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British and American foods

When they first arrive in Germany many Brits and Americans complain that they can't find any of their favourite foodstuffs from back home. Well, British and American food is available in Germany. Almost everything you could wish for can be found here, you just need to know where to start and to be prepared to look about a bit. For example, you can buy Kettle Chips here - all varieties. (Thin) (US-style) streaky bacon is available everywhere too, as are baked beans.

The information on this page is valid for all of Germany, by the way - just look for your local Karstadt, Indian shops, and organic market and you'll be fine.



Please also see the thread Thanksgiving dinners and ingredients.

Vocabulary Links


Links to vocabulary sites for vegetables, etc.:
Leo Start with this dictionary to get a German word for the thing you want. In English.
Mediatime Look up the German word here to see a picture! All in German.
Wikipedia Regional words for all kinds of kitchen vocabulary. Dotschen = Swede = Rutabaga (yellow turnip) in Bavarian, for example. Also in German.
Muenchen.de English translations of items found on a typical Bavarian dinner table.
Lebensmittellexikon: very good on cuts of meat in particular. In German.

General Tips

General tips: You may want to bring a favorite cookbook and cup and teaspoon / tablespoon measures, as Germans measure in weight, not volume, and there is no standardized "cup" or "tablespoon" here. Baking forms are generally not the same size here, so bring yours with you or convert, convert, convert. (Pie plates are now available here, but only 9" pyrex.) A good basic cookbook (like, say, the Joy of Cooking or Betty Crocker) will list pan size conversions and handy substitutes for hard-to-find products. And good basic brownies and chocolate chip cookie recipes are always handy, easy to impress Germans with when you bring goodies to the office for your birthday. (Yes it's a tradition.) But hey, you may want to learn to make Sauerbraten and other typical German dishes while you're here. You'll miss them when you move on...

Substitutions

A good real cookbook (where ingredients don't come in cans!) will list ways to substitute for various ingredients that may be available here but very expensive or only in specialty shops. Or google whatever you're looking for and add the phrase "substitute for" to your search query.

A great site for spice substitutions:http://foodsubs.com/Spice.html

Flour substitutions fully described, TT chat about flour here

1 T butter or shortening and 3 T cocoa = unsweetened chocolate which is hard to find in Germany (Blockschokolade is not unsweetened: see the specific foodstuffs below).

Add molasses to white sugar to make a substitute for brown sugar. If you get the proportions wrong and it gets too dark, just add more sugar and keep the extra in a tupperware for next time.

Add lemon juice or any appropriate vinegar / acid to milk to substitute for buttermilk. One T to one cup.

Make your own Cool Whip---------

Shops in and around Munich

Here is an overview of the best shops to get you started:

Karstadt am Hauptbahnhof
Karstadt at the main railway station is a huge department store and this is probably your best starting point for British and American foods. Here is a list of some of the foods seen on offer in their "American Food" section, but no guarantee that they are always available:

Hunt's BBQ sauce, honey and original
Heinz Baked Beans
Newman's own dressing, at least 3 variations
French mustard
A1 steak sauce
Maple syrup (this is available almost everywhere in Munich -- "Ahornsirup")
V8, Dr. Pepper, root beer (€0.75 a can), cream soda
Moosehead beer & Molson Canadian
Chips Ahoy
Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix
Duncan Hines cake mix, several different kinds
Peter Pan and Reese's peanut butter
Marshmallow spread
Campbell's canned soup
Arm & Hammer baking soda (€1.29 for 227g)
Pam cooking spray, 2 sorts
Bisquick
Kraft Dinner (aka Macaroni & Cheese)
Cathedral City Cheddar Cheese
Twizzlers Red Licorice!
and other various things including...
Marmite!

On another set of shelves, more in the Asian section, they have a wide selection of Sherwood sauces; mango chutney, tikka sauce, etc. If there are any Brits reading who want Sunpat crunchy peanut butter, go to the normal jam section and it's on the bottom shelf!

Karstadt am Dom
Karstadt is a big department store located at Karlsplatz. Back bacon has been seen here, sold as a Danish speciality of all things. They also have Arm & Hammer baking soda for €1,29, the Mac and Cheese costs €2-€3 for a normal-sized box. They stock Crisco, Bisquick, Ahorn syrup (€4.50), popcorn, Campbell's soup, etc. We even think they have Hellman's mayonnaise, and marshmallows. Cranberry juice costs €7,19 for 1 litre. They also have tortillas, 8 for €3.19. In other Karstadt department stores brown sugar and US-American style marshmellows have been sighted, so this is a goof place to look for these products too.

