German food is much more than sausages and beer. Every region has its own dishes, and tasting them is one of the joys of travelling through the country. Here are twelve our guests ask about again and again.
Bavaria and the south
- Weisswurst: white veal sausages with sweet mustard and a pretzel, eaten before noon
- Schweinebraten: roast pork with crispy crackling, dumplings and dark beer sauce
- Brezn: the large soft pretzel, perfect in a beer garden
- Käsespätzle: egg noodles baked with cheese and fried onions, the Swabian classic
North and east
- Fischbrötchen: a bread roll with herring or smoked salmon at the Hamburg harbour
- Currywurst: sliced sausage with curry ketchup, the Berlin street snack
- Sauerbraten: beef marinated for days in vinegar and spices, popular in Saxony and the Rhineland
- Kartoffelsuppe: hearty potato soup, often with a sausage
Sweets and drinks
- Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte: chocolate sponge, cherries, kirsch and cream from the Black Forest
- Apfelstrudel: apple strudel with vanilla sauce, shared with Austria
- Lebkuchen and Stollen: Christmas specialities from Nuremberg and Dresden
- Riesling from the Rhine and Moselle, and of course a fresh local beer
Tips for eating out
Lunch is often the main meal and many traditional restaurants offer good-value lunch menus. In beer gardens you may bring your own food in Bavaria, but drinks must be bought there. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are now easy to find in cities.
On our tours we recommend restaurants where locals eat, and we gladly arrange special dinners on request.
