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Thecuisine of thePalatinate region ofGermany is essentially determined by regionaldishes that have become popular throughout the whole region and even beyond.
The traditional Palatine cuisine is in parts very hearty and substantial, mainly because the recipes were developed by the physically hard-working population or in times ofpoverty. In comparison to other regionalGerman cuisines its dishes are also hotter andspicier. A typical spice used for sausage and potatoes ismarjoram.
The most renowned dish from the Palatinate isSaumagen (meaning pig stomach) which is a mixture of leanpork,sausage meat,potatoes,onions, marjoram,cloves andpepper in acasing, traditionally apigstomach, in which the mixture is simmered. As with most traditional dishes, there are variations with additional ingredients and spices. The finished product is cooled, cut into finger-thick slices and sold at all butchers in the Palatinate region. The slices are fried and usually served with sauerkraut and bread or mashed potatoes, sometimes with brown sauce.
CoarseBratwürste,liverwurst andblood sausage, liverKnödel andmeatballs, the latter most commonly served with ahorseradish sauce, are integral parts of the Palatinate cuisine.
Like in neighbouringAlsace,sauerkraut is a typicalside dish in all seasons, but especially in winter. Other very common additions to themain dish aremashed potato andbrown sauce although manyrestaurants serve typical rye bread instead of the mashed potato.
Another very famous dish which is of eminent cultural importance isPfälzer Dreifaltigkeit ("Palatinate Trinity"): it is a combination of the above describedSaumagen, the typicalBratwurst and liverKnödel.
In theMiddle Ages numerous littlestreams running from thePalatinate Forest to theRhine were impounded bymonasteries orpeasants in order to create little fishponds. Although many of these have gone, there are still many traditional restaurants in the middle of the forest whose menus feature a variety of fish. Nowadays, many "modern" varieties of fish are served alongside traditional species liketrout,roach,zander,pike andcarp.
A second very notable tradition of fish dishes beside the one that was nurtured by fish ponds existed along the riverRhine which was very rich in fish, especially beforeindustrialization. Many men were fishermen and in the city ofSpeyer there was even aguild for this occupation which caught a variety of fish species, but especiallysalmon andeel were very important. In the course of the industrialization the Rhine became polluted and many species could not live there, or the fish were no longer edible.
But even after the loss of their own fishing grounds, the population retained its fondness for fish and nowadays there are still many restaurants along the Rhine and theRhine valley that specialize in fish dishes and many villages still celebrate the traditional fishermen's feasts in which a diverse selection of fish are offered.
A very famous dish from the Palatinate isDampfnudeln ("steamed noodles") with a salty crust. It is traditionally amain dish and enjoyed either with sweetside dishes such as wine sauce,vanilla sauce orfruit preserves such asmirabelle,plums orpear or with hearty side dishes like potato soup, vegetable soup orgoulash.In some parts of the Palatinate it is even common to eat them as an appetizer with a hearty soup and then with sweet side dishes as the main dish.
Duringplum season a common main dish is "Grumbeersupp und Quetschekuche" which is potato soup and plum cake and for dessertKerscheplotzer is served. Another seasonal dish isZwiebelkuchen which is commonly served withFederweisser inautumn.
Also very frequently eaten areGebreedelde which is the Palatinate version ofbaked potatoes with dicedbacon orliverwurst. But also boiled potatoes withquark,onions,caraway,pepper orchive are very popular.
A traditional snack which exists mainly because of the working men in vineyards isWeck, Worscht un Woi (bun, meat and wine).
The most important product of the agriculture there and also one of the most popular export articles is thewine. It is grown mainly along theWeinstraße where because of its situation at the western edge of theRhine valley and next to the range of mountainsHaardt a very mild climate guarantees optimal conditions.Traditionally white wines are particularlyRiesling,Müller-Thurgau,Silvaner andKerner. Famous red wines areBlauer Portugieser andDornfelder.The wines are not only important for drinking with meals but are also frequently used as an ingredient in sauces or desserts.
As manychestnut trees are growing in theHaardt the cuisine of this region features many chestnut dishes especially during autumn andChristmastime. They are preferably served withgame,duck orrabbit which is also the traditional way of eating them but in recent years the cooks of sophisticated restaurants adapted many chestnut dishes from Italy and France. Important cultivars are vegetables and potatoes in the Vorderpfalz andasparagus in the Rhine valley.Due to the Mediterranean climate there are alsoalmonds,kiwis,citron fruit andfigs growing there and therefore the cuisine resembles the cuisines of the Mediterranean states likeItaly,Spain and especiallyFrance.
The Palatine people's love of good food resembles that of the French and is especially visible in the public festivals and funfairs whose themes are frequently about food or drink. Beside the many wine feasts there are also other culinary specialties highlighted and celebrated such as asparagus inDudenhofen,pretzel inSpeyer,radish inSchifferstadt,Handkäse inLustadt,potato inBellheim or the dishSaumagen inKallstadt.
This region's cuisine is even heartier and traditional dishes include:
In the region bordering France, the neighbouring influence is notable. Dishes such asFlammkuchen are very popular and evenescargots are common.
Regionalcuisine of Germany | ||
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