Many of us are putting more effort into avoiding supermarkets and are heading instead to markets on the outskirts of the city instead of accepting wintertime strawberries and bananas of the big chain stores. Some of these markets occur at certain intervals, at fixed places, while others change their location every time. We visited the temporary markets of Budapest that are busily humming along in the winter, as well.
The first market of the termeloi.hu community launched in the spring of 2013, and since then, they have managed to cover the entire city. These folks hold high quality, diverse and affordable farmers’ markets at 8 different locations. Optimally, the permanent sellers of the community live near Budapest, although vendors come from the Pilis with bio products, jams, fruits and cheese as do sellers from the Alföld (Great Hungarian Plain). These markets are much smaller than traditional ones, but the selection is just as wide: multiple stands await buyers with dairy products, meats, fruits and wines. Since some producers take part in multiple markets, some stand-workers might even recognize you from a few weeks before. This gives us the opportunity to consult our favourite producers about which markets they will sell at in the near future so we know where to go for more. Another advantage of these markets is that even though they are popular, there isn't such a big crowd, which makes shopping considerably quicker. We can visit termeloi.hu markets from Monday to Saturday.
List of Termelői.hu markets:
- From Monday to Saturday: Óbudai Farmers’ Market (Kolosy Square); 7:00-18:00
- Tuesday: Hegyvidéki Farmers’ Market (23 Böszörményi Street); 7:00-16:00
- Wednesday: Hegyvidéki Farmers’ Market, (Pagony Park at 27 Pagony Street); 7:00-16:00
- Thursday: Hegyvidéki Farmers’ Market, (János Hospital); 7:00-16:00
- Thursday: Óbudai Farmers’ Market, (Pethe Ferenc Square); 14:00-19:00
- Friday: Kőbányai Farmers’ Market, (Kőrösi Csoma promenade); 7:00-16:00
- Saturday: Pestszentimrei Farmers’ Market (32/c Kisfaludy Street); 7:00-13:00
- Saturday: Soroksári Farmers’ Market, (Újtelep); 7:00-13:00
Mozgó Piac (Moving Market) is an initiative that brings the organic produce of farmers’ markets to office buildings. They set up their stalls during working hours at prearranged locations, and aim to help office workers who are short on time to buy the quality goods they need. Usually, there are 8-10 producers at one market, but the organizers of Mozgó Piac tend to pay attention to variety, so we will always find one stand with meat, another with cheese, another with syrup, and so on. Social engagement is important as well giving Hungarian producers a community to work within. We can follow the dates and location of Mozgó Piac markets on their Facebook page and on their website.
When? Usually on Wednesdays, 10:00-14:00
Where? At changing locations, check their Facebook or website for details.
It is not just the overnight foreign guests of Szimpla who shuffle over to for fresh fruits on a Sunday morning between 9am and 2pm. The temporary market at the iconic ruin pub has a great atmosphere and has become increasingly popular among locals, too. There's a unique atmosphere thanks to the location itself, the soft jazz music and the diversity of people. We can taste high quality food products as well, since the producers are happy to offer us a bite or two. Interestingly, we can even buy natural cosmetics among the goods. This market is perfect for before or after a Sunday morning stroll, especially if we want to take a plum biscuit with fresh jam on the way.
When? Every Sunday, 09:00-14:00
Where? Szimpla Kert
Budapest's first nighttime farmers’ market at Central Passage has only improved on this increasingly utilised passage of Király Street that leads to Paulay Ede Street. This one is definitely an urban market, since the stalls offering high quality products practically stand in the middle of the downtown. It's a great market to visit as part of a day exploring the city, or visit it after work, or even drop by before a busy Thursday night on the town. Here we can find plenty of preservative-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free products.
When? Every Thursday, 13:00-21:00
Where? Central Passage, 1060 Király Street 8-10.
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+1 YouTyúk
YouTyúk is a virtual market, or more precisely, an egg-laying service. If you usually buy your “happy eggs” at markets and are repulsed by S and XL-sized supermarket eggs, then you probably know the huge difference between the two. But what about have our own chicken to lay eggs exclusively for us? On the website of YouTyúk you can “adopt” a chicken and will receive only the eggs exclusively produced by that bird for you. We can set a preferred weekly number of eggs. The price, in the form of a subscription, covers the shipping costs, as well. Check out YouTyuk.hu and YouTyuk Facebook.
