Austrian Cuisine: Mahlzeit 143on Saturdays from 7:00 am till 7:30 pm, and on Sundays
from 8:00 am until 7:30 pm. The Billa at the airport is open
daily from 7:30 am until 10:00 pm. If you are in a hurry, you
can find staple goods in the convenience stores of some large
gas stations. (See Chapter Five for a detailed explanation of
shopping habits.)
Grocery stores in Austria, and especially in Vienna,
usually carry a wide range of products. If you are looking
for something particular, there are a few specialty stores in
Vienna. Bobby’s near the Naschmarkt has a good selection
of products from Britain. Nearby are stores that carry
Italian foods and Asian goods, like Piccini and the Asia
Shop respectively. Europa Delikatessen, Neli Malkov and
Rebenwurzel & Co. in the 2nd district sell kosher products.
Naschmarkt
In Vienna, you can buy fresh produce at the Naschmarkt in
the 6th district. This is a huge outdoor market made up of
many different stalls selling an incredible variety of items. The
produce here is usually cheaper and fresher, although Susan
once returned home with a bagful of rotten tomatoes from
an unscrupulous vendor. Generally, you place your order by
weight or pieces, and the vendors select and bag the items.
If you prefer to pick out your own produce, demand that you
be able to do so. As with supermarkets, you should bring a
heavy canvas bag to carry everything home in.
The Origins of Naschmarkt
The Naschmarkt is not merely a grocery market. Many stalls
sell prepared snacks and sandwiches. In fact, this is one version
of how the market got its name. The word naschen means to
nibble, and it is said that the name evolved into Naschmarkt
because everyone walks around nibbling on something. Another
story is that the name is derived from shouts of ‘An aschen’ or
‘Eine Asche’, meaning ‘ashes’, which were sold in the market as
detergent. Yet another version states that in very old German, the
word Asch used to mean ‘milk pail’, and the name comes from
the fresh milk sold at the market.