destinations Germany
FOR BETTER OR FOR "WURST"
24/01/2007 13:11 Filed in: Places
Apart from bread, beer and sausages are featured strongly in the German culinary world. Sausages, or "wurst" as they are known here also come in an array of flavours. Bratwurst probably being the most popular one. But there is more to life than bratwurst, There is weiswurst, currywurst (sausages flavoured with curry) and a meatloaf type of sausage that is cut into square portions and served between a baguette roll and smothered with mustard. In fact, when you order sausages form the many outlets throughout the city, they are usually served in a crusty roll and topped with mustard. That's it. No ketchup, pickles, cheese and other peculiarities. Simple and oh so tasty!!!
I managed to get to a restaurant that actually had a number of options on the menu, apart from the usual suspects of schnitzel etc...I started off with a "weis" beer. Or a wheat beer as was tanslated to me by friends. Aaaah the beer!!! This needs its own place of discussion in cyberspace. The choice here is dazzling. It was explained to me that beer was not even classified as an alcoholic beverage under German law. Workers have it included as part of their meal allowance in certain jobs!!!! What a refreshing attitude!!! Now wonder the Australians find a rapport with this country. Anyway, the wheat beer I drank was similar to a Coopers beer. Tan in colour and quite foggy.
Now I'm not a big wine drinker. I was happy to drink this with my meal though. It might have seemed quite heavy but it was very light and refreshing.
As I explained earlier I wanted to steer away from the traditional offerings on the menu. So it was recommended to me to order a "flamekuchen". Literally translated as flame cake. You know how I love to make comparisons. Think of it as the "black sheep" of the pizza family. It's similar to a pizza but it has its own personality. It's a very thin layer of rolled puff pastry, smothered with sour cream and topped with bacon and onion!!! Very calorific but deceivingly light. This is something I would be glad to reproduce at home. And it really is quite simple. I had the standard version but the menu contained lots of different ones, with an array of toppings. Sour cream is the base sauce and this is where alot of the taste comes from.
Accompanied by a side salad, I was set. A nice end to a jet lagged day.
I managed to get to a restaurant that actually had a number of options on the menu, apart from the usual suspects of schnitzel etc...I started off with a "weis" beer. Or a wheat beer as was tanslated to me by friends. Aaaah the beer!!! This needs its own place of discussion in cyberspace. The choice here is dazzling. It was explained to me that beer was not even classified as an alcoholic beverage under German law. Workers have it included as part of their meal allowance in certain jobs!!!! What a refreshing attitude!!! Now wonder the Australians find a rapport with this country. Anyway, the wheat beer I drank was similar to a Coopers beer. Tan in colour and quite foggy.
Now I'm not a big wine drinker. I was happy to drink this with my meal though. It might have seemed quite heavy but it was very light and refreshing.
As I explained earlier I wanted to steer away from the traditional offerings on the menu. So it was recommended to me to order a "flamekuchen". Literally translated as flame cake. You know how I love to make comparisons. Think of it as the "black sheep" of the pizza family. It's similar to a pizza but it has its own personality. It's a very thin layer of rolled puff pastry, smothered with sour cream and topped with bacon and onion!!! Very calorific but deceivingly light. This is something I would be glad to reproduce at home. And it really is quite simple. I had the standard version but the menu contained lots of different ones, with an array of toppings. Sour cream is the base sauce and this is where alot of the taste comes from.
Accompanied by a side salad, I was set. A nice end to a jet lagged day.
WELL BREAD
22/01/2007 02:12 Filed in: Places
Hi again.
Today's blog entry finds me in Europe. Frankfurt, Germany to be exact. I had to dash over with work for a few days and I thought I would catch up with my friend Nick while I was in town.
Now, before I continue, I must apologise in advance. My camera had issues and wasn't working properly. So therefore I missed a few food photo opps, except for my day trip to Heidelberg. You will have to rely on my descriptins for a couple of posts. Sorry!!!
Now I'm not going to bore you with details about where Frankfurt is, the population etc...Watch "Getaway" or another travel show if you like. I can tell you though that Frankfurt is a very busy city. The financial heart of Europe. The Euro is a very busy boy in this town. I have visited here many times before but it had actually been about 5 years since my last visit. I was surprised. It seems the city has undergone a mini facelift. Lots of cafes and a thriving cultural centre. There is an "edge" to it, that never existed before in my opinion.
The food in Germany is quite interesting. Other people might tend to say "heavy" or even "boring". This is all up to personal taste of course. Yes, you will find schnitzel, pigs knuckles, sauerkraut and potatoes. There are fantastic local cheeses on offer and the most amazing bread. (warning to all of you on the Atkins Diet: do not read any further!!!). Bakeries align the main and side streets. Supermarkets feature bread only sections that would leave our ones in Australia to shame. Bread with walnuts and almonds. Dark or light rye bread. Pretzel bread. (This blogger's favourite). Breads with a multitude of grains. It's too hard to summarise it all, except to say that it is the tastiest bread you will eat!!!
It's carbohydrate heaven!!!!
Today's blog entry finds me in Europe. Frankfurt, Germany to be exact. I had to dash over with work for a few days and I thought I would catch up with my friend Nick while I was in town.
Now, before I continue, I must apologise in advance. My camera had issues and wasn't working properly. So therefore I missed a few food photo opps, except for my day trip to Heidelberg. You will have to rely on my descriptins for a couple of posts. Sorry!!!
Now I'm not going to bore you with details about where Frankfurt is, the population etc...Watch "Getaway" or another travel show if you like. I can tell you though that Frankfurt is a very busy city. The financial heart of Europe. The Euro is a very busy boy in this town. I have visited here many times before but it had actually been about 5 years since my last visit. I was surprised. It seems the city has undergone a mini facelift. Lots of cafes and a thriving cultural centre. There is an "edge" to it, that never existed before in my opinion.
The food in Germany is quite interesting. Other people might tend to say "heavy" or even "boring". This is all up to personal taste of course. Yes, you will find schnitzel, pigs knuckles, sauerkraut and potatoes. There are fantastic local cheeses on offer and the most amazing bread. (warning to all of you on the Atkins Diet: do not read any further!!!). Bakeries align the main and side streets. Supermarkets feature bread only sections that would leave our ones in Australia to shame. Bread with walnuts and almonds. Dark or light rye bread. Pretzel bread. (This blogger's favourite). Breads with a multitude of grains. It's too hard to summarise it all, except to say that it is the tastiest bread you will eat!!!
It's carbohydrate heaven!!!!