Germany

Hearty cuisine and wonderful beers, wines and spirits make Germany a joyous place to visit. It is a federation of 16 smaller states, such as Baden-Würtemberg, in the southwestern region, home to a quarter of all the Michelin-rated restaurants in the country, as well as the famed Black Forest and its prized ham. The Rhineland boasts much of Germany's wine production, while the southern region is famous for Oktoberfest.

Germans are big meat eaters: sausage is the most popular form and is available in more than 1,500 varieties. Mustard is a delicious accompaniment. Düsseldorf and the surrounding area is known for its particularly spicy mustard, while the south produces a sweet variety. (With the exception of mustard for sausages, German dishes are rarely hot and spicy.) White asparagus, known as Spargel, is enjoyed in late spring as a side dish or a main meal. It often inspires festivals and special menus in its honor. Rumor has it there are 6,000 types of bread, ranging from white to pumpernickel to grey or black bread. With all of this bounty, it’s hard to believe that fast food is popular, but it is, especially with the younger sets. Currywurst is a sliced sausage served with a curry-flavored ketchup sauce. You’ll find this and other greasy choices at street stalls called Würstchenbuden.

Good beer is iconic in Germany. Local and regional breweries produce a wide variety, ranging from pils, available countrywide, to lagers and wheat beer in Bavaria to Kolsch in Cologne. There’s a trend for mixing beer with other beverages—and many of these are now bottled and sold in stores—such as lager and lemonade or pils, wheat beer or lager and cola. German wine has as strong a reputation as beer—with the upper and middle Rhine producing world-class Rieslings and Silvaners.—Denise Shoukas

Read More about German Cusine

Things You Didn't
Know About Sausage
 

Travel to the U.K., Ireland or Germany and you will notice that sausage, or Würste, isn’t just a national dish—it’s a way of life. These cultures take their sausages seriously. Maybe that’s why only 9 percent of Germans don’t eat meat ...

> Learn more about the sausage here

0 comments