Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Forold-schoolAlsatiancomfortfood,ordertheubiquitous
Baeckeoffe
,whichisstill
served at your table in traditional pottery. The dish gets its name from where it was
cooked—inthe“baker'soven.”ForcenturiesAlsatianwomencombinedtheweek's
leftover pork, beef, and veal with potatoes, onions, and leeks in a covered clay pot,
then added white wine. Carrying the pot on their way to church on Sunday, the wo-
men would pass by the bakery and put their pot in one of the large stone ovens, still
warm from baking the morning bread. During the three-hour Mass, the meat would
simmer and be perfectly stewed in time for lunch. The pottery, which is still pro-
duced and sold locally, remains an integral part of every Alsatian household.
Alsace's Cuisine Scene
Alsatian cuisine is a major tourist attraction in itself. You can't mistake the German influ-
ence: sausages, potatoes, onions, and sauerkraut. Look for
choucroute garnie
(sauerkraut
and sausage—although it seems a shame to eat it in a fancy restaurant), the more tradi-
tionally Alsatian
Baeckeoffe
(see sidebar),
Rösti
(an oven-baked potato-and-cheese dish),
Spätzle
(soft egg noodles),
quenelles
(dumplings made of pork, beef, or fish), fresh trout,
and foie gras. For lighter fare, try the
poulet au Riesling,
chicken cooked ever-so-slowly