Galeria Kaufhof
Galeria is another of Munich's major department stores. The main store is located on Marienplatz and there is another on Karlsplatz. Galeria Kaufhof has international food sections which sell, amongst many other things, Pepperidge farm cookies and bacon (though only streaky).

Pomeroy and Winterbottom
This is a fantastic little English shop, albeit somewhat expensive. They have a really good selection of all those lovely English necessities. Crisps, chocolates, sauces, tea, drinks, christmassy stuff... I could go on, they have loads of stuff. You can also get Frey Bentos Pies here, in a couple of different flavours. And penguin chocolate biscuits. And tea cosies. And black treacle, an item long sought and finally found here! Also: robinsons orange/lemon barley and robinsons ribena...

It doesn't look like a food shop from the outside, it has glass ware and tea cosies in the window. Also, the writing on the door is in either gold or silver so look closely.

As soon as you get off the tram at Fraunhoferstr. turn left and cross the road and stay on the left hand side of Reichenbachstr. It's about 5 shops down (No. 38). It's well hidden but has stacks of goodies inside including Guinness draught beer for about 2,70eur a bottle or 2,30eur a small bottle which is cheaper than the pubs.

They also sell: Angel delight, hobnobs, mcvities digestives, baxters/heinz soup, heinz steamed puds!!, walkers crisps, treacle (of course) and a huge variety of teabags such as yorkshire tea.

Located at:
Reichenbachstraße 38
Gärtnerplatzviertel near U-Bahn station Fraunhoferstraße (U1/U2).

British Shop
The British Shop sells all of your standard British Food together with British sausages, bacon, cornish pasties, pork pies, crumpets and white bread. Their prices are very reasonable and the shop staff are all native speakers, a cup of tea and a natter are par for the course at the British Shop.

Although not in the city it is very easy to find from Munich, just exit the A9 motorway at "Manching", the shop is then in the neighbouring village called Zuchering. Alternatively you may also order in their online shop and they deliver nationwide for 4.95 Euros or free if the order totals more than 50 Euros.
Website: www.British-Shop.de

Britishshop.jpg

British Shop
Kirchplatz 22
85051 Ingolstadt/Zuchering
Tel: 08450 / 924 16 15
Fax: 08450 / 924 16 16
Web: www.British-Shop.de

G&A Grocery StoreAn American shop on the corner of Baaderstraße/Frauenhoferstraße. Very small, but imports Thanksgiving stuff in particular and year-round has a small selection of necessaries.

S22 http://www.feinkost-s22.de
Seeriederstr. 22. 3 minutes walk from Max-Weber-Platz U-Bahn.A small feinkost/imbiss lokale also selling English goods. Mcvities, various chocolate bars, walkers crisps, Marmite, Drinking Chocolate, Horlicks, Birds Custard powder & Trifle. They also usually stock an English style bacon & decent Cheddar (9 and 16 month matured) and regularly bake Cornish Pasties in 6 different flavours. Good value lunches too. Open into the evening (7pm) on Mondays & Tuesdays.

Munich Australian Shop

Ozzie versions of the standard Cadbury's chocolate bars can be bought from the Australian Shop at Dachauerstr. 109. Last time I was in there this included Crunchies but not flakes. They also stock Marmite and Golden Syrup and lots of Ozzie wine. Presumably that Ozzie obsession Vegemite too? The shop is run by Australia Shopping World.

Kilian's Irish Shop
The Kilians Irish Pub opened a small kiosk in September 2003 and closed it in early 2004. (Reference included in case anyone still asks!)

