Head buyer at Dallmayr Stefan Weiß.

Dallmayr Delicacies

“Our producer only goes fishing once a year, when there is a full moon”

The Dallmayr delicacies has been well-known since the 19th Century - both for its range of fine products and for having the most attractive window display of any food shop in the city. But where exactly do all these delicacies come from? How does Dallmayr find the best ham and bacon, the most attractive cheeses and the tastiest types of fish? Stefan Weiß, the head buyer at Dallmayr, tells us about a really special soya sauce from Taiwan, bread baked in old ovens and sardines which can only be caught when there is a full moon.

If you meet Stefan Weiß (54) for an interview, it can only be about one thing: good food. The man has been working as the head buyer at Dallmayr for over 30 years. Stefan Weiß is a courteous man. He’s wearing a neatly ironed white shirt, even though it’s over 35 degrees today in Munich.

Mr Weiß, what is the latest culinary trend?

Well, in drinks I would say that it has to be Japanese sake. It is really easy to see that sales of sake are currently doing very well. People are buying it, not just as an aperitif, but also to form the base of cocktails are as an accompaniment for all sorts of meals. This is why we have added a few lovely bottles of saki to our range. In food, anything from Spain is currently doing very well, whether we are talking about meat from Galicia or air-dried tuna fillets from Cádiz. There is a very wide range of types of food from Spain and that is why we are always discovering something new there.

It is not difficult to locate the best caviar in the world. What we try to do is to discover the best everyday things in life, like the best bread and the best butter - the so-called simple products. That is our aspiration and it is a real challenge.

How – and, above all, where – do you find new products?

I was in charge of the wine department at Dallmayr for a long time and I therefore known many vintners across the whole of Europe. Whenever you get together with someone who demands the highest quality of wine, you inevitably start talking about food with them too. In this way, you establish a network of like-minded people over the years. You try something here and there and sometimes people point you in the direction of a really fantastic product. Of course, I also have “food scouts” who specifically search for a new type of Spanish ham or bacon for me. And we also make culinary journeys to go and discover new products. I recently flew to Barcelona with my buyers and we travelled for 12 days. We went all over the country and had up to 8 appointments for tasting sessions each day. Once we spent the day with a Spanish housewife and we literally looked over her shoulder and watched how she cooked traditional recipes.

Do you read any particular food magazines or cookery books to improve your knowledge of food?

Well, to tell the truth, if I read something in a magazine which I don’t already know, I would be very annoyed!

Are there any products in your shop of which you are particularly proud?

Each product in our shop has its own story. Often when we have found something really good, that is just the start of our hard work. We then have to set up the logistics chain, find a good transport route and overcome language barriers. Take, for example, our bread from Matera. Matera is a city in southern Italy which is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world. The old city consists to a great extent of caves dating from the Neolithic era, known as sassi, which people used to live in. Some of these old caves now house ovens as tall as a man in which bread is baked in the same way that it was 2,000 years ago. The bread is baked for us in Matera on Mondays. It is cooled and packed and then a haulage company brings it over a distance of 1,650 kilometres to us in Munich. We sell the bread here in the shop on Wednesdays.

In 2007 I brought a tin of vintage sardines back with me from Spain and at first people just laughed at me and said, “Vintage sardines? What’s that all about?” But now these tins have become a rare delicacy and have been very sought after for years.

Do you sometimes have to give up on a certain types of delicacies simply because it is just impossible to transport them to Munich?

We never give up on them; we simply wait for them to arrive. Many processes are slow and cumbersome though. A few years ago, I tasted a wonderful soya sauce from Taiwan. I saw it again later in Paris and finally one of my buyers discovered it for himself a year ago. We will finally have this soya sauce in our product range from next week onwards. The translation of the label alone took five months.

How many different products does Dallmayr currently sell?

We sell approximately 8,000 products from almost 1,000 different suppliers. Most of our suppliers are small manufacturers. They sell their bonito fillets in a small shop on the Andalusian coast from Mondays to Fridays and when they have sold all their stock for the day they simply close their shutters.

Are there any products which do not just follow the latest trends but are always very popular?

In 2007 I brought a tin of vintage sardines back with me from Spain and at first people just laughed at me and said, “Vintage sardines? What’s that all about?” But now these tins have become a rare delicacy and have been very sought after for years. According to the law, tins of fish must not have use by dates for periods longer than five years. This means that some older tins of fish may now be traded on private exchange platforms.

What is so special about these sardines?

Our producer in Galicia fishes for sardines just once a year, over a three-day period when the moon is full in September and when the sardines are particularly fat. The fish which he catches are then carefully cooked over steam, placed in the tins by hand and covered with oil. They become better with each year that they are kept in storage. Each tin should be turned every six months, by the way, so that the oil is better distributed over the fish. There are now other delicatessen businesses selling these vintage sardines but we started this trend in 2007.

He suddenly stands up, leaves the room and returns a few minutes later with two cans of vintage sardines on a small tray. They really do taste as good as he promised. “And, what do you think?”, he asks proudly and promises to take me on a short tour of the retail areas later on, as he really wants to try a new cheese from the range.

