that the more superior food items are being forced out. We all suffer for it <3

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  42. maryplumbago

    I spent a day on a Sat in Basel, Switzerland. The market was amazing! Such beautiful clean healthy fruits and vegetables. And the cheeses and spices! Nothing like it here except maybe in big cities.
    And here in the US the emphasis is on quick and easy to prepare..eat fast, no lingering over interesting conversations to speak of with a few glasses of wine or a good expresso. Everything here is fast and throwaway…we miss so much. No wonder most of Europe is happier than the US.

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    1. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Take peach shopping in California grocery store for example, I buy peaches regularly, and 98% of them are utterly tasteless, with none of that strong, heady, peach aroma. I have stopped peach shopping in the US. It is just one example of how produce is degraded when it is picked unripe, cold stored for too long, and packed and sold in plastic.

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  45. Wonderful! Food definitely tastes better in Europe, the cheeses in particular. I’ve had excellent cheese in America, but only in expensive specialty shops. The commercially available cheese is vastly inferior to Europe.

    I once had a simply lovely dinner at a cafe in Old Nice. On the table next to us, an elderly Italian-looking man sat alone with a crock pot of steaming scampi, a loaf of fresh crusty bread, and a bottle of fine wine of course. The aroma was incredible, and it looked like he was in heaven!

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  46. Oh my gosh Cindy! I miss all that! When I was there it was baked goods, chocolate, coffee, Italian Gelato! So much good food – much of it as you show here, fresh and good for you too! We’ve been watching the Great British Baking Show. The cake picture made me think of that. Thank you for sharing this – brings back happy memories.

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