Indian / Asian shops
There are many little Indian / Asian shops around Munich. Just go to the one in your neighborhood. Of course they sell all the curry sauces you could ever need, and also many English products such Cadburys chocolate and Hob Nob biscuits, Heinz Baked Beans, etc. One such Indian shop is located on Sonnenstraße - kind of behind the Mathäser Cinema. The one behind the Mathäser Cinema is the Koh-i-Noor shop, on the ground floor of the parking garage, Adolf-Kolping-Str. 10, map web site. Another one is in the Hauptbahnhof (near the underground entrance for Hertie's foodhall, in the split level between U-Bahn and DB) and stocks British Lion brand baking powder and baking soda plus cream of tartar (which some people will incorrectly spell "creme of tartar" or even "cream of tatar", but now they'll be able to use the search to find it!), Horlicks, Bird's Custard, Dettol, PG, Tetley, Pataks, even Marmite. English is also spoken.

Mexican food shops
please see: Mexican food

Viktualienmarkt
Pecan nuts (Pekannüsse), dried and fresh cranberries (in season)

A shop in Augsburg
http://www.heritage-traders.com/

Online Shopping



























And http://amazon.de and http://amazon.co.uk are better and better these days (2012) -- they introduced groceries a while ago and very often have baking forms and pans etc., and co.uk ships to Germany with no customs problems.

More listed on the forum topic: Online shopping for British and American foods: Stores based in, and delivering to, Germany

Specific Foodstuffs (A-Z)

Bacon
Ask your butcher for geräuchertes Wammerl, cut as thick as you like it. Write down those words if you don't trust yourself to pronounce it. Danish bacon is seen occasionally in Hertie's until certain people buy the entire stock. Speckschwarte should work in Preussen. A wide variety of British meat products including British sausages, bacon, pork pies, sausage rolls and cornish pasties can also be bought at the British Shop near Manching north of Munich (see above).

Bagels
Käfer's in the Prinzregentenstraße has them. They'll also order about anything you like, but they are expensive... also see the "Fresh Bagels & Muffins Coffee Shop" on Barerstraße 72, 80799 München-Schwabing. Or also Delistar with three Munich locations. And G&A Grocery StoreIt is also now possible to order bagels online from the Bagel Brothers. They are very acceptable.

Baking Soda
Arm & Hammer baking soda has been seen in Karstadt, or get Kaiser Natron (same thing) at most grocery stores. You can also try the local chemist (Apotheke) and ask for NATRON.

Baking Powder
The German "Backpulver" is German-style baking powder, but it's single-acting, not double-acting as the standard US kind is, and you'd have to add lots more to get similar effects. Rather unpredictable at that. To ensure good baking results with Anglo recipes, get your regular double-acting baking powder in the American / British sections of the big stores listed above as well as in many Indian shops. In a pinch, substitute with Cream of Tartar as given below.

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream / Häagen Dazs
Häagen Dazs has shops in the Leopoldstraße and in Tal and is also available at Cinema and at Metro. benjerry.de shows two shops:
Ben & Jerry's at MUC Airport, at "Airbräu" between Terminals 1 and 2, and at the "Fresh Bagels & Muffins Coffee Shop" above, as well as G&A Grocery Store. MiniMal also has a large selection at Arabellapark and maybe other locations too.
Ben & Jerry's can be found in most Subway shops, such as the one near Ostbahnhof.Ben & Jerry's have a shopfinder - with this I located one source at the WoV video store adjacent to PEP, and another in ARAL gas station at Karl-Marx-Ring.

Brown sugar
The soft, moist kind for baking. Indian shops often have it. Specifically: You can get Tate & Lyle brown sugar (both the soft and hard kinds) in the Kohinoor Indian shop near Karlsplatz. Also watch for Gepa Bio Mascobado and certainly also other brands of Mascobado -- it's soft sticky brown sugar. Picture and info at that link in German. And Ruma Gelbzucker and probably other brands -- yellow soft sticky sugar. Südzucker now makes brown sugar as we Anglos expect it to be, look for this package, and in the North, this package.

Cathederal City Cheddar Cheese
This famous English cheese has been seen in Karstadt am Hauptbahnhof (see above). HL and Tengelmann have had other brands in the deli section.

Concord GrapesIf anyone at your house made concord grape jam every summer, or if you miss it on your pbj, you can get some grapes at the Viktualienmarkt. They're apparently only in season for about a week, and the week in 2005 is August 24-31 or so. They're called "Erdbeer-Trauben", and you'll know them when you see them. 6.80 - 7 Euros a kilogram today, August 26.

