Bavarian cuisine
This article is a travel topic.
Traditional food in Bavaria
Brotzeit und salate
- Kalter Braten Cold Schweinsbraten (roasted pork) cut in thin slices usually served with bread and horseradish
- Wurstsalat Marinated cold sausage cut in thin slices with onion rings
- Schweizer Wurstsalat same as above but with cheese
- Krautsalat mit Speck Marinated white cabbage slices with bacon
- Kartoffelsalat Salad made from marinated boiled potatoes. It is a common dish in southern part of Germany, but the Bavarians tend to add more vinegar than others.
- Obazda A cheese creme with onions and paprika powder. Served with bread or a prezel.
- Leberknödelsuppe Typical Bavarian soup with a dumpling from pork liver.
- Leberspätzlesuppe same as above, with many small pieces instead of a dumpling
Main courses with meat
- Schweinsbraten the most common dish in upper Bavaria. Pork served in slices with gravy, accompanied by Knödel
- Krustenbraten see Schweinsbraten. They just want to emphasize the great crust you normally get with a Schweinsbraten
- Schweinshaxe Grilled pork joint often served as half or quarter Schweinehaxe.
- Rollbraten Pigs belly rolled up. Served with Kartoffelsalat and prezels usually. Can be very fat!
- Steckerlfisch
- Nürnberger Bratwurst mit Sauerkraut Probably the smallest among all sausages in Bavaria this one become famous all over Germany. Fried sausages served with sauerkraut is a speciality from Nürnberg.
Without meat
- Kässpatzen made of flour, eggs, salt, water and much Bavarian cheese. You can only get it in the Allgäu, the south of Bavaria.
- Kratzat made of flour, eggs, milk and salt.
- Krautspatzen Spätzle (eggs, flour, water, salt) with sauerkraut, if you want with bacon.
- Apfelkrapfen made of flour, eggs and apples
Please taste also the south-Bavarian cheese named Bergkäse (mountain-cheese)
These and much other meals are really traditional south-Bavarian, before 1900 the Allgäu in the south of Bavarian was a poor region and meat was very expensive for the farmers.
Bavaria cuisine, unfortunately is not very vegetarian friendly, however, there are plenty of Asian restaurants, which can cater to vegans and vegetarians. Furthermore lax vegetarians can consider the numerous Italian restaurants.
Desserts
- Apfelauflauf
- Dampfnudeln mit Vanillesauce
- Semmelschmarrn mit Zwetschgenkompott
- Münchner Apfelstrudel
- Prinzregententorte
- Ausgezogene Kücherl
- Kletzenbrot
Beer
Quantities
The standard serving for a beer is 0,5l called eine Halbe or a Hoibe (Bavarian). Unlike in other parts of Germany or even Franconia, where you can get 0,2l or 0,33l of beer, there is no really "small beer" in Munich or upper Bavaria. If you order a "small beer" you will show that you have no idea of drinking Bavarian beer and get 0,5l anyway. Sometimes you might be able to get einen Schnitt, which is a normal 0,5l glass filled half with beer an half with foam. If you see a restaurant in Upper Bavaria selling beer (except pilsener) in quantities of only 0,33l you should know the only reason why they do this is because they can ask for a higher price (per litre) without you noting it.
Bavarian waitresses can be very slow, so it might be better to order eine Maß which means 1l of beer.
Bavarian taverns usually do offer 0,3L servings, but they are considered women's servings. A man ordering such a small serving would undoubtedly get a chuckle from the bartender.
Types
There are two main types of Bavarian beer, Helles and Weißbier.
Helles - which literally means "pale" - is the most popular Bavarian beer. It is a type of lager beer, similar to the pilsener, but contains less hop and tastes sweeter. The "Reinheitsgebot" (purity law) allows only water, barley and hop to be used to brew this beer. Similar to the Helles is the Dunkles (meaning "dark") that has a stronger taste because it is brewed with more malt.
Weißbier - literally meaning "white beer" - is made of barley and wheat. Because of the use of wheat it is called Weizenbier (meaning "wheat beer") in other regions of Germany, but do not use this word in Munich or Upper Bavaria - the locals insist of using Weißbier. It tastes more sour than Helles. Because the yeast is still in the beer it looks more cloudy then Helles but it is not lighter in color as the name would imply. If you order "eine Halbe Weißbier" you usually get it in a special glass (a photo will follow). Normally you do not order "eine Maß Weißbier". There is also a version brewed with more malt with the paradox name dunkles Weißbier meaning "dark white beer".
Normally in a restaurant you will order and get "eine Halbe". On festivals you usually get "eine Maß", on some (like the Octoberfest) it is the only quantity you will get. On festivals and in beer gardens it is very common to share "eine Maß" with your partner or a good friend.
Mixed with non-alcohlic drinks
Radler (meaning "cyclist") Helles mixed with lemonade
Russn (meaning "Russian") Weißbier mixed with lemonade
(Note that 'lemonade' is the British term for what Americans would refer to as 'lemon-lime soda')
Diesel oder ein dreckiges (meaning 'a dirty one') Weißbier mixed with coke
Strangely noone sells Helles mixed with coke.
Popular with young people is eine Goasnmaß (meaning "a goat's Maß"). This is 0,5l Weißbier mixed with 0,5l coke and an unknown quantity of cherry brandy. It tastes very sweet, you can swallow it like water, but it has at least the quantity of alcohol in it as pure beer.
Brands
Augustiner is the oldest brewery in Munich, founded in 1328. Though it does no advertising or sponsoring is very popular among young people. Maybe this is due to the fact that it is one of the sweetest Munich beers. You mostly find Helles, called "grüner August" or "greaner August" (Bavarian) by the locals, because it has a green sticker on it. Often you can get Edelstoff too, it is slightly more bitter than Helles. There is a Weißbier brewed by Augustiner, too, but it is served only in a few restaurants.
Franziskaner the Weißbier section of Spaten. Popular with the locals, young and old.
Hacker-Pschorr
Hofbräu because all the tourists think Hofbräu (and the famous Hofbräuhaus) is the real Bavarian beer culture, there is no Hofbräu beer left for the locals. If you drink Hofbräu beer, you are a tourist.
Löwenbräu Like Spaten, this beer is not so popular with the younger people.
Paulaner A popular beer (both Helles and Weißbier) especially the elder locals like.
Spaten You will find this beer in many Munich clubs and discos. Nevertheless the young locals do not really like it.
Ayinger is not truly a Munich beer, because it is brewed in the rural district of Munich, but served in some restaurants in the city.
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