Do you find it irritating when you start a trend and then others jump on board?

Not at all. There are lots of similar products from Portugal and Spain on the market but our sardines from Spain are phenomenal! 70 percent of the production of our supplier Los Perperetes comes to us. Each year we receive 2,000 tins of sardines from them and then we really sell a lot of them to our customers. The fish are absolutely perfect, they are better than all the others and there is no jealousy about this.

Which delicacies are particularly hard to get hold of?

It is not difficult to locate the best caviar in the world. My colleagues are easily able to do this with the connections they have in the trade. What we try to do is to discover the best everyday things in life, like the best bread and the best butter - the so-called simple products. That is our aspiration and it is a real challenge.

I recently flew to Barcelona with my buyers and we travelled for 12 days. We went all over the country and had up to 8 appointments for tasting sessions each day. Once we spent the day with a Spanish housewife and we literally looked over her shoulder and watched how she cooked traditional recipes.

What would you particularly recommend to your customers if they wanted to take a typical Dallmayr product back home with them as a gift to their friends and family?

We don’t just work with our suppliers but we also develop our own products based on our own recipes. Far from the machines used in industrial production, we make traditional mustard, for example, using whole mustard seeds, the best raw materials and natural ingredients. We have a very extensive range of exclusive Dallmayr mustards. We have something to suit every taste.

Mr Weiß, how does one actually become the head buyer at Dallmayr?

I began my training as a retail salesman with Dallmayr in 1979 and have worked for the company with my whole body and soul since then. I think the most important thing is to be able to develop a passion for the products, to love your work and to become sensitised to the questions of the taste of different foods. I have worked for Dallmayr for more than thirty years and yet every morning I still walk into the shop full of enthusiasm for our wonderful products.

After the interview, we take a tour of the shop as promised. Stefan Weiß shows me loaves from Matera, the new cheese and, of course, chocolates from the in-house factory. The eyes of the Dallmayr shop assistants behind the counters are all fixed on Weiß – he knows almost all employees by name. “You know, so many of our employees have been working at Dallmayr even longer than me”, says Stefan Weiß. After all, the success story of the most famous delicatessen house in Germany is inseparably linked to the people of this city.

simply enjoy

Join the Viktualienmarkt tasting tour - a real favourite among locals and tourists alike - with an official city tour guide of Munich. Read more    

 

Interview: Heike Kottmann; Fotos: Frank Stolle
Baker at work in the Hofbräuhaus-Kunstmühle in Munich.

Bread report: Our daily bread

Back ma's

Virtually no other city has a bread tradition stretching back as far as that of Munich – or such venerated bakery products. What makes them so exceptional and desirable?

Virtually no other city has a bread tradition stretching back as far as that of Munich – or such venerated bakery products. What makes them so exceptional and desirable?

A glass of beer in a restaurant in Munich.

Beer typology

What are you drinking?

Starkbier, Festbier, Hell, Dunkel, Pils: a typology of Munich's beers – and the people who drink them.

Starkbier, Festbier, Hell, Dunkel, Pils: a typology of the most important Munich beers – and the people who drink them.

A fisherman takes a fish from a net on a lake.

Burbot, Bullhead, Whitefish

Native Exoticness

A lot of bones, difficult to eat: Freshwater fish is a culinary niche. But young chefs in Munich are turning char, wels catfish and pike into a true taste adventure.

A lot of bones, difficult to eat: Freshwater fish is a culinary niche. But young chefs in Munich are turning char, wels catfish and pike into a true taste adventure.

Bread with Gelbwurst and chives in Munich.

Sausage guide

Munich and it's sausages

The universe of Munich's sausages is almost infinite. An orientation guide.

The universe of Munich's sausages is not infinite. Its full extent may, however, appear unfathomable to many visitors to the city. A guide.

The chef of the restaurant Schneider Bräuhauses München is cutting a knuckle of pork with a big knife.

Bavarian gastronomy

Nose to tail

Heart, kidney, cheeks, tail: Nose to tail eating is a worldwide trend. Always has been in Munich.

Heart and kidneys, cheeks and tail: While serving up the more unusual parts of an animal may currently be one of the hottest trends, the people of Munich have been doing it for centuries.

Panoramic view of the Munich Christmas market at Marienplatz.
Christmas Market Tour

Get in the mood for Christmas on this tour through the old town in the wonderful atmosphere of fragrant almonds and glittering lights.

Book now for 30 €!

Get in the mood for Christmas on this tour through the old town in the wonderful atmosphere of fragrant almonds and glittering lights.

Get in the mood for Christmas on this tour through the old town in the wonderful atmosphere of fragrant almonds and glittering lights.

A woman with varnished fingernails holds a gift with the inscription "simply Munich".
Vouchers

Buy now vouchers for your visit in Munich. The ideal gift! Guided tours, guest cards and more...

Buy vouchers from 6,50 €

Buy now vouchers for your visit in Munich. The ideal gift! Guided tours, guest cards and more...