Cool Whip
Not to be found, so make your own! Showem's recipe for cool whip here

Cranberry juice / dried cranberries
In addition to Karstadt's cranberry cocktail selection (see above), Ikea's grocery section has Lingonberry syrup, which you can dilute and tastes just like cranberry juice. Dried cranberries can be found at Karstadt am Hauptbahnhof and at Viktualienmarkt, as well as fresh ones (Ocean Spray) in season (read: near Thanksgiving). Juice sometimes at G&A Grocery Store.

Cream of Tartar
Same places as baking soda and powder, as well as in regular grocery stores under the name "Weinstein". You can use it to substitute for Baking Powder too: 1/2 tsp cream of tartar and 1/4 tsp each baking soda and cornstarch.

Crumpets
Crumpets in 6 packs as well as white sliced bread can be bought at the British Shop near Manching north of Munich (see above).

Dr. Pepper
Dr. Pepper has been seen in various petrol/gas stations around Munich. Note, the locals round Munich prefer Spezi over a Dr. Pepper (and so do some Americans here too!). Also seen at the Hauptbahnhof Karstadt and at http://www.america-4u.com/. And G&A Grocery Store.

Frey Bentos Pies
Frey Bentos pies can be bought at the Pomeroy and Winterbottom shop and also at the British Shop near Manching north of Munich (see above).

Glaced or candied cherries
Glacé cherries are called "Belegkirschen" (well the whole ones are, usually used for the top of Black Forest Gateau) and you can get them in most supermarkets next to the Orangeat (chopped candied orange peel) etc. Schwartau is one brand to look for and they are less than 2€ for 50g.
Now if it specialist dried fruit that you want, try the Spanischer Fruchthaus at the Rindermarkt (between Marienplatz and Konen, opposite Palmers undies shop). Now there is the high temple of dried and candied fruits - can be expenive and shoddy opening times but the selection is immense.

Kosher food
Not really a foodstuff, but what the heck. Viktualienmarkt. Not open on Saturdays. Talkdiva reports: "I have had several experiences with the woman in the Kosher Shop and she has always been nasty. She carries basics like a small kosher deli would. But I go there mostly to buy things for the Jewish holidays like Manichevitz wine, matzohs and Jarhrzeit candles. She also has dreidels and channukah geld but everything is very expensive."

Kraft Mac & Cheese
At a supermarket in Fürstenfeldbruck (S4) we have seen "Kraft Mac & Cheese" on sale, as well as some other American foods (Hash Browns, etc.). The "Mac & Cheese" comes in a 206g (7.25oz) box for €2.69. Karstadt am Dom (mid-pedestrian area closest to Karlsplatz) also sells Mac and Cheese for €2-€3 for a normal-sized box.

Molasses
"Melasse" in German and available at any Reformhaus or Bio / organic food market. Substitute with black treacle from a British shop, which can be cheaper.

Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew has been seen at the G&A Grocery Store.

Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is tricky. The consensus appears to be that people who are partial to particular brands should bring it from home. If you're not that particular, there are German brands, crunchy or smooth, with or without sugar added, at most grocery stores (Tengelmann, Spar, HL, Karstadt am Hauptbahnhof, Kaufhof) and at natural food stores, and there are often Dutch brands at Asian / Indian stores (for satay, I assume). Skippy has been seen at Asian markets in Vienna. Anyone seen it here? For more detail:

Blimeygirl says: The closest peanut butter here (to US PB) is called Sun Pat...available at stores like Karstadt am Hauptbahnhof (near main station) or Kaufhof (both Stachus and Marienplatz locations). I personally find it kinda tasteless and thin. The colour is all wrong. It also seems to have a grainy texture -- even the smooth brand.

I buy Reese's brand from the North American shelves in Karstadt am Bahnhof and it is quite pricey (more than 6 euros for a smallish jar).

jml recommends Rapunzel "American Style" crunchy peanut butter.

butterbean adds: Barney's Best brand creamy, purchased at Tengleman's (used to be at HL, but seemingly no longer), tastes a lot like Skippy smooth and helps satisfy the craving. NOT to be confused with the Grandy brand, which tastes like brown vaseline (or how I might think vaseline would taste if I ate a spoonful of it), but which tries to masquerade its jar like the Barney jar.

