It is exciting to move to a new country with so many things to discover, including the cuisine and special foods of the new location – in this case Switzerland. As we browse the aisles of supermarkets and smaller shops we find items that are relatively familiar, while other items seem mysterious and leave us guessing how we might eat or cook them. The flipside of these ‘food adventures’ are our cravings for the familiar – a taste of home – or our desire to create dishes that are embedded in our food repertoire. The challenge can be to find ingredients we used to take for granted that now seem quite elusive! Here are a couple of ideas to get you started, but there are many more stores than these.

Very close to the main train station Zürich (Hauptbahnhof) Yumi Hana is a Korean/Japanese store on Shützengasse 4, 8001. It has a wide range of packaged foods, including teas, drinks, frozen and fresh items as well as some kitchen utensils, Japanese dishes and many other non-food items. Across the street is their Korean restaurant/takeaway. www.yumihana-zuerich.ch Some of the staff are helpful and speak English.

On the other side of the main station is an Asian store, just down the steps from the Sihlquai/HB tram stop. This relatively small shop is part of the 3 shop group (the others are located near Bahnhof Oerlikon and in Dietikon). www.asia-store.ch The Sihlquai branch stocks a range of Thai and Indian sub-continent ingredients, fresh, frozen and packaged. It is a good place to find chilies, fresh tofu, green papayas, wonton wrappers and large bunches of fresh herbs such as Thai basil and coriander. This branch, because it is part of the station’s underground Shopville is open on a Sunday from 11.00-17.00, which can be very handy if you run out of something vital when other shops are closed.

In Kries 5, in Josefstrasse are several International grocery stores.

Chang Mai, which specializes in everything Thai, including fresh pastes, some non-food items and serves takeaway Thai food. You might also find a spot at one of their small tables in the area behind the till. www.chiang-mai.ch.

El Maiz is home to all things Mexican, including a wide range of hot sauces, fresh tortillas, a wide variety of Tequillas and much more. www.elmaiz.ch

Konditorei Confiserie Caredda, an Italian pastry shop that has been in Zürich for many years. www.konditorei-caredda.ch

India Market, Josefstrasse 91. www.indiamarket.ch and further along is SKT on Quellenstrasse 1.

In Kries 4, there are some other very interesting places to explore:

New Asia Market, Feldstrasse 4. Here, you will find products, fresh, canned and frozen covering quite a lot of Asian cuisines along with cooking equipment, dishes, etc. www.newasiamarket.ch New Asia Market can also be found in Basel.

Further up Feldstrasse at No. 133 is a relatively large Turkish/Middle Eastern store with a Halal butcher.

Also in Kries 4 is Aggarwal Indian Grocery at Kernstrasse 27. With the widest range of Indian products in Zurich, there is a variety of vegetables and fruits that can be hard to source elsewhere.

We hope this glimpse into what Zürich has to offer in the way of International food adventures not only whets your appetite but encourages you to put on your walking shoes to discover these and many other interest food place in the city and around.

If exploring these interesting grocery tours is of particular interest to you, Elaine runs an International Grocery Walking tour about 3 times a year for ZIWA members. The tour is free, includes lunch and time to shop, swop ideas and a great way to get to know other members and hidden corners of Zurich. To find out more, go to the Occasionals section of the ZIWA website and look for the information on how to register for the next tour.

The Information contained was up to date when published. Elaine Vautier 21-05-2020