Supermarket Deli Counters: Building Gourmet Picnics for €5

The Feinkost and Charcuterie Strategy

Europe boasts some of the world's most magnificent urban parks: Retiro in Madrid, Eduardo VII in Lisbon, English Garden in Munich, and Planty in Kraków. Eating a gourmet picnic in these parks is both a quintessential European experience and a prime budget travel hack.

How to Order by Weight

Supermarket deli counters sell cheeses and cured meats by weight:

• In Spain and Portugal: Ask for grams (e.g. 'Cien gramos de queso manchego, por favor': 100 grams of Manchego cheese, roughly €2.00).
• In Germany and Austria: 100 grams is called 'zehn Deka' (e.g. 'Zehn Deka Bergkäse': 100 grams of mountain cheese).
• In Poland: Ask for 'Dziesięć deka szynki' (100 grams of ham).

Add a fresh baguette for €0.60, a punnet of ripe cherry tomatoes or grapes for €1.50, and a bottle of mineral water or regional wine, and two people can feast for under €5.00 per person.