Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you want to go easy on the booze, order a
sweetish
Radler,
which comes in half or full
litres and mixes
Helles Lagerbier
and lemon-
ade. A
Russe
(Russian) is generally a litre-
sized concoction of
Helles Weissbier
and lem-
onade.
In Bavaria beer is officially defined not as alcohol
but as a staple food, just like bread.
DARE TO TRY
Feeling daring? Why not give these three regional faves a whirl.
»
sauere Kuttlen/Nierle/Lüngerl
(sour tripe/kidneys/lung) No beer fest would be
complete without these offal faves, simmered in vinegar or wine, bay, laurel, juniper
and spices.
»
Bubespitzle
Otherwise known as
Schupfnudeln
, this Swabian dish's ingredients
are innocuous: potato noodles tossed in butter, served with sauerkraut and speck. But
the name (literally, 'little boys' penises') certainly isn't.
»
Leberknödelsuppe
Hearty beef broth with beef, veal or pork liver dumplings, fla-
voured with onions, parsley and marjoram.
Riesling to Pinot
Bavaria's only wine-growing region is located
in Franconia in and around Würzburg. Grow-
ers here produce some exceptional dry white
wines, which are bottled in distinctive green
flagons called
Bocksbeutel
. If
Silvaner
is the
king of the grape here, then
Müller-Thurgau
is the prince, and riesling,
Weissburgunder
(pinot grigio) and
Bacchus
the courtiers. The latter three thrive especially on the steep
slopes flanking the Main River. Red wines play merely a supporting role. Nearly 80% of
all wine produced is consumed within the region.
Kaiserstuhl is the major wine-growing area in the Black Forest. It produces mainly
Spätburgunder
(pinot noir) and
Grauburgunder
(pinot gris).
With roughly 14,000 distillers, the Black Forest has
the highest density of schnapps makers in the
world.
