Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Non-pork-based dishes include
Hendl
(roast chicken) and
Fleischpflanzerl
, the Bavari-
an spin on the hamburger. Fish is often caught fresh from the lakes.
Forelle
(trout) is espe-
cially popular in the Black Forest and served either
Forelle Müllerin (
baked),
Forelle
Blau
(boiled) or
Räucherforelle
(smoked). In Bavarian beer gardens, you'll often find
Steckerlfisch
- skewers of grilled mackerel.
Originating in Swabia but now served throughout southern Germany are
Maultaschen
,
which are ravioli-like stuffed pasta pockets, and
Kässpätzle
, stubby noodle-dumpling hy-
brids topped with melted cheese.
SEASON'S GREETINGS
May is peak season for
Spargel
(white asparagus), which is classically paired with boiled pota-
toes, hollandaise sauce and sometimes
Schinken
(smoked or cooked ham). In spring, look for
Bärlauch
, a wild-growing garlic that is often turned into a delicious pesto sauce. Wild mush-
rooms peak in late summer and early autumn when you find many dishes revolving around
Pfif-
ferlinge
(chanterelles) and
Steinpilze
(cep or porcini). Other autumn delights include pumpkins,
game and
Zwiebelkuchen
(onion tart), especially in rural Swabia, where it is paired with sweet
Neuer Süsser
(new wine) or
Most
(cider).
Bavaria is beer festival country. At Oktoberfest in September, 6.9 million partygoers wash
down entire farms of pigs, oxen and chickens with
Mass
(litres) of beer. In March, the city throws
festivals for pre-Lenten
Starkbier
(strong beer), where you can quaff the malty 7.5% brews
monks once dubbed
flüssiges Brot
(liquid bread).
Sausages & Side Orders
Wurst
(sausage) is traditionally served with
süsser Senf
(sweet mustard) alongside
sauerkraut or potato salad and a slice of bread.
Bavaria's flagship link is the
Weisswurst
. In
Eastern Bavaria and Franconia the mildly spicy
Bratwurst
rules. Nuremberg and Regensburg
make the most famous versions: finger-sized and eaten by the half dozen or dozen. Other
sausages you may encounter include the spicy
Krakauer
and the hot dog-like
Wiener
.
The
Kartoffel
(potato) is 'Vegetable
Nummer Eins'
in any meat-and-three-veg dish and
can be served as
Salzkartoffeln
(boiled),
Bratkartoffeln
(fried),
Kartoffelpüree
(mashed) or
shaped into
Knödel
(dumplings). Dumplings can be made of bread (
Semmelknödel
) and
Bavarians like to 'pig out' and the numbers prove
it: of the 60kg of meat consumed by the average
resident each year, about two-thirds are pork. Oink!
