Page 28 - (DK Eyewitness) Back Roads Travel Guide - Germany

26 BACK ROADS GERMANY

The Flavours of Germany

Germany is home to a variety of cuisines, with significant differences
in culinary traditions between its regions. However, the country is unified
by its love of meat, bread, sausages and beer. Though traditional meals
can be high in calories, a new generation of chefs is improvising German
classics to create “nouvelle” dishes. Fresh produce can be found at the
many farmers’ markets and charming stores across the country and Pilsner, the popular bottom-
home-made breads and cheeses and locally caught fish are usually fermented lager
of a high standard.

Northern Coast influenced, gourmet feasts. Swabian of vegetables grown. Excellent
Northern German food is meant food is rich, traditional German asparagus, cabbage and cauliflower
to sustain fishermen during long, cuisine. Pasta and bread feature dishes are also served.
cold days, and to this end is full of largely in a Swabian meal including Saxony is widely known for its
starches. The hardships of life in the Maultaschen, large pasta parcels cakes, or Stollen; there are strict
northern coast are reflected in the containing meat, cheese or requirements which must be met
hearty and filling cuisine of this vegetables served in soup or butter, for a cake to be considered an
region, much of which makes use or Spätzle, a type of pasta, which in authentic Dresdner Stollen, including
of ocean fish such as halibut or Bavaria is made with beer instead of where it is made geog raphically.
plaice, or freshwater fish such as water. Swabian food is often referred These cakes are usually served on
trout. The popularity of Matjes, salted to as “wet” food, since it is often or around Christmas. Another cake
herrings with cream and onions, drenched in sauce or melted butter. originating in Saxony is Baumkuchen,
served with baked potatoes, has The Pfalz, a region of southwestern a multi-layered, pyramid-shaped cake
spread from the northern cities to Germany, is famous for its Pfälzer covered in a chocolate glaze. Thuringia
the rest of the country. Warming Saumagen, sow’s stomach filled with is more likely to offer Bechkuchen
stews and soups, such as Pichelsteiner sausage, herbs and pota toes. The (sheet cakes), such as Streusel-Kuchen,
Eintopf, a one-pot dish with meat, Franks, inhabitants of Franconia, part a German crumb cake.
potatoes and vegetables cooked in of Bavaria, produce perhaps the finest
broth for the harsh winter months, ginger bread in the country, as well as Bavaria
are readily available, as is potato Nürnberger Rostbratwürstchen (small Much of southeastern Germany’s
salad, which is served hot or cold spicy roast sausages), and dishes using cuisine is heavily influenced by
with chopped pickle relish or onions. rare types of fish, such as sheatfish. Eastern Europe, as demonstrated by
Potatoes, often cooked with bacon, the goulash dishes and dumplings
are by far the most popular side dish Saxony and Thuringia that regularly feature on the menu.
in the region. Thüringer Bratwurst, a spicy Knödel, for example, are boiled
roasted sausage served with dumplings made in a variety of ways
Rhineland and mustard, originates from this east with several types of filling, such as
Southwestern Germany German region, as does Sauerbraten, liver, onions, or egg; Semmelknödel
This part of Germany, with its wine- roast beef marinated in vinegar. are bread-based dumplings with
growing regions along the rivers Meat is not the only option, however, onion and egg and Leberknödel are
Rhine, Mosel and Neckar, is known as Thuringian food is heavily liver dumplings. Bavarian food, which
for its superb, often French- influenced by the wide variety the world identifies with Germany,

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