Pediasure
some apotheken can order pediasure for you, but it's supposedly expensive and comes in gynormous IV type bags - the contents have to be consumed within 48 hours. Its also available from the military bases, but really your best bet is to switch formulas if possible. An alternative: Milsana, one of the best and cheapest and can be found at Schlecker. Rated to be THE best by 'Stiftung Warentest' (nutrition and so on)...

Root Beer
You can sometimes find root beer in the Tengelmann underneath Saturn on Kaufingerstraße (between Marienplatz and Karlsplatz), or at Karstadt am Bahnhof.
Subway (fountain), Britain Online (mail order, see above)
Karstadt at Münchener Freiheit: called "Stars And Stripes" with an American flag on the can. Also available at G&A Grocery Store

A&W seems pretty easy to get hold of these days. The drinks shop in Ostbahnhof has it. Many Edekas are stocking it in their American section. You can also get it Galeria Kaufhof at Stachus.

If you have access to Metro you can also buy Rootbeer along with a raft of other American soft drinks in 12 can boxes.

Seems not too hard to get your hands on these days. I'm seeing it around 1.50 a can.

Suet
Usually for mince pies. Ask your butcher for Rinderfett, Nierenfett, or Talg. Those who cut their own meat will be more likely to have it.

Tofu and Vegan Foods
Reformhäuser and Asian shops. Also in regular supermarkets.

Vanilla
Reformhäuser oddly enough will have liquid vanilla as Americans are used to it. In small brown bottles of 1/2 oz. The teeny-tiny clear glass bottles of vanilla sold in four-packs are different from your usual McCormick's. Vanilla sugar can be substituted, but you have to adjust your recipe's sugar total. Also look at the Mexican Food page -- at least one Mexican shop also had the brown liquid vanilla in a big bottle. And G&A Grocery Store

Walkers Crisps
All Brits know and love Walkers Crisps. They are very English and were famously advertised by the ex-England footballer Gary Lineker. Lots of places in Munich sell walkers crisps but only the basic crisps in basic flavors. Examples are the Subway sandwich shop - Kapuzinerstraße 1 (near Goetheplatz), The Museum Lichtspiele cinema

Wheat Germ
To all those looking for wheatgerm, I finally found it (after much searching) at one of the Bio / Natural food stores. It's called Weizenkeime and the kind I got comes in a 500g box, says "VOLLGRAN Weizenkeime - Die Vitalstoffquelle" and is from Dr. Grandel.

Graham Crackers
Substitute Leibniz Vollkorn biscuits. More here: Where to buy Graham crackers - or local equivalents, or crumbs for baking crust

Branston pickle
British shops of concrete or online, like the ones listed above. Pomeroy and Winterbottom as well as The Victorian House in Munich, for example.

Still Sought


Anything else?
Are there any British or American food stuffs that you simply can't find in Munich? Or do you have any good tips for stuff that you have found? Let us know by adding comments below -- but search first!

currently still looking for:?

Jordan's Natural Muesli 1kg and Jordan's Country Crisp Real Strawberries - the latter one has been around in Minimal or HL shops but has vanished lately. :-(

Flageolet beans in tins. Tender and light green. You can get them in every supermarket in the UK & France.

Liebig soups in cartons. They were my favorite soups when I was living in Paris and thought with a name like that they must be German, but apparently they're Swiss/French :-( Tasty veggie selection with no nasty additives! Neither of those qualities easy to find in soups here. (Not sure if they're available in the UK or the US.)

Unsorted Comments

btw. Fuego guacamole is terrible stuff. It has more Schmelzkäse than avocado powder, and whoever put cheese in guacamole anyhow?

Danish bacon is on sale at V Markt on Balanstr. near OBH. 150g pack of back bacon €1.99, streaky is €1.49. It's in the fridge near the meat section. Bit on the thin side and wrinkles in the pan but smells like, tastes like, and is the real thing.

I found a source to buy dried cranberries. The real ones from Ocean Spray. You can order them by e-mail under the following address: cranberrybiengen@aol.com . The dried cranberries are much better than the ones you will get at some supermarkets. 100 g for € 2,00, 250 g for €3,80. They sell 500 g as well, however I don`t remember the price. Eventually they sell the original Cranberry juice from Ocean Spray (Cranberry Classic) also.

