Exotic Eats: Germany

Posted by on Oct 12, 2013 in Exotic Eats, Germany | 1 comment

While we only spent three days in Munich for Oktoberfest, I did enough eating and drinking to go up a size in my dirndl.  I had always heard about the delicious and prevalent beer at Oktoberfest, but I never knew that the food was so tasty. I am not sure if the food was so good because of all the beer I was consuming or if the dishes were simply the perfect compliment to the ambrosial ales.  Whatever the reason, I was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic Bavarian cuisine.  


Roasted Chicken:
Hendl, the Austro-Bavarian word for chicken, can be found all over Oktoberfest and I could not have been more pleased. We enjoyed this succulent main course with a frosty beer, German potato salad, and a doughy pretzel….YUM.  The chicken is rubbed with a mixture of herbs, basted with butter, and slow roasted on gas grills to perfection. I honestly think I could eat this meal once a week for the rest of my life.

Roasted Chicken

Roasted Chicken

German Potato Salad:
German “Kartoffelsalat” is a popular potato salad that is generally prepared with vinegar and oil, rather than mayonnaise. I am not even a potato salad fan but this dish was the perfect compliment to the roast chicken.  

Roasted chicken and potato salad

Roasted chicken, potato salad and a headless Mike at the Augustiner-Keller Beer Garden

Sausage:
If you eat meat, you will fall in love with German “wurst”.  I never ordered sausage from a restaurant while in Munich but was sure to hit up many kiosks in the Oktoberfest fair grounds (aka: late night eats). Upon further consideration, Mike and I realized that he consumed German sausage at EVERY meal. Something about the unique spices, high quality ingredients, and German proficiency for encased meat makes German wurst mouthwateringly delicious.

Upon seeing this Mike proclaimed, "A hot dog in a hamburger bun!"

Upon seeing this Mike happily proclaimed, “It’s a sausage in a hamburger bun!”

Pretzels:
At Oktoberfest, it is always the right time for a bretzel.  Admittedly, I indulged in a few giant German pretzels while in Munich.  Not only are these salty, buttery, carb laden delights the perfect snack while imbibing multiple steins, but also they are everywhere: hanging from food trucks, piled high in the wicker baskets being carried by the tent waitresses, and featured on every menu.

Carb heaven

Carb heaven

Obatzda:
This Bavarian cheese delicacy is prepared by mixing herbs and spices (salt, pepper, paprika,  garlic, onions, and horseradish) with two thirds aged soft cheese and one third butter. Enough said…obatzda is sinful, but worth every calorie. It’s the best cheese spread that I’ve ever tasted.

Obatzda and pretzel

Obatzda and pretzel

 

As you can tell, I found Oktoberfest to be the perfect place to sip and sample the flavors of Bavaria.

One Comment

  1. Love this post Kat. I am sure you brought the recipes home to duplicate here in Chicago

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