Merchant with dried fruit on the Viktualienmarkt in Munich.
Viktualienmarkt Tasting Tour

Discover the most delicious delicacies of the city and learn all kinds of interesting facts about Munich's most famous food market.

Book now for 40 €!

Discover the most delicious delicacies of the city and learn all kinds of interesting historical facts about Munich's most famous food market.

Three copies of the official Munich city guide are slightly stacked on top of each other so that the image of the Frauenkirche remains visible on each one.
Official Munich City Guide

With our new city guide, you can take a relaxed stroll through the most beautiful neighbourhoods and discover insider tips from our guides - from sights to hidden highlights. Order now free of shipping costs!  a

Order now for 8,90€ incl. shipping!

With our new city guide, you can take a relaxed stroll through the most beautiful neighbourhoods and discover insider tips from our guides.

With our new city guide, you can take a relaxed stroll through the most beautiful neighbourhoods and discover insider tips from our guides - from sights to hidden highlights. Order now free of shipping costs!

View of a residence serenade with candles in the court chapel.
Residenz Serenades

This Munich experience promises high culture for newcomers and enthusiasts: enjoy the popular Mozart concerts in the Residenz.

Book now from 38 €

This Munich experience promises high culture for newcomers and enthusiasts: enjoy the popular Mozart concerts in the Residenz.

Exterior view of the Munich Palace of Justice on Prielmayerstraße in Maxvorstadt.
Justizpalast Tour

During the guided tour of the present-day seat of the Bavarian State Ministry of Justice, you will learn everything about the history and significance of the neo-baroque court and administrative building.

Book now for 20 €!

During the guided tour of the present-day seat of the Bavarian State Ministry of Justice, you will learn everything about the history and significance of the neo-baroque court and administrative building.

Small meeting room of the Neues Rathaus in Munich
New Town Hall Tour

Explore the Neue Rathaus on Marienplatz with an official City of Munich tour guide. A visit of the famous law library is also included!

Book now from 22 €

Explore the Neue Rathaus on Marienplatz with an official tour guide. A visit of the famous law library is also included!

Magistrates, Monachia and magnificent celebrations: explore the Neue Rathaus on Marienplatz with an official City of Munich tour guide. A visit of the famous law library is also included!

Exterior view of the Hofbräuhaus Munich at dusk.
Hofbräuhaus Tour

Discover the most famous beer hall in the world with an official guide of the city of Munich and enjoy a fresh Mass of beer afterward!

Book for 28€, Mass beer included!

Discover the most famous beer hall in the world with an official guide of the city of Munich and enjoy a fresh Mass of beer afterward!

Discover the most famous beer hall in the world with an official guide of the city of Munich and enjoy a fresh Mass of beer afterward!

Towers at Marienplatz in Munich
Old Town Tour

The city walk for everyone who wants to become acquainted with the most beautiful parts of Munich's city centre.

Book now for 18 €!

The city walk for everyone who wants to become acquainted with the most beautiful parts of Munich's city centre.

Wort kettle at the Spaten brewery in Munich.
Spaten Brewery Tour

Experience a brewery tour at Spaten with a look behind the scenes, interesting facts about the company history and beer tasting in the brewery tower.

Book now for 22 €!

Experience a brewery tour at Spaten with a look behind the scenes, interesting facts about the company history and beer tasting in the brewery tower.

Book now!

Street Art-Tour

Did you know that Munich was a pioneer of the European graffiti scene? Discover different art up close in the city with our street art tour today!

Experience the city's diverse art & exciting graffiti on our street art tour!

Did you know that Munich was a pioneer of the European graffiti scene? Discover different art up close in the city with our street art tour today!

View of the Salzach river and the castle in Salzburg.
Salzburg and the Lake District

Visit the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and relax on the journey to beautiful Lake Wolfgang.

Book now from 58 €

Visit the birthplace of composer extraordinaire Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, stroll through the Baroque old town and then relax on the journey to beautiful Lake Wolfgang.

A stone jug with the inscription Oktoberfest Munich.

Order now!

Oktoberfest Shop

Bring a piece of Oktoberfest home: Purchase official souvenirs such as the Wiesn poster or the Oktoberfest beer stein in the official Oktoberfest shop.

Bring a piece of Oktoberfest home: Purchase official souvenirs such as the Wiesn poster or the Oktoberfest beer stein in the official Oktoberfest shop.

A woman in the exhibition "Der Blaue Reiter" in the Lenbachhaus in Munich
Discovery trip incl. City Pass

2 nights in your selected hotel and - thanks to the City Pass - free admission to 45 museums, sights and attractions: our travel package for explorers.

3 days from 313 € for 2 Pers.

2 nights in your selected hotel and - thanks to the City Pass - free admission to 45 museums, sights and attractions: our travel package for explorers.

Bag on green background
Vouchers

Give the gift of a special Munich voucher: we also offer vouchers for all our guided tours. Here you can book unique Munich experiences directly online, print them out and give them as a gift voucher to friends or family.

Buy vouchers from 6,50 €

Give the gift of a special Munich voucher: we also offer vouchers for all our guided tours. Here you can book unique Munich experiences directly online, print them out and give them as a gift voucher to friends or family.