There is, as far as I can tell, not a drop of rootbeer in Munich - at least, not in the following shops:

Real ready made Colman's mustard in a jar at "Lahori" a small indian shop at the bottom of the escalator by the tram stop in front of the Hauptbahnhof. 100g jar €2.99 is a bit expesive but it is the real thing. Unlike the Colman's "Savora" mustard in Hertie which was a real disappointment. They also have Colman's Tartare sauce, mint sauce and a few other things in the same shop. Things are definitely improving!

There is a little American grocerie store in the Baaderstraße, it's right when you get off at the tram or subway stop "Fraunhoferstraße". Do not walk into the direction of the Gärtnerplatz, but walk south for a couple of feet.It's called German & American Grocery store. The owner is really nice and you can find baking soda, oreo, and a lot of other American food there.

G & A Grocery Store
Baaderstraße 65
Glockenbachviertel
80469 München

I'm looking for English or Irish pork sausages. Necessarily these must be frozen. Used to be that one could buy them at a small shop in the Schellingstr (#100 not far from Universitat Metro) who had all sorts things in their freezer. But that shop disappeared about ten years ago. Anyone seen them anywhere lately?
Marmite is quite easy. Australian shop in Dachauerstr, or "Hong Kong" in Rosenheimer Metro shopping center.

A new MiniMal has just opened at Arabellapark U4(Rosenkavalierplatz) and stocks a variety of international foods including a small selection of American products like Kraft Mac & Cheese, Aunt Jemima pancake syrup, Muffin mixes etc.

Unfortunately no British favourites.

I know nobody asked, but I have ordered several times from an online Mexican grocery http://www.mex-al.de/
The stuff comes really fast, and they have all sorts of Mexican beers, spices, foods etc. I highly recommend the "lemon mix" spice. Combined with a bit of fresh lemon juice and cilantro (Korianderblatt) it makes the best damned Chicken wings I have ever had! I did not care too much for their tortillas I found them a bit too thick for my taste. I am not sure about München as I live in Nord Hessen, but if there is a "Grand" they sell very good tortillas that are thin, and not fatty tasting, but they call them Arabic bread or Armenian bread I forget and they are I think at least 8 inches wide and have more per package than other brands I have seen. I can not speak for every Grand, the one I visit in Bad Hersfeld, sells of course Russian stuff, Thai (limited) and Turkish. You can buy HUGE bags of corn nuts there in the Turkish section. And if you like sunflower seeds, you can buy them in 5 kilogram bags from several brands. They also stock items I have not seen in other stores, such as corn starch, rice starch and string cheese made in Poland.

I saw posted several references to homemade Cool whip. I have tried making it several times, I have found it works better with 1 piece of blattgelatin (a thin sheet of gelatin) rather than the powder, perhaps because the powder in Germany is instant. However, I do not think it tastes like Cool whip, not that I was ever a fan of the stuff when living in America. Schlagcreme from RUF tastes better, even best when you combine real milk with poweder milk and water.

They have kangaroo, ostrich and crocodile in the food hall in the basement of Galeria Kaufhof just off Marienplatz.

You can buy Heinz Baked Beans in Pep, just go down to Hit. You can also get Weetabix,Weetos,cathedral cheddar cheese,etc in Kaufland.

Just be careful of http://www.english-shop.net (recommended above). They are extremely unfriendly (not to say rude) when you order online!

British chocolate spied in Karstadt shop!Quality Street, Cadbury's (Dairy Milk, Whole Nut, Fruit&Nut, Whole Almond) is available from Karstadt on Neuhausenstr (see comments above re: Karstadt am Dom)

Dried Butter Beans (Mondbohnen, but no use translating them because most Germans still don't know what they are) spotted in an Asian shop in the Augustenstraße area (near Theresienstraße UBahn). I will go back and get the actual address.

Koscher Food in Munich,in the PILGERSHEIMERSTR.44 in Giesingthere is a koscher store which has a very large variety ofKOSCHER ProductsMeat,Poultry,Wine,Gefilter Fisch in Jar,Cucumbers,oriental salads from Israel like HUMUS,Tehina,baba-Ganosch and Pitta Bread(from Israel)and different products from all over the world.

Prices are very moderate, service is nice, and you can order also catering service. Everything can be deliverd to your home. within 10 days there will be opening of the new FALAFEL-SHOP at the Viktualienmarkt...
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